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Texting has made it so much easier to reach out to friends and family no matter where they are. Rather than playing endless rounds of phone tag like our distant ancestors, texting gives you the freedom to respond whenever you want.
But as great as texting might be for communication, it also makes it a lot easier for scammers to contact you.And while it’s easy to shrug off any concern because you think you won’t respond to unsolicited text messages, SMS scams can be surprisingly convincing.
Lucky for you and your digital wallet, there are some easy tricks to identify fake messages.
What Are the Different Kinds of Spam Text Messages?
The first step toward identifying fake text messages is knowing what you’re looking for. When you’re familiar with common text message scams, you’re more likely to spot them right away and less likely to accidentally give away important information.
1. Phishing
Phishing is the most common form of spam. It’s designed to impersonate a real person or organization, and they can be very convincing.
Many phishing texts look like they’re coming from a bank or a government agency like the IRS. The scam message may be as simple as a fake authentication text with the short code you need to log in, or it might be a warning that somebody tried to log into your account. Often, the goal of these scams is to get your account number or login information.
Another common phishing scam is a text seemingly from Amazon or another package delivery service. It often looks like a “missed delivery” message, and let’s be honest — most of us are ordering enough things online that this kind of text could be about any number of real deliveries.
So, it’s easy to click the link without thinking about it. You’ll likely be asked for payment information to schedule a redelivery.
2. Baiting
Baiting is similar to phishing in that it looks like it’s coming from a reputable source. Rather than casting out a link and hoping you bite, baiting online scams add, well … bait. In exchange for information, they offer you something appealing.
The bait can be anything from a “free” download, a “free” gift, or even a cash prize. Of course, these gifts aren’t actually free. There’s always a hook.
3. Quid Pro Quo
This involves a hacker requesting important, private data in exchange for a service. For instance, you might get a text from a hacker who acts like an IT expert to offer up free assistance in protecting your computer. But in order to do so, they need personal information.
These requests can sound really reasonable. Naturally, an IT expert would need your logins and other private information to access your computer or accounts, right? As with any scam, however, the offer isn’t genuine.
How To Spot the Signs of a Scam
Fake messages can be convincing, and the more intertwined our real and digital lives are, the more convincing these texts become.
However, there are some telltale signs that a text message isn’t genuine. Think of them like red flags on a dating profile. If you spot more than one, it’s time to swipe left before you find yourself crying into a pint of ice cream.
1. Spelling and Grammatical Errors
One thing modern scammers have with Nigerian Princes? Neither of them can spell.
A legitimate company has writers who check their email and text blasts to ensure they’re error-free. If you get a text with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes — and it’s not coming from a Boomer family member — then you can be safe in assuming that it’s fake.
2. Freebies and Giveaways
Here’s the thing — lots of organizations do use giveaways and sweepstakes as a legitimate means of drawing in new business. That said, very few things in life come for free.
Often, hackers lure you in by offering up something for free to get you to click on links or give up personal information in exchange. So, tamp down on your excitement and ask yourself an important question.
Do you remember entering the contest or sweepstakes you’ve apparently won?
Because if not, something is clearly up. Additionally, sweepstakes will never ask you to spend money to get money, so if you have to pay to get paid, just say no. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
3. The Message Isn’t Specifically Addressed to You
Legitimate businesses refer to you by name. Not because they care about you, let’s be real — but because they have marketing departments. And marketing departments use all kinds of high-quality algorithms and forms to send personalized, specific messages based on the information you’ve shared with them.
If you get a text message directing you to do something without any specific reference to information that the business should have, it’s a clear sign to proceed with caution.
4. A Weird Sense of Urgency
In order for a spammer or a hacker to try to get you to fall into their trap and share information, they need to create a sense of urgency. If they get you to panic or act out of fear, you’re more likely to take immediate action rather than stop and analyze the fake text message.
That said, there are certainly instances where a business or organization would contact you needing an urgent response. But in these cases, taking some time to reach out directly and get clarity won’t be a problem.
So, even if it seems completely real, stop and verify the information. Go to the organization’s official website and contact them directly to confirm that the text message is real.
Sometimes, these scams will come from individuals pretending to be your boss, relative, or colleague. Generally, the scammer will tell you about some kind of professional or personal crisis that leaves them in need of gift cards to pay for something crucial. Again, the best move is always to verify directly with the individual.
5. Mystery Links
Never tap a link that doesn’t come from someone you know. This goes double if the message you received contains any of the other red flags listed above.
Scammers send links, and when you click on them, you’re at risk of downloading malware. You can generally assume that any message you receive from a suspicious unknown sender that includes links is something you want to delete and ignore.
6. It’s From a Bank or Government Institution
Generally, financial institutions like credit card companies, banks, or loan servicers will never never contact you over text message asking for personal or sensitive information.
You might even get a message from a bank you don’t even have an account with. Regardless, never respond to a financial institution asking you to give personal information through text message. Banks will only ever request information over the phone or in person. Never give out your financial information, like credit card numbers or social security numbers, over text.
What Do You Do Once You Identify a Fake Message?
Do not respond to the text.
That’s it. That’s the section. If you get a text you even slightly suspect of being a scam, do not respond to the text.
You’re not going to get helpful information by replying and engaging in any way; in fact, it just makes it more likely that the scammer talks you into sharing personal details. We’d all like to think we’re smarter and savvier than your average scammer, but the reality is that fraudsters are good at what they do. Don’t give them the opportunity.
If the text ends up being real and is important, don’t worry. Any legitimate person or institution will reach out to you in other ways. And as we’ve mentioned, you can always verify the information via official contact information if you’re concerned about missing something important.
In addition to ignoring the text, there are some steps you can take to prevent the scammer from taking advantage of others in the future.
Reporting Scam Text Messages
There are three ways to report an unwanted message to reduce the risk that the same scammer affects someone else in the future.
- Copy the message and forward it to 7726 (SPAM). This will get sent to your wireless provider, who can use this information to block and report similar messages.
- Report it directly to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC’s “ReportFraud” website gathers information on suspicious activities worldwide and reports their findings to protect individuals from scams.
- Basically, every messaging app has a feature to block spam. If you have an iPhone, open the conversation and tap the contact at the top of the screen. From there, tap the info button, scroll down, and tap Block This Caller. If you have an Android, find the name of the contact you want to block and then tap Block and Report Spam.
What Do You Do if You Engage With a Fake Text?
If you fall victim to a spam message, you can report your crime through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Fake text messages are so common because they’re effective. Tons of people fall victim to them every day. It’s important to take this seriously and not let shame stop you from getting help.
If your identity is compromised, file a complaint to the IC3 here, and be sure to freeze your credit report. This will prevent a scammer from opening new accounts in your name. If done quickly, this can stop identity theft in its tracks.
If you’ve already noticed somebody opening accounts in your name or suspect they might do so, file a police report with your local department. Your local police may not be able to help you and may even try to discourage you from filing a report with them due to questionable jurisdiction. But don’t let them turn you away.
Insist on the report, even if no further action will be taken, and keep a copy handy. You’ll need this report if you need to close a bank account, credit card, or loan that a scammer opens in your name.
How Do You Prevent Fake Text Messages in the Future?
Knowing the warning signs listed above is a great way to help protect yourself against scammers. But knowing how to identify a fake text message doesn’t solve the other problem with spam texts: they’re so annoying. So, prevention is both about protecting yourself and your sanity from endless phishing attempts.
Rather than giving every random person and website access to your personal cell phone number, use a phone number app like Burner to create additional numbers.
With Burner, you can control when you receive calls and texts from your secondary numbers. You likely have an email account for marketing and spam mail, an email for work, and a personal email. Why wouldn’t you apply the same system to every phone call?
By organizing your communication this way, you’ll be better equipped to spot something like a random verification code text as a scam — because you’ll know which line is connected to which account. You can even swap out your number for a new one if you feel like your Burner number is getting compromised with tons of spam texts and calls.
Gone Phishing
Fake texts can be convincing. They’re not always obvious phishing attempts with suspicious links and bad grammar, so it’s important to be aware of common scams and to know how to identify a fake text message.
You can also take steps now to protect yourself by getting a second Burner number, which shields your personal number from outgoing and incoming calls or texts.Try Burner today for the best way to protect your personal number, information, and peace.
Sources:
How To Freeze Your Credit at All 3 Credit Bureaus | Experian
How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages | Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
Avoid the Temptation of Smishing Scams | Federal Communications Commission
