Fake Text Messages and how to recognize them
Introduction
Unexpected text messages from unknown numbers can be quite perilous.
It’s crucial to remain cautious and not automatically trust every message you receive, as countless scammers are out there trying to trick you into divulging sensitive information.
So, how can you tell whether a text message is worth responding to?
Prefer to watch the video?
Here is how to decipher good and bad message
Recieved an unsolicited text?
Scammers like to send messages coaxing you to follow a link because of an urgent matter. This could be an account deactivation, fraudulent activity claims or problems delivering packages type of text. Fraudulent claims that you are a winner of a prize are also tempting to open. Prize giveaways sound very convincing, especially if it is from a company that you are a customer of, like for example Verizon.
Be careful to respond to text messages just because it is your phone number. Check whether these companies are real and rather phone customer service to change settings or confirm details than respond to a text message.
Is the Text Message asking you to call a number?
You could be prompted to call a number listed in the Text Message. You should check whether the number the message originates from matches the company’s listed phone number.
By calling a number directly from a text you could end up speaking to a person not affiliated with the company you are trying to reach. The bad actor could ask you to confirm all your personal details and could even convince you to disclose passwords or PINs. Bad actors could already have your account number before texting you, and this gives a false sense of security.
Some text messages ask you to call a specific number if the text was sent to the wrong person, or if you did not make a specific request. Tread lightly with these types of text messages, and always confirm by calling the company at the listed number on the company website.
Does the boss normally send messages?
Did you get a text from your boss, claiming he is in a meeting or a conference? Did he ask you to buy some gift cards to surprise your co-workers or clients? These text messages are known to be a scam. Bad actors prey on you when you want to be a good employee. Be careful of responding to strange requests even if the number does originate from the right person. Always check with the contact before acting on a request.
The number is wrong or outside your country
Even a wrong-number text could potentially be dangerous. Imagine you respond to a wrong-number text, and the person on the other end ignores it and sends you a picture of a girl in a bathing suit? You reply to this, they strike up a conversation with you, and before you know it, you are lured into visiting a link where you “sign up” for more photos. You were scammed into supplying your credit card information, which is now in the hands of a bad actor. Don’t fall victim to these kinds of scams. Block the number and stay safe.
Request for a simple Yes or No response
Did you sign up for text messages from a particular company? If not, then don’t respond to instructions that ask you to type “no” or “stop”. These messages try to gauge whether the phone is active, so that it can be used in a scam. Blocking without responding is the correct thing to do.
Here are steps prevent and report text scams
Remove your phone number from People-search sites.
Sites like Whitepages, Truthfinder, Intelius, BeenVerified, and Spokeo list your information and allow the public to look it up. They may be prohibited from selling your information, but this does not prevent these sites from making it available to anyone. To hide your information from these pages, you have to look for the data suppression page on these websites. Here you can request that your information be suppressed.
If you have trouble accessing this feature, you can call the customer service center and have your information removed from public view. Be aware that this does not delete your information. Your information will still be available to law enforcement, etc.; however, it will not be available to the public.
You should also keep an eye on these pages, as your information can easily be relisted when a significant change occurs, such as a new loan, a new house, or convictions.
Register with a Do-Not-Call service.
Adding your number to the Do-Not-Call registry is free and can help protect you against unsolicited calls. If you have more than one phone number, you will have to register each number. When you register for this service, you can opt to report unsolicited calls if they occur.
Remove your phone number from Social Media accounts.
Social media sites list your phone number if you gave permission for this, or if your profile is set to public. You should remove your number from these sites and make your profile private, or at least put your contact information as private to protect yourself.
Monitor for identity theft
An easy way to see if your phone number and personal information have been leaked on the internet is to use Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection, which provides real-time alerts if your personal data appears on the dark web. Having this service can help you detect identity theft.
Final Thought
A mobile phone is a handy tool in connecting friends, family, and coworkers, but it is also a vulnerability. On the one hand, we want to be reachable; on the other hand, we don’t want to be reachable by the wrong people. Creating a habit of caring for your number and being cautious about whom you share it with will go a long way toward preventing unsolicited calls.
