The alarming rise of smishing and how to avoid falling victim

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Remember the good old days when you only received a text from a friend or family member?  Well, sadly, those days are gone. Now it seems like every week, I get mysterious texts that come out of nowhere, claiming to be from my bank or another financial institution—or even an advertisement for something—yet I am never sure whether or not they are legit. Right now, cybercriminals are working overtime to target and take advantage of us with what’s known as a smishing scam.

 

What is ‘smishing’?

Smishing is a type of scam that happens via SMS text messaging where a scammer will send you a text and claim to be from a major reputable company. Sometimes they will claim to be from the IRS and will try to tell you that you owe thousands of dollars, while other times, they might claim to be from your bank and will urge you to click a link because “suspicious activity” has been happening on your account. Sometimes, the texts will even have a bunch of gibberish like this one I received about a Netflix account.

Or this one telling me that my Netflix account is on hold due to a billing issue.

Once you click on those bogus links and you start giving personal information, the scammers have an open lane leading right into your bank account, where they can drain your funds and potentially leave you financially devastated. It’s a nightmare that’s been occurring all too often, and it can be avoided if you’re careful and look out for the warning signs.

MORE: FIND OUT WHY CELL PHONE COMPANIES NOW MUST BLOCK OBVIOUS SCAM TEXTS

What can I do to protect myself from smishing?

First off, be aware that the IRS and your bank will never contact you via text, especially when it comes to you owing money or issues with your accounts. The IRS will always send a letter directly to your home if there is an issue, and your bank will likely do the same. You can also always reach out to your bank directly by giving them a call and asking if there’s been an issue with any of your accounts.

If you receive a text message from a random number with a link, do not click it, especially if the message contains urgent or intimidating language.

There are also settings you can activate on your smartphone to flag any strange messages that come your way. For iPhone users, this feature is called “Filter Unknown Senders,” and for Android users, it’s called “Enable Spam Protection.”

How to enable Filter Unknown Senders on an iPhone

• Open Settings
• Scroll down and select Messages 
• Under MESSAGE FILTERING, toggle on Filter Unknown Senders

How to turn on Enable Spam Protection on an Android

• • Open your Messages app
  • Click the 3 vertical dots 
  • Select Settings
  • Tap on Spam protection
  • Toggle on Enable spam protection

*Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer 

What should you do if you think you’ve been scammed?

Report the scammer

If you think you’re a victim of scamming, go to the FTC’s website here and report the scammer. The steps for reporting a scam are straightforward, and the FTC will send out alerts to law enforcement immediately to help with investigating the scammers. You can also contact the Better Business Bureau and file a report with them 24/7.

Contact your bank

If you sent money to the scammer and want to recover the funds, you should immediately reach out to your bank or credit/debit card company and report it as fraud. The representatives will then walk you through the steps of how to get your money reimbursed.

Visit IdentityTheft.gov

If you gave out any personal information like a social security number, follow the steps at IdentityTheft.gov. You’ll be able to make a report there, and the website will help come up with a recovery plan for you and walk you through each step of gaining your identity back.

Use Identity theft protection

Have good antivirus software on all your devices

This story is also another reminder to always have good antivirus software running on your devices, as smishing scams entail text communications asking the victim to click a link.  Having antivirus software on your devices will make sure you are stopped from clicking on any potential malicious links that may be sent in any of your text messages.

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Final thoughts

Smishing is a real threat in today’s world. Cybercriminals are using text messages to try to trick us into giving them access to our bank accounts and other personal information. However, with some precautions, we can avoid falling prey to these nasty scams. Remember to never ever click on a link in a text message from an unknown number, and activate spam protection on your smartphone with the steps above. If you think you have been scammed, report it to the authorities and your bank or credit card company right away. And, to protect yourself from identity theft, consider subscribing to an identity theft service.

Have you or someone you know been the victim of a smishing scam?  Let us know your story by commenting below.

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Related:

• Find out why cell phone companies now must block obvious scam texts 
• Spam texts are out of control, say all 51 attorneys general