Sometimes we get calls or texts from people who have the wrong number and it’s completely innocent. Scammers know this, which is why they’re using it to their advantage. So that is why I want to help you avoid these wrong number scams so that you don’t become their next victim.
What is a wrong number scam?
A wrong number scam is basically when you receive a call or a text from someone pretending to have a wrong number. In this case, scammers tend to rely more on text messaging because it’s a faster and easier way of communicating.
For example, you might receive a text from a random number that says, “Hey, are we still meeting for coffee later?” It looks like an innocent mistake, so you politely write back and let them know that they have the wrong person. They respond again and say something like, “Thanks for letting me know, hope you’re having a great day.” Because they seem nice and normal, you begin a conversation, and that’s where it all starts.
The scammer’s entire goal is to try to seem super sweet in the beginning so that they gain your trust and form a friendship or even a romantic relationship. Before you know it, the scammer is trying to get you to lend them money to help pay their rent or to invest in their crypto-currency scheme. Because they wait until they have a person’s trust, the victim will fall for it because they think that the scammer is genuine.
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What other tactics do these scammers use?
Besides being nice, someone who is furthering a text messaging scam might brag a lot about their lifestyle. They might say that they live in a wealthy neighborhood and drive a fancy car. Then they’ll say that the reason they have all these nice things is that they invest in cryptocurrency and will ask if you’re interested in doing so too. Especially if you’re someone who is struggling financially, you might think to yourself, “That sounds great and so easy, let me try it.”
The scammer may also try asking you for personal details about your finances, like whether you own a home. These questions usually don’t come until a few weeks or even months later when the victim has given full trust over to the scammer, so they’re much less likely to suspect anything.
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How can I prevent this from happening to me?
1. Never give personal details to someone whom you have not met in person
The key thing to remember here is that you should never be giving personal details over to someone whom you have not met in person, especially if it is related to your finances. Finances are not meant to be shared even with your closest friends. So you should certainly not be trusting those details with someone you just met over text.
2. Speak with a person directly on the phone or via video chat
Another thing to remember is that you should be asking to speak with a person directly on the phone or via video chat if you’re trying to form a genuine relationship with them. If they’re refusing to meet in person, over video chat, or even talk on the phone, then there’s a good chance that this person shouldn’t be trusted.
3. Don’t always be so quick to trust people
Finally, don’t always be so quick to trust people. It’s a wonderful thing that our smartphones allow us to connect with people that we probably never would have without them, however, you should still keep your wits about you, especially if the person on the other end seems pushy or wants personal details from you.
What if I gave my personal information to a scammer? What to do next.
If you unintentionally shared your personal information with a scammer, below are some next steps if you become a victim of identity theft.
- Look through bank statements and checking account transactions to see where outlier activity started
- Report any breaches to official government agencies like the Federal Communications Commission
- Get the professional advice of a lawyer
- before speaking to law enforcement, especially when you are dealing with criminal identity theft
- if being a victim of criminal identity theft leaves you unable to secure employment or housing
- Alert all three major credit bureaus and possibly place a fraud alert on your credit report
- Run your own background check or request a copy of one if that is how you discovered your information has been used by a criminal.
- Use a Fraud protection service: Identity Theft companies, like my #1 pick, Identity Guard can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. Some of the best parts of using an identity theft protection service like my #1 pick include identity theft insurance to cover losses and legal fees, and a white glove fraud resolution team where a US-based case manager helps you recover any losses. See my review for Best identity theft protection services 2023 here.
If you are a victim of identity theft, the most important thing to do is to take immediate action to mitigate the damage and prevent further harm.
Have you been the victim of a wrong number text scam? Let us know by commenting below.
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- Find out why cellphone companies now must block obvious spam texts
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