And keep your security software and apps on your phone up to date. Use the same safety and security practices with text messages as you do with unknown phone calls and emails. Text messages are quick, easy to send, grab your attention – and too many people think they are safe and risk-free.
If you want to know if the message is legitimate, use a phone number found from a trusted source, such as their secure website or your bill, to call the entity supposedly sending the text. Government agencies, banks, and other legitimate companies will never ask for personal or financial information, like usernames, passwords, PINs, or credit or debit card numbers by unsolicited text message.As in the case above, it may be an attempt to get personal information or scam you. Instead, call the customer service number on your regular bill and ask if the message is legitimate. If the message looks like a sender you know, and it says that you should click a link or call a number, don’t call or click. This could lead to fake websites or allow malware to infect your device. If you don’t know the sender, don’t open any links to websites or content they may include. Each reply just keeps the group text thread going. If you get a reply from someone else in a suspicious group text, do not reply to them either. And certainly, never send personal information to a suspicious text. Responding to the text verifies your phone number is active and shows you are willing to interact, which may lead to an increase in the unsolicited text messages you receive.
Even if the content is lewd or inappropriate, do not reply to say stop sending me messages. If you are busy, don’t do anything with the message until you can really evaluate the authenticity. Bad guys will create a false sense of urgency by implying an immediate response is required. Pay attention and read the message carefully. Protect yourself from text scams by remembering these tips: If you reply or click the link, you could open the door for the bad guys and that puts your device and your personal information at risk. The messages might ask you to reply with information or tell you to click on a link in the message. Like robocalls, bad guys use programs that can reach you and others in bulk and the inappropriate content is just a way to get your attention. The message may include a link to a website or contain lewd, inappropriate content. (More on that below.) Or you may be part of a group text of random phone numbers. For instance, the text message may come from an email account instead of a phone number. Bad guys know this may be a tactic you’d fall for.īad guys may try to text you in different ways. They may claim to be stuck in a meeting and ask you to send money through a payment app or ask you to get gift cards. Imagine getting a text from someone claiming to be your boss or an executive at YOUR company asking for your help with an urgent request. They could go to great lengths to get your attention.