CNBC reports the latest trend in spam text messages involves mobile phone users receiving texts from what appears to be their own phone number.
The messages typically claim to be from the user’s wireless carrier, referencing the recipient’s wireless bill and including a link to a “free gift.” Spoiler alert: The link leads to potentially malicious websites instead, according to users on Reddit and Twitter.
Robokiller, a company that makes a mobile app to block spam calls and texts, says typical versions of the spam texts feature messages that say, “Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March,” along with a dubious link that claims to offer a free gift. In other cases, the spam message includes a link that claims to take the recipient to a Verizon survey.
It appears this is impactly primarily Verizon users, but all carriers are probably vulnerable. The recent spate of same-number spam texts comes amid a rise in overall spam texts received by U.S. wireless customers in recent years.
Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warned that spam texts have been rising during the Covid-19 pandemic, with scammers more likely to prey on desperate Americans suffering from health or financial hardships. Robokiller said Americans received a total of 87.8 billion spam text messages in 2021, a 58% increase from the previous year.
What can you do about it?
- Be wary of answering phone calls or text messages from unidentified or unknown numbers.
- Never share your personal or financial information via email, text messages, or over the phone. Don't click on links or attachments you receive in any text message, and to call any friend or contact who texts you a link before clicking, to make sure they weren’t hacked.
- Verizon warns don't respond to suspicious messages at all - forward spam texts, particularly those claiming to be from Verizon, to S-P-A-M (7726).
- Report potential spam texts and emails to the Federal Trade Commission’s online fraud complaint form and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Full article on CNBC.com