I was making dinner the other night and my husband's cell phone was sitting on the counter. It beeped to announce that a new text message had arrived. I glanced at the screen and there was a text from an unfamiliar number asking how he was doing. I didn't think much of it but the person on the other end persisted, obviously not wanting to be ignored. My husband asked me to respond, telling the person to please stop texting, but that didn't work. The person continued to send messages and even call. I didn't know it at the time, but it could have been a criminal taking part in a scam that's gaining popularity. It's called smishing and here are the warning signs.
What Is Smishing?
According to experts smishing is similar to phishing. Phishing is when a crook contacts you through email in an attempt to gather your personal information. Smishing is also an attempt to get consumers to divulge private details like account numbers and social security numbers, but instead of email the criminal is using your cell phone.
The Crook's Story
According to the Better Business Bureau smishing can come in many forms. The text messages may try to fool you into believing your bank account has been frozen or you've won a free laptop. The text may ask you to download security software to your phone. Or in our case, the person could just pretend to know you. No matter what story they use, the main goal is to finagle your account number, PIN and social security number out of you.
Don't Fall For Smishing
The Better Business Bureau says according to one online security firm, cell phone users are far more gullible than computer users. Perhaps it's because smishing isn't as well-known as its conniving cousin phishing. Or, maybe people are just more trusting when it comes to the text messages they receive. Either way, studies show cell phone users are three times as likely to fall for those fake messages than computer users.
Steps to Avoid Being Smished
There are several steps to take in order to avoid being smished.
- Don't Respond to Texts: I made a mistake when we started receiving those potentially damaging texts. I replied to the person and asked them to stop texting. Officials say that is a no-no because replying only lets the spammer know the number is working. It opens the door slightly and they'll continue to text and call until they get what they want, or until you take further action.
- Don't Click Anything: If you've got a Smartphone it's possible the crook will embed a link into the text in an effort to get you to click on it. The Better Business Bureau says this is a bad idea. You could be opening yourself up to identity theft and viruses.
- Verify the Number: Consumer Reports suggests doing a Google search of the phone number to find out if it's legitimate. If the number is claiming to be from your financial institution you should be able to confirm that through Google.
- Alert Your Bank: Are the fishy text messages claiming to be from your bank? Then do some investigative work and contact your bank. Write down the phone number that is sending the fake texts and alert officials. They may be able to put more resources on the case and prevent others from being smished in the future.
- Block the Number: We belong to Verizon Wireless, and blocking the number was easy and free of charge. According to the Verizon Wireless website you can block up to 20 numbers. We were told that the number would only be blocked for 90 days. At that point we can request to continue the block if needed.
Report Smishing to the Authorities
If you think you were targeted in a smishing attempt you are urged to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a government office operated in conjunction between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. As Smartphones become more common and hold even more personal information, investigators believe they will develop into a larger target for criminals who are looking to make money off of unsuspecting consumers.
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