Scammers are everywhere — even in your text message inbox. Here are the 10 latest text message scams to be aware of (and how to avoid them).
February 7, 2024
CEO and Founder of Aura
Hari Ravichandran is the CEO and founder of Aura, with over 40 approved or pending technology patents to his name. He was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful CEOs 40 and Under in 2014 and 2015. Hari holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University.
Reviewed by
Aura Cybersecurity Editor
Jory MacKay is a writer and award-winning editor with over a decade of experience for online and print publications. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Victoria and a passion for helping people identify and avoid fraud.
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Aura’s digital security app keeps your family safe from scams, fraud, and identity theft.
See pricing Share this:Kizzy Broaden thought she was doing the right thing when she responded to a fraud alert text from her bank [*]. She called the number in the text and quickly “verified” her identity by providing her Social Security number (SSN) and debit card details. Minutes later, both her personal and business accounts were empty.
Unfortunately, Kizzy is just one of nearly 60 million Americans who have fallen victim to text message scams in the past year [*].
Text scams (also known as “smishing”) are among the most common tactics scammers use to steal personal information. Last year alone, scammers sent out 87.8 billion spam text messages and defrauded victims of over $10 billion [*].
If you’ve received a suspicious text, don’t respond, click on links, or call any numbers. In this guide, you will learn what else to do to keep your identity and money safe from scammers.
Fraudsters implement numerous types of text message scams. But they all follow a similar pattern:
In recent years, text scammers have become masters of human psychology. They know exactly what to say to get you to act without thinking.
But what happens when you fall for their schemes?
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That depends on the scam — and how you respond to the message.
Typically, text scammers have three goals:
Any of these actions can result in immediate and long-term financial losses or even identity theft.
How can you identify these text message scams, and what should you do if you get one?
With more people shopping online because of the pandemic, delivery notification scam texts have run rampant.
In this scam, the fraudster sends a fake text message claiming to be from UPS, FedEx, or a similar delivery service, notifying you that a “delivery” was missed or needs to be rescheduled.
If you’ve recently bought something online, you’ll be tempted to click on the link. But doing so will often lead you to a scam site that requests your personal information or asks for an advance payment in order to deliver your package.
Don’t reply or click on the link in the text. Instead, go to the official website for the delivery service (FedEx, USPS, etc.) to track your package and get the latest updates. If you received a tracking number in the text message, you can always copy and paste it to confirm its legitimacy on the actual website.
You should also report fraudulent texts or phishing scams to the company. Here’s how:
A message from a friend, family member, or employer would likely prompt an immediate response. And that’s what scammers are counting on.
With just your phone number and some publicly available information from your social media profiles and online footprint, scammers can send you a convincing text message claiming to be from someone you know.
Some of these scams pretend to be from a colleague (such as a boss claiming to be in an emergency situation and needing you to send money or gift cards). Others might even claim to be a romantic interest.
Slow down and confirm the information before you act. Call the person, or make contact through a different method to make sure they sent the message.
Never assume a text is legitimate — even if it uses a phone number you recognize (as scammers can spoof their number and hide the true source).
Scammers know that sending you anything to do with your bank account will prompt you to act without thinking.
Fake bank text message scams will often claim that your account has been locked or closed due to security concerns. To restore access, you will be asked to follow a link or call a phone number — at which point the scam happens.
Michelle Hoeting nearly fell victim to this scam after receiving a text claiming to be from her bank. Terrified of losing her account, she almost clicked on the link when she received another text. This time, it was from Wells Fargo. But Hoeting didn’t have a Wells Fargo account. That’s when she knew it was a scam [*].
Don’t respond to the text. Instead, contact your bank via official channels to confirm the status of your account. If you find out that it's a scam, report it to your bank’s fraud department.
✅ Take action: If you accidentally give scammers your personal data, they could take out loans in your name or empty your bank account. Try an identity theft protection service to monitor your finances and alert you to fraud.
Winning a tropical holiday to the Bahamas, a new MacBook, or a million dollar cash prize would make your day.
But did you really win?
Receiving a notification about winning a prize from a competition you don’t remember entering is a red flag for a sweepstakes text scam. To claim the prize, scammers will ask you to pay a fee and provide personal and banking information.
If you’re out shopping or in immediate need of funds, you could be tempted to try and unblock your card using a link contained in a spam text message. But if you click on the link, it will take you to a phishing site that steals your information (and gives scammers access to your bank account).
Notify your bank or credit card company via the appropriate channels. If in doubt, call the number on the back of your physical card — not the one contained in the text.
If the scammer used your banking information in the text or on a call (such as your account or credit card number), you should assume your financial accounts are compromised and follow the steps in the fraud victim’s checklist.
Criminals know most people become anxious dealing with the IRS. For this reason, they will often impersonate agents via texts and calls in an effort to trick you into paying for taxes and other related fees that you don’t owe.
These scams can take different forms. For example, you might be told that there’s a warrant out for your arrest due to tax evasion, or that you’re eligible for additional stimulus funds. But in both cases, the scammers want you to engage so that they can steal your personal information or get you to send them money.
Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration here. Alternatively, you can screenshot the message and caller ID and then forward it to phishing@irs.gov.
Perhaps the weirdest of all text scams is receiving one from your own number. Lately, criminals are spoofing users’ phone numbers and sending texts thanking them for paying their phone bills, with the hope that recipients will respond out of curiosity.
In April, a New York Times’ writer received a spam text from his own number reading: “ATT Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here’s a little gift for you,” followed by a suspicious link [*].
Don’t click on any links as they could download malware — and potentially allow scammers to hack your phone. Also, never reply “STOP” as it indicates to the scammer that your number is active, which will prompt them to send you more spam texts. To report spam text messages, forward it to SPAM (7726).
Subscription services like Netflix, Disney, HBO, and Hulu have become common targets for text scammers. In these scams, you receive a text message claiming that your account has been locked due to non-payment — or that you have money waiting for you because of an “overpayment.”
The scammer’s goal is to get you to click on the link and enter your payment information — which goes straight to the scammer.
Don’t respond or click on the link in the text. If you’re unsure of the status of your subscription, log in to your account directly on the company’s website, and check your payment history. If there’s an issue, update your billing information using the official website or app — never the link in the text message.
No one wants to pay for products or services they didn’t ask for. Scammers use the threat of fraudulent purchases to get you on the phone or to prompt you to confirm your banking information.
In one common version of this scam, you’ll get a “courtesy alert” about a purchase you didn’t make. A phone number is provided for you to call if it wasn’t you. Once on the phone, the scammers will push you to “verify” your personal information, such as your credit card number.
Sometimes scammers will send these alerts claiming to be from your bank. These fake fraud alerts ask you to respond with “YES” or “NO” for a pending transaction. But no matter how you reply, you’ll be told you need to call to “verify” your response.
Never click on links, respond to messages, or call phone numbers in these scam texts. Ignore them as much as possible. If you’re concerned about the potential purchase, contact your bank’s fraud department directly (using the phone number on their website or the back of your card), and ask them to verify the purchase.
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Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. It works by sending a short code to your mobile device once it detects a login attempt on your account.
This process makes it difficult for hackers to access your account even though they have your username and password. So, their next attempt is to “smish” your authentication code from your mobile phone.
First, they’ll spoof the number of a legitimate company (for example, Snapchat), and send you a text claiming they’ve detected “suspicious login activity” on your account [*]. To avoid locking your account, they’ll request that you text them back your 2FA code once you receive it. If you send it to them, you’ve given them access to your account.
A fake 2FA message means someone already has your username and password — but can’t yet access your account.
The best solution is to log in to your account using the official address of the website and then change your password. You can also switch to using an authenticator app instead of SMS-based 2FA.
Authenticator apps are more secure, as they generate a one-time code within the app that expires after a set-time limit — usually 30 seconds.
The good news is that receiving a scam text isn’t dangerous. But if you do anything more than look at it, you could put yourself at risk. Instead, here’s what to do if you receive a scam text:
If you accidentally responded to a scam text or clicked on a link, you could be vulnerable to several different cyber and phishing attacks. Follow the steps below if you responded in any way to a scam text.
🎯 Take action: Call and text protection are included on all Aura Family plans as of May 2023. These features are available for iOS devices now, with support for Android devices to follow quickly. Try Aura free for 14 days.
2,695,229,046. That’s the number of spam texts that scammers send out every week [*].
If you’re not careful, you can easily become one of their victims. While there’s almost no way to stop scam texts, you can keep your inbox secure by following a few steps:
Don’t fall for sleazy text message scams. Instead, keep yourself safe by slowing down, avoiding suspicious links, and never giving out personal or sensitive information to people you don’t know — especially if they're texting or calling from random numbers.
And for added protection, consider Aura’s all-in-one digital security solution.
Aura protects your devices from spam text messages, phishing websites, robocalls, and malware — and monitors your financial and personal accounts for signs of fraud. If anyone is trying to scam you, Aura will let you know and help you avoid financial losses and identity theft.
Editorial note: Our articles provide educational information for you to increase awareness about digital safety. Aura’s services may not provide the exact features we write about, nor may cover or protect against every type of crime, fraud, or threat discussed in our articles. Please review our Terms during enrollment or setup for more information. Remember that no one can prevent all identity theft or cybercrime.
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