Which? have alerted the public to four particularly nasty text scams, which are currently doing the rounds. For some mobile users, barely a day goes by without receiving a dodgy text. These scams, known as ‘smishing’, are popular tools for fraudsters and some are sneakier than others.
Which? rounded up four particularly nasty examples to watch out for, including a fake emergency text and a convincing delivery text scam.
Be prepared for these scams.
Fake crises scams
You are addressed you by name and the sender tells you that they are in an ‘urgent situation’. The aim of the scam is to get you to transfer money to the scammer.
Which? say that they have seen an example where the scammer claims their mother is in hospital and they need money for their sisters to travel back to help her.
This text is deliberately designed to “induce panic and make you act quickly. Of course, none of this is real, but it can catch you off guard if you think a friend is in need”.
In the example, the recipient’s name and number is known by the scammer, showing that this could be a spear-phishing attack. This is when fraudsters send specific scam messages that use your personal information to send specific scam messages and make them appear more convincing.
Which? also report that, “the only thing that gave this message away was that the recipient couldn’t place the name of the sender and so concluded it was a scam”.
Mobile network impersonation scams
You get a text telling you that EE has ‘failed to take payment for your recent bill’ includes a dodgy link to ‘change your account information.’
In the message is a link which sends recipients to a website impersonating EE, which asks for your account information in order to bill you.
Which also report that, “another similar text claims to be from phone carrier Vodafone and tells you that your contract will be ‘disabled’ as you haven’t accepted the new terms and conditions. You’re then prompted to follow a dodgy link to accept these”.
‘Hi mum’ text scams
Which? have seen what they describe as ‘Hi mum’ texts. These are said to impersonate adult children to try to panic you into transferring money for fake emergencies for years. Unfortunately, these messages have caught many people out.
Which? go on to say that, “often, the text will tell you to contact the sender on a different number, which will belong to the scammer, so they can continue their story before asking you for cash”.
Missed delivery Evri text scams
A scam text impersonating Evri tells you that your package can’t be delivered due to incorrect or missing information. The scam relies on the fact that many people who receive it will be waiting on a delivery.
Which go on to say that. “It gives you a link to follow, which takes you to a copycat website and instructs you to reply ‘Y’ to the message ‘to activate the link’”.
Rogue traders conned a victim out of £6,000
Which? have reported that Maureen was scammed out of £6,250 by rogue traders after contacting what appeared to be a well-reviewed local roofing company.
Which? went on to say that “initially Santander refused to reimburse her, but after our scams expert stepped in and investigated, the bank agreed to pay up”.
If something like this happens to you, find out here what you need to do to recover your money.
Scammers are preying on job seekers again with appealing, but too-good-to-be-true, offers.
The latest examples seen by Which? are said to have been “fraudsters impersonating genuine recruitment firms to make their scams even more convincing. See what these scams look like so you can avoid falling victim”.
Other ways to spot scam texts
LifeLock website has also made a note of seven more ways you can spot scam texts.
- Unknown or random number
- Irrelevant information – The text seems random, or your instinct is to respond with “wrong number.” The texter tries to converse further.
- Sense of urgency – There’s pressure to act before thinking – the request seems out of character – you’re not expecting contact regarding specific -actions (such as renewing an account)
- Spammy link – The sender promises a reward – you get a request for personal details via a link – the requests for verification are unsolicited
- Typos and grammatical errors – the text includes strange misspellings or grammatical errors – the brand formatting or stylizations are incorrect – the communication style is uncharacteristic of the person or business contacting you.
- Unexpected contact
- Promise of a reward or prize – you never entered a contest and you’re not expecting a prize – the text includes a payment request to cover costs relating to the prize – the sender asks for personal information to verify you’re the winner.
How can you help prevent scams?
If you come across a scam, you can share information about it with Which? by using this tool.
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