A woman shows a friend something on her smart phone
(Photo by Ming Yeung/Getty Images)We get them every day, they’re a part of our lives now. We routinely check our email or text messages, and boom, there’s another one.
“Hi, this is Sandy from HR, and your resume was given to me regarding a work-from-home position that I think would be perfect for you. Make $500 to $750 working from home just a couple of hours a day. Interested?
It’s a spam text or email known as “phishing” or “smishing” (SMS phishing). They’re phishing for information. And, “they” are not even people, they’re robots that are sending billions of emails and text messages every week, thousands per second.
Most people are aware and are suspicious of any strange text. However, many, especially the elderly, fall for these scams every minute of every day. My parents will show me an email or text and ask me, “Is this real?” It’s not. It took me a while to get them to suspect something and ask me.
The robots are phishing for information. You respond, “Sure, that sounds great.” They continue the conversation until it’s time to get your personal information, like a bank account number, and they’ve got you.
Types of Phishing Scams
There are job texts, you’ve won something texts, the scary ones from the IRS, or a package delivery. Then there are the ones you see less often and can catch you off guard. These include subscription renewals, unpaid bills, or account verification.
If you get something that seems too good to be true, it probably is. If it’s urgent or seems suspicious, it is. The most important thing to know is to never click on a link in a text message. Secondly, never respond to an email or text message that’s from an unknown number or email.
As I’m writing this, I just received another phishing text. It says, “Dear Apple Customer, we’ve detected unauthorized activity on your account.” Blah, blah, blah. “Your Apple Pay is locked.” Blah, blah, blah. Many people don’t know that Apple never sends text messages like this. If there is a legitimate account issue, I'd find out the next time I log in to my account.
Finally, when you get a nefarious text or email, delete it and report it as spam. It’s also best to block the number and report it.
