“Hello?” Scams

Good morning!  Another addition of Fraud Friday is upon us.  This week let’s talk about Unknown Number Text Scams, sometimes referred to as “Hello” scams.

Anyone received a strange text from an unknown number lately?  I’m sure you all have; it seems to be an epidemic.  I recently received one from someone texting their mom to ask if their friend could spend the night.  Hope they got their actual mom, otherwise someone is in for a surprise when company shows up.  These random texts could say things like “Hey, how are you?” to “I’m your number neighbor” or anything in between.  Well, if you have received something random like this, you are definitely not the only one.  Texts like this are part of a growing fraud trend aimed at separating people from their money.  These seemingly innocent wrong numbers are potentially dangerous as well as annoying.  They are often the opening move in a scam known for deception, manipulation, and worst of all, emotional and financial exploitation.  Texts like these are crafted to get you to respond so the scammer can make a connection and start a conversation.  This is all part of social engineering, fraudsters want to manipulate people into giving up sensitive information or sending money.  Sometimes the scammer’s goal is to get you to click a link that will download malware to steal your information.

When people receive a text, whether from a known source or not, it is normal to respond in some way.  However, in these types of cases, responding lets the scammer know you are a real person and the number is legit.  That in turn makes your number very valuable as it may be passed around and sold to other scammers.  You may also be targeted repeatedly with messages from other scammers.  Whether these fraudsters pose as a long-lost friend or relative, pretend that they are looking for someone else, or just straight up have the wrong number, the goal is still the same.  Some versions of the unknown number text scam see scammers becoming more and more personal with their victims, giving them a false sense of security before luring them into a romance or investment scam.  And these aren’t just some quick hustles either, some victims have been scammed out of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Here are 5 red flags to look out for:

1. Messages that start with “hello” or “hi” from a number you don’t know.  Actually, any message from an unknown number could potentially be a scam.
2. Messages asking if you are someone, they met on a dating app or talked to the other day.
3. Messages with odd language, broken English, or grammar errors as many of these types of scams originate overseas.
4. Follow-up texts asking you to click a link or verify something.
5. Texts on apps like WhatsApp or iMessage from unfamiliar numbers with profile photos.

Is every wrong number text a scam?  Of course not, but in this day and age how can you tell?  With technology ever evolving it can be extremely difficult to decipher a scam from the truth.  So how do you stay safe?  Can you minimize the risk?  Absolutely!

  Here are some tips to do just that:

1. Never respond to an unknown text!  Even by replying something as simple as “wrong number” could potentially mark you as a target.  In this case, silence is much safer.
2. Block and report the number.  Your phone should have built in tools to help combat this type of fraud.  Likewise, your mobile carrier should have spam reporting options.  You can always utilize apps like Truecaller or RoboKiller to help as well.
3. Don’t click links from strangers.
4. Limit where you share your number.  Try to avoid putting your number on public websites or unsecure forms.
5. Both Android and iOS have built in Spam filters, be sure they are enabled.
6. Stay informed!

As humans, it is our nature to be curious and polite.  Scammers know this too and will try to use it to their advantage.  By knowing the red flags to look for, you are already one step ahead in the game!  So, the next time you get a random “Hey there how’s it going” or “can little Johnny come over and play” DELETE, IGNORE, REPORT!

Stay safe out there and remember, if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.