Last Updated on by SCARS Editorial Team
Text Message ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Warning
A Scam Alert from SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS.
You Are All Familiar With Annoying Spam Text Messages!
We Hate Them Don’t We!
You get messages at all hours, day and night, about insurance, buying used cars, car warranties, and anything else spammers think they can sell you.
Plus countless businesses that you know and do business with now use text messages as a way to keep you informed of your orders and shipping. These have proven very popular but also reduce costs for these businesses, and that helps you save money too.
It is truly annoying and disrupts your life!
Some Are Dangerous!
Except that not all text messages are innocent or just annoying, many are scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost.. And these scams come in many different forms.
The typical types of Scam Text Messages include:
- Phishing messages asking for your personal information
- MalwareMalware Short for "malicious software," this term means computer viruses and other types of programs that cybercriminals use to disrupt or access your computer, typically with the aim of gathering sensitive files and accounts. lures that want you to click on a link that will infect your device
- Regular monetary scams – from lotto & sweepstakes to vacations to travel, all you have to do is pay a small amount to get the item of value
But now we are seeing an old-school style of scamming return (if it ever went away at all.)
“STOP” SCAMS
Some of these scam texts are what are called “Stop Scams”
Sometimes, when you call or text certain numbers there can secretly be extra charges for that. These days, your phone provider is probably warning you that it might happen but most people do not listen – especially because it never tells you what that additional charge might be.
IT WORKS LIKE THIS:
- You get a text from someone and it usually says it comes from a short number instead of a regular phone number
- The message is offering something that you don’t want or it could be from a company you know
- It says that if you want these texts to stop you should type STOP in a reply message
- If you do that it will charge to your phone bill an extra (unknown) amount – it could be a few dollars or hundreds
- It is that simple
DO THIS INSTEAD
Instead of replying to the message, report them to your carrier. Your photo provider probably offers spam filtering appsApps Applications or Apps An application (software), commonly referred to as an ‘app’ is a program on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or device. Apps are designed for specific tasks, including checking the weather, accessing the internet, looking at photos, playing media, mobile banking, etc. Many apps can access the internet if needed and can be downloaded (used) either for a price or for free. Apps are a major point of vulnerability on all devices. Some are designed to be malicious, such as logging keystrokes or activity, and others can even transport malware. Always be careful about any app you are thinking about installing.. By downloading your carried’s call blocker/filter app you can blockBlock Blocking is a technical action usually on social media or messaging platforms that restricts or bans another profile from seeing or communicating with your profile. To block someone on social media, you can usually go to their profile and select it from a list of options - often labeled or identified with three dots ••• them and report them to the phone service provider.