If you have a cell phone, it’s pretty likely that you’ve received scam text messages at some point in the past. Typically these come from unrecognized numbers and they often try to spoof legitimate businesses – often banks or other financial institutions – with the intention of getting you to fork over your personal details before you realize that you’ve been hoodwinked.
Well, many people over the past week, especially if you use Verizon Wireless services, have been hit by messages that are somehow seeming to come from their very own phone number. This is a new level of scam, but not all that different from the many of us who have received phone calls from a number that is similar, but not quite the same, as our own. The goal, one would think, is to perk you to attention by displaying a familiar number, perhaps driving your psyche to be more susceptible to clicking on their bogus links.
Why Am I Getting Scam Text Messages from Myself?
A spokesman from Verizon recently contacted the journalists at The Verge to comment on the problem. “Verizon is aware that bad actors are sending spam text messages to some customers which appear to come from the customers’ own number,” Verizon spokesperson Rich Young told The Verge by email. “Our team is actively working to block these messages, and we have engaged with US law enforcement to identify and stop the source of this fraudulent activity. Verizon continues to work on behalf of the customer to prevent spam texts and related activity.”
What Should I Do About Scam Text Messages?
Whether you’re getting scam texts from a number that looks like your very own or a number that isn’t recognizable at all, there is really just one thing to do.
The primary item to know when it comes to scam text messages? DO NOT CLICK.
If your stomach is telling you that this might not be legit, simply don’t click the link. If it happens to be a legitimate message from your bank or another service, you’ll likely be contacted in additional ways in order to get through to you. And if you are seriously concerned, just log into your account and take a look at what’s going on. Or, you can always pick up the phone and try to speak to someone at the company who is supposedly giving you a call by finding their number on their website.
How To Respond To Scam Text Messages
As kids, many of us grew up learning the 3 word lesson on what to do should you ever catch fire – Stop, drop, and roll. It’s easy to remember and could save your life.
Well, here are some words to remember when it comes to these fraudulent messages – Ignore, block, delete.
Ignore – Don’t click the link on a suspicious text message. Whether it’s coming from your own phone number or a number you’ve never seen before, simply ignore it.
Block – Click into the contact name and block the number so that they can no longer bother you.
Delete – Delete the text message and never think about it again.
Should I Worry About Scam Text Messages?
No need to worry. Unfortunately these are just part of life these days. Same as getting unwanted scam phone calls, scam text messages are a bit of a plague across the globe right now. You aren’t alone in receiving these unwanted messages and it’s highly unlikely that someone is targeting you specifically. These messages go out via computer programs and are sent to hundreds, if not thousands of individuals at once with the hope that someone will fall for their devious trick.
Don’t get stressed out about these messages. Just refrain from clicking on their links.
