10 Common Text Message Scams: All You Need to Know

Cindy Ellis - October 21, 2022

Almost every individual has a mobile phone these days, and texting has taken over as one of the world’s most prevalent forms of communication. Along with this rise in texting, however, is an unfortunate rise in text message scams. Scammers are constantly sending out new types of text scams designed to trick unsuspecting individuals into giving up personal or financial information.

It’s important to be aware of the many forms that these text message scams can take so you can avoid accidentally falling victim. Our article gives you tips on what to look out for.

The 10 Most Common Text Message Scams

There seems to be no end to the number of text message scams out there. However, some types of text message scams are more common than others. Below, we list the ten most common text message scams that you might receive from time to time.

1. Family Emergency Texts

These text messages are designed to seem like they are coming from a family member, a hospital, or a law enforcement agency and inform you that a loved one is in danger or has experienced an accident. The scammer will request money to be wired or transferred somehow immediately in order to pay off bills, bail, or debt.

Never send money if you receive one of these texts and always call the person in question directly to confirm their whereabouts.

2. Package Pickup or Tracking Texts

Package pickup, missed delivery, and tracking number text scams have become increasingly popular due to an increase in online shopping over recent years. These texts will claim to be from a legitimate company, such as UPS or FedEx, and they will include a link so you can check on your package’s status. However, these links often lead to websites fraught with malware that attempt to get your personal information.

If you believe you have a missed delivery or other package shipping issue, check the tracking number on the shipping company’s website directly to call the verified number for the service to inquire.

3. Prize or Lottery Winning Texts

Another very common text message scam includes a message stating you’ve won a prize, lottery, or another unexpected gift. These texts will include a hyperlink for you to click and ‘claim’ your prize, but the link will often direct you to a website that tries to collect your information or installs malware.

Remember that if you’ve truly won something, you will not be asked to pay money to receive it, nor are you likely to be contacted solely by text message, especially if you don’t remember entering a giveaway in the first place.

4. Fake Refund Texts

Fake refund texts attempt to get ahold of the victim’s bank account information by stating that they have been overcharged or overpaid for some kind of item. Usually, these items are government services, taxes, or utility fees. The scammers will ask you to provide direct deposit or other financial information to access your bank account.

Remember that the IRS will never initiate contact with you by phone call or text, and it’s highly unusual for a utility company to reach out to you via text. If you’re unsure about the validity of the text, contact the agency directly (not the phone number texting you), and they can verify if it’s legitimate.

5. Government Alert Texts

Government messages from agencies such as the IRS often frighten or inspire enough concern in people to click the links that are provided in the text. However, these links are another attempt to collect personal or financial information and can result in identity theft.

Keep in mind that most government agencies will not ask for verification information over text, nor will they direct you to third-party websites for any reason.

6. Fake Website Texts

Occasionally, legitimate websites will send out texts with links in them so you can access promotions, deals, and other information. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of this and may send links in text messages to websites that are solely designed for capturing personal information or installing malware.

Take note of the link that is included in a text message and of the sender’s number; incredibly long phone numbers are likely to be from scammers, as are long links.

7. Reactivation Texts

A reactivation text scam is where the scammer sends out a text message claiming that your bank account, social media profile, or other online account has been deactivated. You are prompted to follow the link in order to reactivate the account, but this link will often be to a fraudulent website.

If you receive a spontaneous text message like this, check with your bank account or other online profile directly instead of trusting the provided link.

8. Personal Information Request Texts

Personal information request text messages often ask for your password, PIN, name, or other identifying information. Scammers send out these messages posing as verification services, but you should never answer or you risk identity theft or other types of fraudulent crimes.

9. Identity Verification Texts

These text scams involve the text asking you to verify personal accounts, such as an Apple, Amazon, or Microsoft account. The scammer designs the message to look like it is coming from a legitimate company and will often attempt to collect login or other website information about the receiver.

10. Bank or Financial Texts

Texts that detail new billing statements, overdrawn accounts, fines, or notices of debt are all part of banking or financial scams. These texts will prompt you to investigate their statements with a link or by replying with your personal information to the text message.

Instead of immediately complying with the text, double-check your bank and financial information online directly through your banking institution’s website or with the agency the text claims to be from.

Protecting Yourself From Unwanted Texts and Scams

Now that you know about the 10 common text message scams, you might want to know how to protect yourself or how to stop those pesky spam texts. Below we have the answers.

Dealing With Spam Text Messages

Oftentimes, these text message scams are sent from robotic dialers or utilize other types of technology to send out mass spam messages. However, most smartphones today have built-in technology to stop the receipt of spam texts. You can look in your phone’s settings to activate this or install a verified app to help you block spam text messages.

If you believe you have received a text message scam, block the number and report the number to the appropriate authority source. Never reply to scam texts, as most of these texts are sent out en-masse, their goal is to see which numbers are active, and by replying at all, you’re showing the scammers you have an active phone number, and the texts could increase.

The same is also true if you get an email scam; avoid replying to any suspicious emails so that you don’t confirm your email address is active.

Avoiding Text Message Scams

Text message scams are becoming increasingly popular and are getting trickier to avoid. Keep an eye out for the following when you receive suspicious text messages, as these items can alert you to the fact that the text may not be legitimate.

• Texts with poor grammar, misspellings, or sentence structure that just doesn’t make sense typically indicate scams.
• Text messages that appear urgent and push you to click links or immediately provide personal information are often red flags for scams.
• Any text message that claims to be from a government agency, health or insurance agency, or financial institution should be treated with caution, as not many of these entities will ask for information via text message.
• Texts that ask questions such as ‘is this you?’ and provide a link to click are typically red flags. These are usually scammers trying to direct you to sketchy websites by preying on your curiosity.

Additionally, you should never click links provided by text messages or answer the text with your personal information.

You can verify the legitimacy of text message senders by using a phone number lookup tool or by simply performing an internet search of the number. This is doubly useful because you can run a thorough background check on whoever is calling you this way.

Stop Scam Texts Today

Text message scams are not only annoying but can also be confusing, especially when you don’t know the truth, and they seem so official. When in doubt, contact the agency or individual that the text claims to be from directly to verify the text message’s claims.