Don’t Fall for a Fake Text: How to Identify Text Message Scams

If you’re like most people, the second your phone buzzes or plays its little chime, you’re quick to pull it up and see who’s texting you. In fact, texting is quickly becoming the most used form of communication in the United States. Not only that, but brands are even capitalizing on the fact that almost zero text messages go unopened. The downside to that? So are scammers.

Here, we’ll go over why scammers are increasingly using texting and how to spot fake and scam text messages so you never become one of the countless victims.

Why Are Scammers Using Text Messages? 

Because email inboxes have become inundated with spam, scams, and marketing messages, many people have defaulted to ignoring a lot of email communications entirely. Texts on the other hand are almost always looked at. It’s how most of us communicate with the people in our lives — not to mention we’re spending more and more time than ever looking at our little screens due to everything having a convenient app.

So, what does that have to do with scammers? Well, scammers play a numbers game — the more people that are exposed to the scam attempt, the more success they’ll have. Enter texting scams. As we’ve established, if a text hits your line, you’ll look at it. That means when scammers send out scam messages in bulk, they’re almost guaranteed to get a whole bunch of eyeballs on their scam attempt. 

It’s simple math for scammers, really. More exposure = higher chance for success. And since text messages are almost always read, it’s the perfect way to target pretty much anybody and everybody. 

How to Identify a Fake Text Message

At this point, it’s not uncommon to get text messages from numbers not associated with contacts in our phones. Most of them are helpful(ish), like service alerts, tracking updates, or limited-time deals for brands we’ve signed up with. That means not every unknown number is sending bad or fake texts, which is why you need to know exactly what to look out for.

1. There’s a Link in the Text

Scammers love phishing. So much so that they’ve come up with endless variations of ways to get you to click a malicious link. As a general rule, you don’t want to click any links that are texted to you from people not in your contacts. There are some exceptions (such as appointment or brand marketing links), but you should only open a link if you are 100% sure it’s safe.

2. The Phone Number is Close to Yours or Has Extra Digits

At some point, someone realized that if a number looks like yours, you’re more likely to answer a call or text. Now, it should be a red flag that a scammer is trying to get you. If you receive a text from a number that starts with the same six digits as yours — (xxx)-xxx-oooo — it’s most likely a fake/scam text.

Another common tell is that the phone number will be longer than normal, with more than 10 digits being displayed. The one exception is if you are expecting to communicate with an overseas number, but other than that, it’s a no-go.

3. Random Invites or Wrong Number Claims

Recently, one of the most common fake text messages going around is scammers sending random invites for things like dates, a round of golf, or a casual dinner. Oftentimes it’ll just be something like, “We still on for golf tomorrow?” in order to bait a response. 

If you do reply to let them know it’s the wrong number, they’ll often follow up with some story about how they’re new in town or looking for new friends and will try to claim you’re still invited. It’s of course all a ruse, and they are pulling some scheme to steal money or private information.

4. Weird Grammar or Language

Look, we all make some typos that autocorrect just can’t figure out — but a whole message that is borderline nonsensical? Odds are it’s a scam. Especially if the text claims to be from an official government source or company. Generally speaking, the government and random companies won’t text you, and if they do, they’ve certainly been double-checked for poor grammar and spelling.

5. It’s “Urgent”

Rushing or panicking can easily translate to not thinking things through. That’s exactly the reason scammers will often try and add a sense of urgency to any messages they send out. If you get a text that someone has compromised your bank account and that you need to “ACT NOW” to stop it, there’s a much higher chance you click on a link or dial a phone number without double-checking that it’s the real deal. 

While bank alerts can be real and should certainly be taken care of, they will almost always instruct you to log into your account or call the official number listed on their website. And again, for the people in the back, don’t click on any links within the text message that supposedly takes you to the website or account login page (because more likely than not, it’s a spoofed page made to steal your information).

6. Too Good to Be True

Everyone loves a deal, but there’s a big difference between a good deal and a too-good-to-be-true deal. If scammers can do one thing, it’s prey on the weaknesses of human nature. If you get a text about a once-in-a-lifetime deal, a contest win (that you never even entered), or really any too-good-to-be-true offer, it’s a fake text meant to scam you (heartbreaking, we know).

7. Odd Requests

Every once in a while something happens that requires the use of someone else’s phone. Scammers use this possible situation by texting you while pretending to be someone you know in need of help. They’ll often claim some kind of emergency and that they need you to send money (or something similar) ASAP. While it’s always good to help a friend or family member in need, this situation is actually a scam more often than not. In this case, you’ll want to ask some questions to confirm the person on the other end is who they claim to be. 

Common Fake Text Message Scam Examples 

Knowing all of the red flags above should help you suss out any fake texts. But, to save you a little time and mental energy, we’ve thrown in some of the most common fake text scams you’ll run into, so you know when you promptly just press delete.

USPS Scam Texts (And Other Delivery Notifications)

These days people are buying everything from TVs to socks to lightbulbs online. With packages constantly being delivered, people are often waiting for their new item(s) to arrive. Scammers know this, so they have begun sending out texts pretending to be USPS, FedEx, UPS, and even Amazon, offering tracking on your package. That tracking link? It’s actually a phishing link that will prompt some sort of action that divulges your private/financial information.

Fraud Alerts

Few things will get your attention like a message from your bank or credit card company alerting you to some large charge that wasn’t you. While that, unfortunately, does happen, scammers know they can capitalize on that fear and urgency by sending out fake texts with links that alert you to fraud and provide a link to stop it. This link, however, will take you to a spoofed website that looks just like your bank or credit card login, at which point any information you enter is now known by the scammers. In this case, you’ll probably get a real fraud alert pretty soon after. 

Suspicious Log-in Attempts

Similar to a fraud alert, getting a notification that one of your accounts is being compromised can definitely put you in a bit of a panic. If you receive a message about log-in attempts that has a link, skip the click and go straight to the website or app to secure your account, just in case.

Giveaways and Refunds

Woohoo, you won! Your prize? Scammers making off with your money or private information. If you receive a text claiming you’re the winner of a giveaway (especially one you didn’t enter), it’s a scam. Similarly, scammers will pose as popular businesses or even the government and send you fake texts that claim you have a refund ready to claim. Again, they’ll provide a link, which as you know, is an immediate no-go.

Don’t Get Faked Out 

Don’t get scammed by fake texts. Scammers know what they’re doing, but by being informed and approaching any unknown text with a bit of suspicion, you’re likely going to be just fine. Beyond your own know-how and intuition, there are also tools you can use like PeopleWin, that let you look up names and numbers to find out who exactly is behind the text that’s found its way into your messages inbox.

Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.