Like many households, mine does a lot of shopping via mail. So when a text message from the postal service appeared on my smartphone, alerting me that a package was being held due to “incomplete address information” and would be returned if I didn’t act within 12 hours, I promptly poised my finger to click on the link.
But then I stopped. Since when does the USPS send me text messages? And I’ve read that spam text messages are so potent now that simply clicking a link can open your device’s door to theft.
Suspicious but curious, I visited the nearby post office and showed the clerk the message. He didn’t have to lean in to read it, replying immediately, “that’s fake”. He’s gotten the messages on his own phone, he said.
Within the next day, my wife got a similar fake call to action text message, hers purportedly from our credit union. A recent charge for $503.80 was attempted against our account and she needed to click the link to verify approval, it said.
Instead, she called the credit union, which confirmed the message was a hoax.
These phone message scams are increasing in quantity and also in quality—they can be very convincing. And bank scams are at the top of list, says Michelle Tabler, a fraud expert who works with AARP Alaska.
“According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common text message scam reported in 2022 was bank fraud warnings. Most commonly, you would receive a text purportedly from your bank alerting you to a transaction and asking if you approved it. Just by replying, the scammer knows they have found an active phone number,” Tabler says. “The scammer may then call you with a spoofed caller ID that often mimics that of your actual bank. To stop the ‘fraudulent’ charge, they will instruct you to send money to yourself through a digital wallet app (e.g. Zelle). They will also tell you to give them the verification code the bank sends you. Don’t do it.”
The postal clerk I spoke with said that had I replied to the fake postal service text message, I would have been instructed to enter my credit card or other payment information to pay a small fee of around a dollar to cover the address correction transaction. Once the scammers have the payment info, they’re off and running.
It is just one of the many variations bombarding us.
“Scammers have found that people read nearly all their texts whereas they may not answer calls from unknown numbers or respond to emails,” Tabler says. “The goal is the same, though: They want you to supply them with your personal information so they can gain access to your accounts.”
So what do we do?
“Never click on any links from an unexpected text message,” Tabler says. “Even if you are expecting a package. Go directly to the shipper’s site and check on the status of your package.”
She added that, as a rule, don’t trust Caller ID. And “your bank will never ask you to send money to yourself. Never share one-time passcodes with anyone.”
Shame that our own devices, which can offer so much in enriching our lives, are being used against us.
David Washburn is the editor for Senior Voice.
