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Text Message Scams

5 minute read

The little link in a text is the whole game. Here is how to handle it without overthinking.

First moves

Do these before the deep dive

  1. Do not tap the link, call the number, or reply.
  2. Open the real app or type the official website yourself.
  3. If a code was involved, do not share it with anyone.
  4. If you entered payment or login details, go straight to recovery.
Words to use

Steal this sentence

I do not handle account problems through links sent by text. I will check the real app.

Most text scams are not clever. They are just close enough to normal life.

A package missed delivery. A bank saw suspicious activity. A toll is overdue. A stranger says “sorry, wrong number” and keeps talking. The message changes, but the job is always the same: get you to leave the text and enter something somewhere else.

The Rule

Never resolve a problem from the link that announced the problem.

That one sentence handles most text scams.

If the text says it is your bank, open your banking app. If it says it is UPS, FedEx, USPS, Amazon, Apple, PayPal, E-ZPass, or your phone carrier, go there yourself. If it says it is your kid, call the old number or another family member.

The real issue, if there is one, will still exist when you arrive through the front door.

What The Scammer Wants

Usually one of these:

  • A card number for a fake fee.
  • A password on a fake login page.
  • A one-time code they can use to take over an account.
  • A conversation they can slowly turn into money, crypto, romance, or investment pressure.

The link is not the scam. The link is the doorway.

If You Already Tapped

Opening a page is not the same as giving them everything.

If you only opened the link, close it.

If you typed a password, change that password from the real site or app. If you typed a card number, call the card issuer. If you gave a one-time code, secure that account now.

Use I Think I Was Scammed if money, passwords, identity information, or codes were involved.