A few weeks ago, I woke up when I saw a text message on my smartphone sent at dawn. This is not from my editor or some friend in need of a different time zone. This is a message from myself.

“Free Message: Your bill was paid in March. Thanks, this is a small gift for you, ”read the text of my own phone number, which pointed me to a web link.

Last month, I received several such texts. In online forums, there are many Verizon customers reported the same experience.

It was clear to me what was happening. A group of scammer used internet tools to manipulate phone networks and send me messages from a number they were not actually sending messages to.

This is the same method that robocalls use “mimics” phone calls and that they seemed to come from a real person, such as a neighbor. If I click on a link on the web, I will probably be asked for some personal information, such as a credit card number, that a scammer can use to commit fraud.

Consumers have been dealing with cell phone spam for years, often in the form of robocalls to scammer who are relentlessly calling to leave deceptive messages about late student loan payments. , Internal Revenue Service audits and expired car warranties.

Cell phone fraud has recently shifted to text messaging, experts say. Spam text messages are on the rise from all kinds of phone numbers – and not just you. In March they were sent 11.6 billion of deceptive messages on US cellular networks, 30 percent higher than in February. Those robocalls were surpassed, rising 20 percent over the same period, according to an analysis by Teltech, a company that makes anti-spam tools for phones.

Verizon confirmed it is investigating the situation. On April 4, he claimed he had fixed the problem. “We have blocked the source of the recent text messaging scam where malicious actors send fraudulent text messages to Verizon customers. which seems to have come from the recipient’s own number”, Assured Adria Tomaszewski, spokeswoman for Verizon.

Representatives from AT&T and T-Mobile said they did not see such a problem. But text message spam is affecting all wireless subscribers, and carriers are now offering online resources for people to learn how to protect themselves. and report spam messages.

Text message scams vary widely, but they often seek to reveal your personal information using messages disguised as fake package delivery tracking updates, or information about online. banking and health products. Its increase is fueled in part by the fact that messages are very easy to send, Teltech says. Additionally, industry -wide and U.S. government efforts to suppress robocalls could put pressure on scammers who switch to text messages.

“Fraudsters are always looking for the next big thing,” said Giulia Porter, vice president of Teltech. “The text messages Spam calls are rising at a much faster rate than spam calls. “

Here’s what to watch out for in text message scams, and steps you can take.

What are spam text messages?

Right now, the most common text message scam is the message pretending to be a company offering a package delivery status update, such as UPS, FedEx or Amazon, according to Teltech.

In recent weeks I have received messages saying that a Samsung TV (an expensive item meant to catch my eye) could not be delivered to my residence. someone else sold me one anti-aging skin cream. Another message announced the benefits of a fog brain remedy product.

Note these signs that the text message is deceptive:

• Fraudulent text messages usually come from existing phone numbers 10 digits or more. Legitimate business entities typically send messages from four, five or six digit numbers.

• The message contains misspelled words intended to bypass the spam filters of cellular service providers.

• Links to a scam text message often look weird. Instead of a traditional web link like “www.websitename.com”, are web links that contain sentences or phrases, such as losekilosketo.com. This practice, called URL masking, uses fake web links to direct you to another web address that will ask for your personal information.

How to protect yourself

First and foremost, don’t click on a link or file included in a suspicious message.

Definitely didn’t reply to that message either. Even typing “STOP” or “STOP” will tell the scammer that your phone number is active.

To report a fraudulent text message, AT&T. Verizon and T-Mobile offer the same number in the United States where you should send these messages: 7726. After forwarding, the provider will ask for the phone number that sent the message.

If those text messages become too many, spam-filtering apps like Teltech’s TextKiller can help. The app, which blocks text messages trash for $ 4 a month, scan messages from phone numbers that are not in your address book. If text is detected as spam, it is filtered to a folder labeled “Junk”.

In my experience, TextKiller is intensive, perhaps too intensive. It successfully retrieved five spam messages in five days, but it also mistakenly filtered two legitimate messages, including a response from Verizon thanking me for reporting spam and a message from a spokesperson. of AT&T. That’s why I don’t recommend paying $ 4 a month for this app, which is only available for the iPhone, unless text spam has become really unbearable.

Teltech says false positives for messages marked as spam are rare, and customers can share feedback to improve TextKiller’s accuracy.

A more practical solution is to use free tools to reduce delays from spam messages. On the iPhone, you can open Settings, go to “Messages” and enable the “Filter unknown senders” option. This puts messages from numbers not in your phone book in a separate message folder. On Android phones, you can open the messages app, enter spam settings and enable the option “block anonymous senders.”

Finally, both iPhone and Android devices include the option to open message settings and block a specific number from contacting you.

Conclusion This story has a moral: We can help prevent spam from spreading over our phones by stopping sharing our numbers with people we don’t fully trust. That includes a store cashier asking for our phone number to give us a discount, or an app or website asking for our number when we registered to open an account. Who knows where our numbers go after reaching the hands of traders?

A better idea is to have a second set of phone numbers, which can be done using free internet calling apps like Google Voice, and we can try such as a disposable telephone number.

That way, the next time a scammer tries you will be sent a text message from yourself, it will not come from your number.

By Brian X. Chen
© 2022 The New York Times