Texting and Phishing -- A Dangerous Combination
Learn this latest phishing scam and stay safe from identity theft
Admit it, identity thieves, especially those involved in phishing, are creative. They stop at nothing, steal your personal information and use your identity to their advantage. Another area of your life they discovered to encroach upon, deceive you, and get your precious personal information involves texting.
To some people, this area is near and dear to their heart...texting. Identity thieves took notice of how much time people spend texting and found ways to take advantage of the situation.
Texting and phishing -- A dangerous combination
We don't like thieves, do we? Not only do they do us harm by stealing our possessions and identities, but also they constantly seek new sources to suck out this information? Our beloved texting appears to be the next victim.
Thieves noticed how many people diligently spend their time texting. So what did they do? They began sending phishing text messages to cell phones. These messages follow the same procedure as phishing emails.
The phishing attack begins with identity thieves sending you text messages that appear forwarded from your bank or credit card company. The messages are professional in nature so you have no reason to doubt their authenticity. The messages state a breach in security of your bank account or credit card account and give you a number to call.
When you call this number, an automated system directs you to give your personal information for the sake of "security." Actually, in this phishing scam the thieves are collecting all of your personal information for immediate theft of your identity.
To protect yourself from phishing scams such as this one, never respond to these text messages. Your bank or credit card company does not contact you through text messages -- ever! Stay safe by simply deleting the text message and you remain safe from this phishing technique.