Smishing is a fraudulent action similar to phishing, using SMS (text) messages rather than e-mail messages to send bait messages to people.

Much like phishing, a smishing message appears to be legitimate, asking for personal or financial information by requesting you visit a website or call a phone number. Often a smishing message give a sense of urgency such as an account being deleted or an ATM card being suspended.

Avoiding smishing

Some tips to avoid being a victim of smishing include:

  • Do not reply to the text message. Similar to responding to a spam e-mail, this verifies the phone number is active and results in more smishing messages. Instead, it is better to contact a company or bank directly if there is any question regarding your accounts.
  • Do not go follow any website links or call any telephone numbers listed in the text message. Again, it is better to contact a company or bank directly with any questions.
  • Look for suspicious features of the message. If it is requesting information from you, or urges you to respond, it is probably a smishing attempt. It also is likely to be from an unknown or suspicious phone number.

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