How to Protect Yourself from SMS Phishing (Smishing) Scams

Understanding Smishing and Vishing

• 🎯 Scammers use various methods like phone calls, emails, and text messages to trick people.
• 📱 Smishing refers to SMS or text message phishing, while vishing involves voicemails or phone calls.
• ⚠️ Scammers exploit current events and trending news, such as congestion pricing, natural disasters, or tax season, to create believable scams.

Common Smishing Tactics

• 🚗 Easy Pass alerts are a frequent tactic, with texts claiming you owe money for unpaid tolls or that your transponder isn't working.
• 🔗 These messages often contain a link that impersonates the state's toll or service name, and the phone number may appear to change.
• 💰 Scammers frequently claim the recipient owes a small amount of money to make the demand seem less suspicious.

FBI Recommendations for Protection

• 🚫 Do not click or respond to suspicious texts or calls.
• 📞 Verify claims directly by going to your official account (e.g., Easy Pass website) or calling the service provider directly, not through the link provided.
• 📊 Report scams to the FBI and FTC to help build a database of fraudulent numbers and activities.
• 🗑️ Delete the text messages immediately after verifying and reporting.

Advanced Protection Measures

• ⚠️ Be wary of messages that seem too good to be true or create a sense of urgency.
• 🔍 Examine the sender's information carefully; legitimate services usually don't text with demands. Look for extraneous characters or odd domain names in links.
• 📱 Consider using mobile apps like RoboKiller or Haa, which are designed to identify and block potential scam calls and texts for a small monthly fee.