Smishing: Understanding SMS scams and how to protect yourself from them

Do you receive an unexpected text message offering you an offer that's too good to be true? Be careful, this may be Smishing !

Smishing is a mix between SMS et Phishing. Basically, these are scams that happen via text messages. These scams are becoming more and more clever and their goal is often to steal your personal or banking information.

Cybercriminals pretend to be companies or official organizations to try to recover sensitive data. In this article, I explain how these scams work and give you tips for spotting and avoiding them.

The different smishing methods used by hackers

Hackers are resourceful in trying to trick you.

Here are some of the most common tricks they use:

  • Emergency messages : You receive a panicking text message from your bank or a business? He might tell you that your matters Facebook is disabled or that an invoice has not been paid. This type of message plays on fear to push you to quickly click on a link or provide sensitive information.
  • The very tempting offers : Crazy discounts, exclusive promotions or even a lottery win (even though you've never played!)? These too-good-to-be-true offers are often traps to get your hands on your personal or banking information.
  • Fake competitions : You are told that you have won a competition or that you just have to participate in a draw… but in exchange, you have to give personal information. These fake competitions are just a pretext to recover your data.
  • Fake viruses : You receive a text message saying your phone is supposedly infected with a virus, with a link to urgently fix the problem. This type of message may trick you into downloading a questionable app or clicking a link that will actually steal your information or infect your device.
  • The ghost delivery man : You receive an SMS from a “delivery man” who claims to have come to your house in your absence. The message does not contain any specific address and does not correspond to the usual procedure when you are expecting a package or a registered letter.

How to recognize a fraudulent SMS?

Detect Smishing may be simpler than you think. First, pay attention to the tone of the message. Scam text messages often use urgent language to get you to act quickly, such as "Act now or your account will be blocked!" This kind of pressure is a red flag.

Next, review the links in the message. If the address seems strange or too complicated, avoid clicking. Suspicious links are often used for Smishing.

Spelling or grammatical errors can also be important indicators. Of course, with the advent of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, it has become more difficult to spot errors. However, a poorly structured message remains suspect.

Be careful if the message comes from an unknown sender and asks for personal information. Real organizations never request sensitive data via SMS.

What to do if you receive a phishing SMS?

Have you received a suspicious SMS and you don't know what to do? Don't panic, here's what to do to avoid the pitfalls of Smishing:

First of all, even if the idea of ​​playing the hero and responding to the message may be tempting, it is better to resist! Replying to a scam text message will only confirm that your number is active. So, no answer!

Instead of that, don't answer to the message. Just report it as spam. Check the option "block this contact/number" and click "ok" or "sent as spam". This will automatically block the number and add the details to your operator's fraudulent SMS database. This information will then be passed to the relevant authorities so they can act.

I know, it makes you want to respond and do a little cleaning, but it's better to keep calm! 😄

If you are really curious, you can check URL link with online tools like VirusTotal ou URLVoid. These sites can help you find out if the link is dangerous.