Most of us have become wary of spam emails, but SMS phishing (Smishing) scams also leverage trusted context and critical thinking issues that enable email attacks to succeed.
Attackers reduce skepticism among their targets by impersonating legitimate entities, then lure them with a link leading them directly to fraudulent sites that steal PII.
Scams
As more people use their personal smartphones for work (known as Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD) the need to protect and secure these devices becomes ever more pressing. One trend of cybercrime specifically directed towards mobile devices is Smishing (Text Message Phishing), an attack type using social engineering techniques to lure recipients of text messages into divulging personal or financial details via links or forms on websites.
At the start of a smishing attack, the key step is gaining access to your victim’s phone number – this could involve data breaches or simply guessing at specific area codes until you gain entry and can send out your phishing text message.
Scammers typically target emotional responses from their victims with false security alerts and messages demanding immediate action, often using events like health emergencies or natural disasters as examples of events to spur empathy from them; sometimes claiming to come from government agencies such as IRS.
Another prevalent scam involves impersonating FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service, both renowned delivery services that enjoy an excellent public reputation. When this is attempted, messages will alert victims that their package has been delayed, rerouted or needs confirmation along with links for confirmation; clicking these may infect victims’ mobile devices with malware that steals passwords and account credentials to online accounts such as email accounts, bank services and credit card websites.
Other forms of SMS text message fraud involve messages that incite fear by alleging fraudulent activity on one’s credit card or banking account, and texts prompting recipients to click a link for an “urgent” survey about a brand or company they have had an experience with. Here, scammers try to gain trust by pretending to represent a well-known organization and promising that feedback received will help improve business operations based on customer responses gathered via text messaging services like SMS text. It should be remembered that no reputable businesses would ever request private data via text message from customers – no reputable businesses would ask their customers this way!
Identifying a Scam
One of the more prevalent smishing attacks involves creating an impression of urgency by promising that personal information is necessary in exchange for an anticipated reward from either government agencies, police offices or banks.
Other scams involve shortening links so they’ll download malware on to a victim’s mobile device when clicked upon, which then steals passwords, account PINs or credit and debit card numbers that can then be used by scammers to gain entry to accounts, steal funds or open new ones under their victim’s name.
As a general guideline, never respond to unsolicited links in SMS text messages or emails sent from unknown senders, even if the text claims it comes from someone you know. Be especially wary if any instructions given in such messages seem urgent or require instant action from you.
Other warning signs to watch out for include requests for personal or financial information or demands that you send money through unconventional channels like cryptocurrency, Venmo, gift cards or wire transfers. Legitimate individuals or businesses would never ask you for this type of data via unsafe channels such as SMS or email.
Opportunistic or topical scams are another popular form of smishing that preys upon people’s fears, hopes or sense of social responsibility related to current events and trends. Examples include COVID-19 vaccine appointment fraud; fake charities formed around natural disasters or wars; or economic schemes related to student loans, taxes or stimulus payments.
Additionally, it is crucial that both you and your staff understand how smishing works to protect yourselves from being victims. One effective method of doing this is ensuring all devices have reliable anti-virus and malware protection that is regularly updated – this software will detect any attempts at smishing as well as other cyberattacks; additionally it may block suspicious websites as well as warn users about potentially risky links in SMS texts.
Reporting a Scam
SMS phishing texts purporting to come from your provider are becoming increasingly prevalent, often falsely claiming there has been an issue with your account and prompting you to click a link for identity confirmation and avoid extra charges. Clicking that link could take you to a malicious site designed to collect personal data or even download malware onto your phone.
Smishing may not be as widely practiced, but attackers use text messages to gain access to your PII and money. With instant messaging apps making identity theft even simpler for criminals to pose as trusted organizations to lure you in taking action against suspicious messages, the best protection against smishing is to remain cautious and wary when receiving suspicious texts or messages.
Attackers use social engineering techniques called smishing attacks against those who regularly utilize tech or e-commerce services, capitalizing on people’s trust of these companies to dupe victims into dropping their guard and divulging valuable information. Urgency and fear tactics are frequently utilized as prompts for immediate actions to be taken by victims.
Smishing attacks typically involve SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages sent over email, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or another social media application such as Snapchat or Kik. Cybercriminals use such mediums to gain access to sensitive data like your name, phone number and credit/bank account details – usually by creating fake websites or links leading to them that demand this data from you.
Attackers also engage in confirmation smishing, in which attackers send you a false order confirmation or billing invoice in an effort to manipulate your curiosity, induce guilt over undelivered merchandise, or cause fears of fraudulent activity. Attackers can pose as customer support representatives to solicit information or even install malware onto your device – if this has happened to you and any organizations may have been compromised then please report the incident and change any passwords and PIN numbers as soon as possible so as to minimize its effects on future attacks.
Avoiding a Scam
Criminals use SMS phishing as one tactic to gain your personal data for use in fraud or other crimes, with malware often installed after clicking a fraudulent link via trusted messaging services like SMS. To protect against SMS-phishing attacks using security software with SMS-based malware protection.
Phishing relies heavily on scammers’ ability to generate an urgency and pressure around an issue. Scammers assume you won’t take the time or make the effort to double-check their message content or call back in order to verify if it’s real; furthermore they expect you to be too preoccupied to consider any consequences of giving out your personal data via text messaging; banks don’t ask you for sensitive data such as passwords, PINs or credit card numbers through text messages; even government agencies don’t send this type of communication.
SMS phishing preys on people’s trust in messaging services like USPS or FedEx package delivery services. In such an attack, attackers pose as these shipping providers to lure victims to an impostor website that looks authentic; once on it, however, this form asks the victim for account or recovery codes which the attacker then intercepts and collects for themselves.
One way you can avoid phishing attacks is by not clicking links in unsolicited messages, as scammers commonly embed malware within URL links sent by scammers. If you click one in an SMS phishing text, your mobile device could become infected with malware that steals personal and financial data.
To protect against SMS phishing, choose security apps with spam filtering capabilities like Norton Mobile Security for Android. With this app you can select the three-dot icon and forward spam texts directly to 7726, thus decreasing your risk of accidentally clicking a malicious link. Furthermore, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on any accounts requiring password or account recovery codes; MFA adds another layer of protection against hackers breaking in through any weak points such as your password protection system.
