Illinois Resident Is Tricked Out Of Nearly $30,000 By A Scam Text

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a fraud or scam text? How about a fraud or scam email? It's great if you never have, but with the amount of scammers out there trying their best to get your money or information in this way--you will at some point in the future get one or both of those things.

What exactly is a fraud/scam text?

Fraud or scam texts, also known as smishing, are a type of phishing scam that involve the use of text messages to trick people into sharing personal information. Scammers may use several different tactics to make their texts look like they're legitimate, including impersonating a bank, government agency, law enforcement, or a legit company.

It's Not Just That The Text Appears To Be Legit, It's What The Scammers Do To You If You Click The Link In The Text

To try to hook you at the beginning, the scammers will "spoof" the number that appears on your phone to look like it's local, or from a company or government agency you would normally trust.

The messages often contain wording that makes you think that it's urgent that you act on the message right away. Scams work best when you don't have the time, or take the time to think about what's going on. Before you know it, the scammers have made you think that you have to act right now or something bad will happen.

Also, you should never click the link that will inevitably be included in the fraud/scam text itself. That link could expose your device to malware that will infect it, allowing the scammer access to everything in your phone. The link could also connect you with the scammer, who'll try to get personal information out of you like usernames and passwords.

The Bottom Line On Fraud/Scam Texts Is Pretty Simple And Straightforward

Don't click on or respond to these sorts of messages in any way. If you can keep your fingers (or thumbs, depending on how you text) away from any links that come with a text, you should be just fine. No malware, and no one getting your personal information.

I'm sure that a Palos Hills, Illinois resident knows that now...but it was an expensive lesson.

According to a piece at Patch.com, the Palos Hills resident thought that the scam text was actually from the resident's bank...but sadly and expensively, it wasn't:

The resident told police that on Sept. 28, they received a text from the Bank of America fraud department.

Police said the resident clicked on the link thinking it was the bank and wired $26,500 to another person’s account. The incident is under investigation.

Here's a great explanation of how scammers are using these fraud/scam texts: