Smishing

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Learned a new word today after I got a weird text from a number I don't know. The body of the text said something about updating my contact info with a link to click. Um...NO. The number was traced back to NYC and some sites had it already marked as unsafe (IRS Scam, etc.).

What is Smishing?

'Smishing' Is Internet Scammers' New Favorite Trick. Here's How to Avoid It.

“Smishing” scams are so named because they’re like a phishing email, except sent via SMS, the technology underlying the typical text message. They often prey on people’s panic or sense of urgency, according to Jason Hong, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. For example, one fraudulent message might appear to be a warning from your bank about an unauthorized charge.

“That’s one of the main ways they try to trick you,” says Hong. “There’s an urgency to the message. There’s something that needs your attention right now.”

http://fortune.com/2017/07/07/smishing-scam/
 
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