The use of text messages for spam activities has been on the rise lately. This is due to the relatively cheaper cost of SMS, compared to the other communication channels.
According to a 2022 Spam report, 288,314 spam texts were sent every minute in the United States. The report further stated that 68.4 million Americans fell victim to a phone scam. That confirms that, every day an individual becomes liable to be targeted by Spam by fraudsters.
These scammers use a technique called Smishing (SMS phishing) to trick receivers into giving out their sensitive data such as their Social Security numbers, Bank PINs, and other relevant information to these criminals who pose as legitimate persons or business organizations.
In this article, we are going to look at some examples of SPAM SMS we can receive, how to identify spam SMS, and how we can protect ourselves from these scammers.
Some 7 Examples of Spam Messages we receive daily
1. The Lucky Jackpot winner:
We can all agree that winning a prize is a wholesome moment. However, we shouldn’t be too excited when we receive text messages telling us we’ve won a prize when we’ve not joined any competition.
Sometimes scammers may pose as authentic brands by using related Sender IDs for these smishing texts. If you are unsure about messages like these, visit the company’s pages or call the brand to verify.
2. The Free Scam:
Messages containing the keyword free may be the first pointer to check for spam messages. The word Free on its own is very suspicious and gives away the intentions of the scammer in the SMS.
3. The Delivery Notifications:
While item delivery is on the rise in Ghana, be careful of ill-intended delivery notifications from scammers. Do not enter personal information on delivery tracking text messages.
4. The supporting family member:
Scammers may pose as family members by tricking you into believing they are your close friend or family and they need financial help. Be cautious and call the said person first before proceeding to send funds.
5. An Untrue Billing statement:
Sometimes, you may receive a thank you for your payment message with a phone number to call. Meanwhile, you don’t remember making any purchases from the said shop.
6. Account compromised:
Messages like this look authentic till you are compromised. When you receive messages like verify your account, a suspicious activity on your account has been found or enter OTP to proceed, be careful before you take any action on it.
7. The Recruiter Alert:
Watch out for Spam messages that seem to offer you jobs with external links. Your personal information may be compromised should you follow such links.
How to Identify SPAM Text Messages
1. It’s always urgent: Whenever we receive an SMS to take action fast without considering the consequences, it may be SPAM. Be looking out for messages of that nature.
2. It looks suspicious: Think about it; will a reputable company like Apple, Unilever, or Goil send messages that are poorly written and contain a lot of typos? Be careful of following links to such websites because it may be a spoofed website that looks legitimate.
3. Sounds too good to be true: Without joining any draw, you are winning huge sums of money, discounts, and gifts. Be careful of such messages.
How to keep your phone Safe from SPAM SMS
- Report Messages as Spam: Our Messaging apps use filters to detect and drop spam messages in the spam folder. However, the system may not be able to detect some of them. Manually report identified messages as SPAM. Future SMSes from similar senders will automatically be added without you noticing.
- Report to your carrier: Your telecommunications provider may take action against spam senders when reported.
- Third-party apps: Several third-party apps protect your inboxes from spam alerts. Hiya, Truecaller, Robotext, etc., are examples of spam detection apps you can use.
Choose NALO for your SMS Campaigns
At NALO, we have implemented several AI models and filters to flag and delete spam messages attackers may send with our system.
Join several businesses like yours that are using NALO SMS services to send safe and SPAM-free SMS campaigns. Create a free SMS account with us Today.
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