Text Message Scams

What are text message scams?

These are fraudulent messages that try to trick you into giving money or personal information.

Some common text message scams are:

• Missed delivery notification, asking you to pay extra fees or provide personal details.
• Texts from your bank or financial institution, claiming that your account is closing or your card is locked, asking you to verify your identity or call a fake number.
• Texts that say you’ve won a prize or sweepstakes, and ask you to pay a fee or provide personal information to claim it.
• Texts from Netflix, PayPal or other popular services, saying that your account has been suspended, hacked, or needs an update, and asking you to click on a link or call a fake number.

Fake bank texts

If you have received a text from the bank, stating your account has been closed, your card is locked or they are asking for your personal details, be sure to call the bank directly through a legitimate number you know is real.

The bank should be able to advise that they have not tried to contact you through text – Banks should not ask for person details over text message.

You may have received a text message stating you have tried to make a payment, and to call the given number if this was not you. Before panic responding make sure to call your bank directly to check if this is legitimate.

The text may also include a fake reference number to try and appear real, if the bank does not recognise this, it will be a scam.

Missed delivery texts

As so many of us wait for deliveries, scammers bank on us clicking on dodgy links in ‘missed delivery’ texts. These scam messages impersonate popular delivery companies including DPD, Evri and Royal Mail.

The text message may tell you that your parcel was unable to be delivered and prompts you to follow a link to ‘reschedule a redelivery’.

The link leads to a convincing fake website which asks for your postcode before asking you to pay X amount of money for your parcel to be redelivered. This is where your personal and financial data will be stolen.

Avoid clicking on these links, if you believe your parcel was missed, the parcel service will most likely attempt delivery the next working day, or leave a card through your letterbox.

HMRC Refund Text

Scammers may impersonate HMRC in a tax refund text which tells you that you’re owed money back. This may then prompt you to follow a link to ‘claim your tax refund’.

If you receive a text claiming to be from HMRC, log in to your official HMRC online services account to verify any information in it.

Please note that HMRC do send texts to some customers, but it will never ask for personal or financial information. Never click on links in messages claiming to be from HMRC.

Avoiding and reporting scam texts

Scam texts are always something to be wary of. If you do receive a text like this:

• Avoid following any links in the message
• Be suspicious of texts asking for personal information
• To verify the legitimacy of a text, contact the company that it claims to be from directly or log in to your online account with the company using its official website.
• Don’t reply to the message as this will let the scammer know that the number is active.

If you have been scammed, make sure to call your bank immediately.

Further reading

Bank fraud and scam claims – Oakwood Solicitors

Romance scams – Oakwood Solicitors

WHAT TO DO NEXT

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