What is smishing? Scams sent via text messages on the rise

Using text messages to lure in victims is becoming more prominent with hackers

Using text messages to lure in victims is becoming more prominent with hackers

WEBVTT PHONE NUMBER,WE WILL HAVE IT AGAIN FOR YOUDURING TODAY'S TAKEAWAY.BACK TO YOU.BRIAN: NEWS 8 IS ON YOUR SIDEWITH A WARNING ABOUT A GROWINGTHREAT FROM SCAMMERS.IT'S CALLED SMISHING --TARGETING VICTIMS WITH FAKETEXTS.AND IT WORKS.SECURITY RESEARCHERS TELL USATODAY, BECAUSE PEOPLE TEND TOTRUST THEIR TEXTS MORE THAN THEYTRUST THEIR EMAILED.THESE TEXT MESSAGES MIGHTCONTAIN A QUESTION FROM A BANKOR BUSINESS ALONG WITH A LINK TOCONFIRM YOU'RE THE ACCOUNTHOLDER.WELL, JUST LIKE A LINK IN ANE-MAIL, YOU HAVE NO WAY OFKNOWING WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF YOUCLICK ON THAT LINK.ANY TEXT OR EMAIL ASKING YOU TOCONFIRM INFORMATION IS LIKELY

What is smishing? Scams sent via text messages on the rise

Using text messages to lure in victims is becoming more prominent with hackers

Smishing - using text messages to dupe victims - is becoming a popular way to trick mobile device owners into handing over personal data, financial information or even cash. Because email service providers like Google or Yahoo continue to develop new ways to combat spam and phishing, text scams are becoming more prominent with hackers. The phrase "smishing" comes from short message service, another term for text messaging."Smishing is particularly scary because sometimes people tend to be more inclined to trust a text message than an email," cybersecurity company Symantec says. "Most people are aware of the security risks involved with clicking on links in emails. This is less true when it comes to text messages."Here's how to deal with a suspicious text:- Don't reply to text messages from unfamiliar phone numbers, especially when it comes from a number that doesn't have nine digits. - Don't trust text messages that directly request personal or financial information. Government agencies and banks won't ask for sensitive data via text.- Don't click on a link contained in a text message unless you know the person who sent it. Even if you receive a message from a friend or family member, confirm that he or she meant to send it before clicking. - Send smishing messages to 7726 (SPAM), which helps mobile phone service providers identify and block them. - Don't share your mobile phone number on social media or online.

Smishing - using text messages to dupe victims - is becoming a mobile device owners into handing over personal data, financial information or even cash.

Because email service providers like Google or Yahoo continue to develop new ways to combat spam and phishing, text scams are becoming more prominent with hackers. The phrase "smishing" comes from , another term for text messaging.

"Smishing is particularly scary because sometimes people tend to be more inclined to trust a text message than an email," "Most people are aware of the security risks involved with clicking on links in emails. This is less true when it comes to text messages."

Here's how to deal with a suspicious text:

- Don't reply to text messages from unfamiliar phone numbers, especially when it comes from a number that doesn't have nine digits.

- Don't trust text messages that directly request personal or financial information. Government agencies and banks won't ask for sensitive data via text.

- Don't click on a link contained in a text message unless you know the person who sent it. Even if you receive a message from a friend or family member, confirm that he or she meant to send it before clicking.

- Send smishing messages to 7726 (SPAM), which helps mobile phone service providers identify and block them.

- Don't share your mobile phone number on social media or online.

��vlog