Spam is extremely annoying, but you can help slow them down
Phishing text messages present a significant hazard to vulnerable members of our community. These deceptive messages are frequently used by scammers aiming to acquire your personal information, gain unauthorized access to your online accounts, and manipulate your bank account funds. The average smartphone user deals with a constant stream of such spam and phishing messages on a daily basis.
While it's challenging to halt all phishing text messages, you have the power to shield yourself and others by diligently reporting and blocking these harmful messages.
What is the usual strategy behind phishing text messages?
Various types of phishing text message scams share a common strategy. The scammers impersonate a reliable entity, claiming there's an issue with your account or a delivery. They then provide a link purporting to 'resolve' the issue. Clicking this link will prompt you to input personal information like usernames, passwords, PINs, or other sensitive data.
More malicious scammers may even install malware on your device through the clicked link, thereby harvesting your personal data and banking information.
How can you identify phishing text messages?
Phishing text messages are often relatively easy to identify. A crucial rule to remember is that no reputable organization will ever request you to disclose personal details like financial information or authentication details for various services via a text message.
Another giveaway of phishing attempts is poor language and formatting. Phishing messages often contain grammatical errors, misspellings, and unusual formatting. If a message requesting personal information exhibits questionable language and formatting, you're likely dealing with a phishing attempt. Moreover, the URL in the message might slightly differ from the actual company's URL, or a scammer pretending to be from a government agency might direct you to a URL not ending in .GOV. It's essential not to click or visit such suspicious links and avoid responding to such requests. Ideally, you should disable all links within your SMS Apps settings dialog.
If a text message claiming to be from your bank raises suspicion, we recommend contacting your bank directly via their official number before responding to such messages.
How to report phishing text messages from the Messages app?
In the CodeB TOTP SMS app, you can click on the suspicious message to open it in a new dialog. There, you will find a report icon at the bottom. By tapping on this icon, you can report the message and its sender to us. Please note that this report is entirely anonymous!
Moreover, when you report a phishing message to us, you're not only protecting yourself but also helping others. Every report we receive helps us improve our anti-spam engine. We analyze the characteristics of each reported spam message and use this information to block similar messages from reaching other users' phones. Thus, your vigilance and reporting help create a safer digital environment for all.
In case you are not using our app you can forward your SMS to +35679312161 or +35679018351
Another way would be our forum on: https://www.codeb.io/forum/the-wide-world-of-sms
