The sad reality is that anyone can become the victim of a phone or text scam.
Previously, the Bored Panda team spoke with NordVPN cybersecurity expert Daniel Markuson about ‘smishing,’ a type of scam. Texts from a random number might sometimes make us laugh, but they’re often much more serious and dangerous.
“The most important thing is not to click on any links in the text message that looks suspicious,” the expert warned us during an earlier interview about malware.
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“By replying to the text, you can make it known to the scammer that the telephone number is active. The best thing you can do is ignore the text,” Markuson suggested.
“Victims first receive a very ordinary text message, something along the lines of ‘Let’s move the meeting to tomorrow morning. The scammers first want to make sure that the phone number is active. They expect the victim to reply that this is the ‘wrong number.’”
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According to the cybersecurity expert, scammers then try to get to know their victims. They might ask them a few questions to make them feel more comfortable. Later, they might try to persuade them to click on links, fill in a form, or make some shady investments.
Some scammers might even try to form an even deeper relationship with their victims in order to ask for money.
Scammers usually target specific people, particularly individuals “who have less advanced technological knowledge or cybersecurity awareness.” Senior citizens, in particular, are vulnerable. However, everyone, no matter their background or education, can become a victim of scams.
“They also would try to target people who have more money, or, on the contrary, lack money, so they are ready to do anything to earn some. However, most often, scammers target random people whose telephone numbers they can guess,” the expert told our team.
During another interview, the Bored Panda team got in touch with cybersecurity and privacy specialist Jonathan Steele, as well as cybersecurity specialist Sam J. Brown.
“Scammers use a tactic known as social engineering, where they try to manipulate people into giving up personal information or performing actions that compromise their security. These messages are often made to seem casual and innocent, like ‘Is this John?’ or ‘Hey, long time no see!’—something that might make you think it's just a mistaken text,” Brown said.
Then, after they engage you, the scammers might ask you for personal info, send you malicious links, or try to impersonate someone you know. For example, they might try to use familiar language or details to trick you into trusting them and letting your guard down.
“When in doubt, don’t engage—hang up or ignore the text, and contact the person directly using the number you already have for them,” Brown told Bored Panda earlier.
Meanwhile, Steele warned that wrong number texts can escalate into more serious scams like phishing, romance scams, etc., to get your valuable personal or financial info.
“Key signs [of scamming attempts] include vague introductions, responses to nonexistent conversations, urgent requests for personal details, or links to unfamiliar sites,” Steele said.
