Scam season is here, keep yourself safe with these tips
SMS scams are on the rise but there are ways to easily spot them.
(Image credit: Pixabay)
- Avast warns of 10 common SMS scam types, including fake parcels and OTP theft
- Red flags include urgency, suspicious links, requests for codes, and unusual spelling or branding
- Best defense: ignore messages or forward spam to 7726 (SPAM) for carrier blocking
With Christmas behind us, and the New Year right around the corner, we’re in peak scam season - cybercriminals have all come out of the woodwork and are trying their best to trick you out of your money. With that in mind, security outfit Avast shared their tips on how to best defend from SMS scams.
Similar to phishing, SMS scams work by trying to trick you into clicking a link or downloading and running a malicious attachment. What makes them somewhat more dangerous is that mobile platforms are arguably defended less in comparison to desktop and laptop computers.
For Avast, there are 10 types of scams people should keep in mind these days:
Fake undelivered parcels
One-time password (OTP) or code theft
Tax refunds or fines
Fake refunds
Family or friend impersonation
Deals, prizes, or surveys
Job offers and side gigs (such as mystery shoppers or brand recruitment)
Crypto and investment opportunities
Callback and support scams
Fake account alerts (banks, crypto, email, social)
How to stay safe
All of these themes have a few things in common, Avast notes. The most obvious red flag is the sense of urgency that’s mandatory in all of them. Things like “final notice”, “urgent resolution”, or urging recipients to “act today” to not get their “account locked”. This is always cause for suspicion.
Plenty of these SMS messages also carry unexpected links, or shortened URLs. Links from services such as bit.ly or tinyurl may look harmless, “but it’s one of criminals’ main entry points,” the researchers said.
Then, there are requests for codes, PINs, or payments, which are always suspicious, since no real business will ever ask their customers to share their login credentials or other secrets.
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Finally, unusual spelling or brand names, or pressure to switch communication channels, are all usual scam tactics.
The best way to defend against this type of scam is to simply ignore it. Those who wish to be a bit more proactive can forward all spam to 7726 (SPAM), helping their wireless provider spot and block similar messages.
Via Avast
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Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.
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