12.06.24
Online scams are unfortunately a natural part of being on the internet, whether it's on your phone or your laptop/computer. And while there are common scams always in circulation that everyone should be aware of, new ones pop up all the time, which is why we put together a guide on all the latest scam you should watch out for, so you can keep yourself protected. Be sure to check on this guide every month as we update it for any new scams – how to spot them, how to avoid them, and even how to report them.
1. Job offer scams
These have been becoming more popular and prevalent over the past couple months– mainly over WhatsApp– but seem to have started spilling over into other messaging platforms as well.
What is a job offer scam?
The premise is simple – you get a text from an unknown number that offers you a great remote work offer that will seemingly pay well with flexible hours. The sender claims to be a recruiter, and the text itself is friendly and innocuous enough that it's easy to see how you would engage further in the conversation, not knowing that it's actually a scam.
Text sent to a TextNow employee from a scammer claiming to be a recruiter.
Once you're engaged in the conversation, the "recruiter" will start asking you for personal information such as banking account numbers, or social security numbers to set you up with this job. And that's when it becomes a classic phishing scam, pumping you for information the scammer can then use to steal your banking/credit card information or any other vulnerable accounts.
How to spot a job offer scam
While the texts don't ring off the same alarms as most phishing scams – they don't have grammar or spelling mistakes, they're not written with a great sense of urgency – they're easy to spot for one very simple and obvious reason: Recruiters don't text you unless you applied for the job directly. Period.
It seems like a really great opportunity, and it preys on a vulnerable population that's struggling with rising living costs and can use either a second income, or a better income than their current one. But the number one mantra in online safety is: if it's too good to be true, it is.
How to avoid a job offer scam
The simplest advice is to just not engage. Do not text them back, and block (and report) the number to your carrier.
TextNow Tip: Blocking numbers on your TextNow account is easy! In the conversation, you will see the prompt to "mark as spam" under the text, and you can block the number from the conversation itself by opening up the menu (tap on the contact name in the iOS app) and choosing the "block contact" option! Or by texting the number #STOP.
2. Missed/Undelivered Package Scams
As the holidays roll out in full force, and you're waiting around for the packages from your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping, this is a really important one to watch out for.
What is a missed/undelivered package scam?
In this scam, you will receive a text message from a "delivery service" (UPS, USPS , DHL, Fedex, etc.) alerting you to either a missed delivery, a delivery that can't be delivered because of some missing information, or just a confirmation of a shipment.
Text sent to a TextNow employee from a scammer claiming to be USPS.
It's an extremely effective scam because chances are, you are waiting for a package, and so this text wouldn't necessarily come as a surprise. What they're trying to do is have you click on the link that's usually included (see above) so either a) they can install malware on your phone/laptop, or b) they can request more personal information from you that they can then use to access your secure accounts. Some scams don't include the link, but will include a phone number to call – the scam then comes over the phone, where the "representative" will start asking for personal information.
How to spot a missing/undelivered package scam
As scammers become smarter, spotting the scams becomes harder. As I said before, during this busy shopping time, it would be too easy to fall for one of these texts. So a good rule of thumb is to never click on any link that comes in to your number.
Tracking/delivery texts from real purchases will almost always include the name of the brand/website you bought the item from (eg. "Your package from The Shoe Company is shipped!") so if you don't see any indication as to what this package is for/about, assume it's fake.
How to avoid a missing/undelivered package scam
Another good tip to keep in mind is that you can always log into the website from which you made the purchase, or find the email confirmation from them directly to find your tracking information. If the text you receive claims it can't be delivered, or was attempted to be delivered, call the delivery service directly – look up their verified number on their website – and confirm whether your package truly is with them.
And as always, do not engage and block the number once you verify it is in fact a scam.
3. Fake company phone scams
Another one that's on the rise – but is actually a common one all year round – is the fake company phone scam.
What is a fake company phone scam?
Scammers call you pretending to be a company – could be a phone company or a banking company and either a) offer you some deal, and then ask for your personal information to be able to provide you with that deal, or b) scare you into providing them with personal information by claiming that something is wrong or amiss with your account.
I recently received such a call that claimed the person on the other line was calling from a phone company (not my own – I use TextNow), with a 30% off offer for me.
How to spot a fake company phone scam
It's pretty easy if the company they claim to represent is one that you don't have an account with. It becomes harder if they call you saying – for example – that they're from Chase and you do actually have a Chase card.
It can be easy to believe them and be roped into giving away your personal information, but it's important to remember two things:
Most offers will come to your email, or if you want to be super sure, check out their website, see if you can find that offer there. If you can, apply for it directly through the website, or call them yourself. Do not make deals or give account information to a "representative" that called you.
If the call is about something wrong or amiss with your account, always hang up and call the service directly. Find their number on their website (do not call the number that called you back) and inquire about your account to verify. Better safe than sorry!
How to avoid a fake company scam
Most phone carriers will tell you if an unknown number is a likely spam call, so you can avoid answering those.
But the simplest (even if it's annoying) tip to keep in mind is that if you're not sure, hang up and call them yourself.
A guide to phishing scams
What is a phishing scam?
A phishing scam is any scam that tried to draw out your personal information. It will come in the form of an email or text message that asks you to follow a link to verify your information. This is usually under the pretence of verifying your account due to "fraudulent activity," such as from a bank, a credit card institution, or even a shipping company like UPS or Fedex.
How to identify a phishing scam
Don't feel bad if you fall for a phishing scam – more than 300,000 people did too globally in 2021 (the last year we could find a statistic on this).
The name of the game is to always be safe, not sorry. Even if the email or the text looks legitimate enough, call them yourself. Don't take the chance by clicking on an unknown link or giving away any personal information when you're not the one that contacted them first.
How to prevent phishing scams
While email and phone/text services have gotten a lot smarter in the past several years, combining AI and other algorithmic methods to stop spam and possible phishing content from ever going through, those on the other side – the scammers themselves – have also gotten smarter and learned how to circumvent some of those guardrails.
There is no perfect way to prevent a phishing email or text from coming through to your phone, which is why it's important to learn how to identify and avoid them when they do come in.
