Have you received a suspicious SMS? The sender may be your bank, a shipping company, or your mobile phone company. Maybe they are asking you for personal information or encouraging you to click on a link to solve a certain problem. But you are not entirely sure and you fear it is a scam. In those moments you ask yourself "what should I do if I receive a suspicious SMS?"
Nowadays, scam attempts by SMS, calls, or emails are very common, and it is increasingly difficult to identify them. Therefore, in this entry you will find a guide with everything you should do and not do when you receive a suspicious SMS. We will talk about how to detect them and what steps to take if you have been a victim of this type of cybercrime. Let's get started.
What is a suspicious SMS and how to identify it?
Let's start by defining what a suspicious SMS is and how they are used by criminals to capture or fish for potential victims. In general, This type of message is sent with the intention that the recipient will open it and interact with it.. If you do, then scammers may be able to steal sensitive information, such as account numbers, passwords, or personal data.
Spam text messages, also known as phishing, are a type of cybercrime that has become very common in recent years. It consists of sending an SMS to deceive or confuse the recipient and make him perform a certain action, such as click a link, scan a QR code or download an app. To persuade you, the suspicious SMS informs about an alleged eventuality that must be corrected immediately.
The worst part is that criminals have developed strategies to impersonate companies or organizations, such as banks and telephone and shipping companies. So, the text message appears to come from a trusted source, making it more difficult for the recipient to identify the scam. The links embedded in these SMS redirect to fake web pages that request personal information. If the user provides it, they have fallen for the scam.
How to identify a fraudulent SMS?
If a text message has set off alarm bells, it means that you are not as naive as cybercriminals think. What made you think it was a scam? In general, Suspicious SMS have the same characteristics, which makes it easier to identify them and avoid the trap. Let's see what are some indications that give away this type of crime:
- look at the sender. Fraudulent messages usually come from unknown phone numbers or those that do not match those of the company or entity they claim to represent.
- Look carefully at the content. Be suspicious of any text message that asks you for personal or banking information, asks you to download an app, or follow a link. Others offer benefits or rewards that are too good to be true.
- Pay attention to the tone of the message. These messages usually have an urgent or alarming tone, with which they intend to push you to take a certain action.
What to do and NOT to do with a suspicious SMS?
Once we realize that we have received a suspicious SMS, what should we do with it? The best thing you can do is delete it immediately, without even opening it. In addition, you can block the sender so that fraudulent messages do not arrive from that number again. And if you still have doubts, it's always possible look for the official contact information of the entity or company in question and ask if they have sent you any communication.
And what happens if you have already opened the suspicious message? Nothing happens, really. Opening one of these messages does not represent any danger, neither for your personal data nor for your mobile. What you should NEVER do is click on a link integrated in the content of the message. That would put you at risk, since you could activate background processes, such as downloading a file or an app on your mobile. You don't gain anything by responding to the message either, so it's best to close it and delete it without further ado.
One last action you can take if you receive an SMS I suspect is report the number to your mobile phone service provider. Most smartphones incorporate the 'Report Spam' option, with which you block any future communication attempts from that number. You can too Report the fraudulent contact to the following entities:
- Online form on the official website of the National Police.
- Electronic headquarters of the Civil Guard.
- web form National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE)
How to protect my mobile from suspicious SMS?
Finally, let's talk about what you can do to protect your mobile from suspicious or fraudulent SMS. There are some simple steps to prevent these text messages from becoming a constant nuisance. The first is update your mobile with the latest version of the software. These updates often include security improvements that can help protect you from cyber threats.
Another slightly more radical measure is block calls and receiving SMS from numbers that do not appear in your contact list. By activating this function on your mobile, you ensure that you only receive calls and text messages from known and trusted people or entities. And a last measure consists of install applications to block spam calls and messages.
Textkiller – App to block suspicious calls and SMS
This app is designed for iPhone devices and serves as a spam blocker to identify and delete unwanted messages. The app uses machine learning to activate detection mechanisms and filter SMS more accurately. It is a great tool if suspicious SMS have become a constant problem.
Key Messages – Spam Text Blocker App
This is another app designed to block spam text messages, both SMS and MMS, available for Android devices. The app allows you to block text messages based on the mobile number, the sender's name, a keyword in the content of the message and other filters. Other useful options is that you can better organize your text messages and make a backup copy of them on Google Drive.
