Text message scams: why they work and what to do
Scam texts, sometimes called smishing, work for a reason that has nothing to do with the message. Texts feel personal. There is no spam folder in your head for them, they arrive next to messages from your family, and you read them within seconds.
The four you will actually receive
The undelivered parcel. A small fee is owed, or an address needs confirming. It works because most people are genuinely waiting for something. Real carriers do not collect fees by text link. Track the parcel in the retailer's own app.
The bank alert. A payment is pending, confirm or cancel. The cancel link is the trap. Some versions then ring you, pretending to be the fraud team, and talk you through moving your money "somewhere safe." That destination is theirs. No bank will ever ask you to move money to keep it safe.
The wrong number. A friendly message clearly meant for somebody else. You reply to be helpful. The conversation continues for days or weeks, becomes warm, and eventually arrives at an investment opportunity, usually crypto. This is a long confidence trick, and it is one of the most financially damaging kinds. Do not reply at all, not even to say they have the wrong number. A reply confirms a real person reads this number.
The family emergency. "Mum, this is my new number, I have lost my phone and I need help." It targets the one thing that makes people stop thinking. Ring the person on the number you already have. If they do not answer, ring someone else who knows them.
What to do with one
- Do not tap the link. Do not reply. Do not send STOP to a scam text, because that also confirms the number is live.
- Forward it to 7726, which spells SPAM. This is free and works with most carriers in the US and UK, and it feeds carrier blocking.
- Report and block it in your messaging app.
- Delete it.
Turn on the filter you already have
iPhone: Settings, then Apps, then Messages, then turn on Filter Unknown Senders. Messages from people not in your contacts move to a separate list, and links in them are not tappable.
Android: open Messages, tap your profile, then Messages settings, then Spam protection.
Why your number is being targeted
Almost certainly not because you were singled out. Phone numbers appear in breach data and are also simply dialled in sequence. Getting scam texts does not mean you did anything wrong, and it does not mean your phone is compromised.
Last checked 2026-09-23. Prices, dates, and bank policies change; verify anything time-sensitive against the linked source.