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Smishing

Smishing

Smishing is phishing via SMS. It is often used to steal a person’s money or identity by some response to the message.

Examples include messages purporting to be from
  • Your bank, informing you that there is a ‘problem with your account’ such as irregular activity or lack of funds.
  • A retailer, offering ‘vouchers’ or ‘gift cards’.
  • A technology provider such as Apple or Google, notifying that you ‘need to validate an account’.
  • A parcel delivery company, notifying you that you need to ‘confirm that you want a parcel to be delivered’.
  • Revenue services, informing you that you are ‘due a tax refund’.
How to avoid becoming a victim of smishing
  • Do not click on links in text messages unless you are 100% certain that they are genuine and well-intentioned.
  • Take time to consider your actions before responding to text messages.
  • If you are asked by such a caller to cut off the call and phone your bank or card provider, call the number on your bank statement or other document from your bank – or on the back of your card. Do not call the number provided to you by the caller.
  • Ask yourself if the sender, if genuine, would really contact you via this text.
  • Recognise threats of financial issues or offers that seem too good to be true, for what they really are.
  • If in doubt, call the correct number of the organisation or individual from whom the text claims to have been sent, to check its authenticity.
  • Remember that even if the text message seems to come from someone you trust, their number may have been hacked or spoofed.
  • Do not respond to the text message. Doing so could result in your details being added to a ‘suckers’ list’ and you will be inundated with similar messages.