How to identify a text or SMS scam

Scam messages are used for different kinds of scams

Scammers can use messaging apps to run a range of different scams. For example, an investment scam or a romance scam might both start with a text or SMS.

Scam messages ask you to act quickly

A common feature of scam messages is the sense of urgency they create. The message might ask you to act quickly or tell you something is urgent. For example it may say:

• you have an urgent unpaid bill
• a service is about to be cut off
• you have missed an important delivery
• your tax return is overdue and you are about to be fined
• someone has charged a large amount to your credit card
• an investment opportunity is closing.

Common features of message scams

Scam messages usually include a link or a phone number. If you follow the link, you will be taken to a fake website which will try to steal your personal information.

If you call the number, a scammer will try to convince you to give up personal details, especially your date of birth, address, and Medicare number.

You can learn more about how to recognise scam messages in the Phishing scams course.

eSafety tip

You can always safely ignore an SMS or text that you think is suspicious. If the message is real and urgent, the company or person will contact you again.

If you are concerned, contact the person or organisation using details you find yourself to confirm they sent the message. For individuals, you can make contact via phone, email or social media. For organisations, use the contact information on their official website or printed communications, such as a letterhead or bank statement.

Some scammers try to make friends

Sometimes a text or SMS will deliberately call you by the wrong name. If you reply saying it’s a wrong number, the scammer will apologise and offer to make friends.

The scammer will then send further messages and try to gain your trust. You should ignore any message that admits to having contacted you in error.

You can learn more about how these types of scams work in the Romance scams course.

Real companies have rules about text and SMS

When you receive a legitimate text from a company you do business with, such as your bank, it follows certain rules.

Real companies will not ask you to provide your password or confirm personal details via a text. If you need to do this, the text will tell you to visit the company’s website independently. Even if a company provides a link for your convenience, it is safer to manually type the company website address into your browser.

Message scams are hard to spot

Sometimes it can be difficult to spot when a message is from a scammer. Scammers can use spoofing to make it look like the text comes from the real number of a company or even a person you know.

You can still avoid these scams by not clicking on any links in the message or tapping any phone numbers.

eSafety tip

It is safe to open and view a text message or an SMS. The SMS system and messaging apps ensure that the message itself cannot do anything to your device. Do not, however, tap or click links in the message or open attachments. If you think a message is suspicious, you can use messaging app features to:

• delete the message
• block future messages from the sender
• report the sender as scam.

You can also report scam messages to Scamwatch, and sign up to its newsletter to receive alerts about the latest scams.

Well done!

This is the end of the How to identify a text or SMS scam activity. You’ve learned about the various forms of text and SMS scams and how they work.

Up next, you can find out how to avoid these scams in the Protecting yourself from text and SMS scams activity.