Warning: Smishing Scam Strikes Michigan

It’s a sad fact, but scamming has been going on since the beginning of mankind. It was Satan who deceived Eve into eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It took just one bite to plunge humanity into the realm of death. 

The “snake oil” salesmen made a bundle, traveling the dusty backroads of America, offering a cure for what ails you. And in modern times, the internet and social media have fueled a new push of deceiving the uninformed masses who constantly scan their mobile devices to feed their desire for staying on top of things. 

Michigan’s Attorney General Issues Warning! 

The latest scam has gotten so bad that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has issued a warning to residents of the Great Lake State. BEWARE OF SMISHING TEXT MESSAGES! 

Smishing is when the scammer entices the victim by claiming a victim must provide them with a password, account number, or even social security number to stop an alleged fraudulent transaction. Once this information is provided, the scammer can gain access to the device and any personal information stored on it, including email, bank, credit card, or other types of accounts including social media.

An Example of A Smishing Text

Ways To Protect Your Phone Number and Information 

• Don't share your phone number unless you know the person or organization well.    
• Don't assume a text is legitimate because it comes from a familiar phone number or area code.  Spammers use caller ID Spoofing to make it appear the text is from a trusted or local source.     
• Don't provide personal or financial information in response to the unsolicited text or at a website linked to the message.   
• Don't click on links in a suspicious text; they could install malware on your device or take you to a site that does the same.  
• Don't reply, even if the message says you can "text STOP" to avoid more messages.  That tells the scammer or spammer your number is active and can be sold to other bad actors.   
• Never follow a text's instructions to push a designated key to opt out of future messages.