But text spam affects all wireless subscribers, and carriers now offer resources online for how people can protect themselves and report spam. Representatives for AT&T and T-Mobile said they had not seen the same problem. “We have blocked the source of the recent text messaging scheme in which bad actors were sending fraudulent text messages to Verizon customers which appeared to come from the recipient’s own number,” said Adria Tomaszewski, a Verizon spokeswoman. On Monday, it said it had fixed the problem. Verizon confirmed that it was investigating the text issue. That outpaced robocalls, which rose 20 percent in the same period, according to an analysis by Teltech, which makes anti-spam tools for phones. In March, 11.6 billion scam messages were sent on American wireless networks, up 30 percent from February. Spam texts from all sorts of phone numbers - and not just your own - are on the rise. ![]() Only recently has mobile phone fraud shifted more toward texting, experts said. Amazon suggests visiting the company's " Report Something Suspicious" page on its customer service section, where you can report any texts, e-mails or phone calls you've received that you suspect didn't actually come from Amazon.Consumers have struggled with cellphone spam for years, primarily in the form of robocalls with scammers incessantly ringing to leave fraudulent messages about late payments for student loans, audits by the Internal Revenue Service and expired car warranties. ![]() If the suspected scammer is claiming to be representing a specific company like Amazon or a government entity, you can also try reporting the attempt to the actual organization. Unfortunately, some scammers use different numbers or addresses for each message they send, leaving you playing a game of virtual Whack-a-Mole, constantly blocking suspicious numbers and e-mails as the scammers cycle through new ones.Īt that point, consider reporting the spam and phishing attempts to your wireless carrier or e-mail service, along with government agencies - including the FTC's online fraud complaint form and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center. You can also manage your phone's filters to weed out calls or texts from unknown numbers. The simplest way to stop receiving suspicious messages is to block the phone numbers or email addresses that are messaging you. If you have any doubt over a particular text or e-mail's legitimacy, the FTC advises you to contact the company or institution's "verifiable customer service line." Visit the company's website to find a valid contact number or e-mail address, rather than responding to the message you've received. So to be extra cautious, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends that you "never share your personal or financial information via email, text messages, or over the phone." How to block and report spammers In some cases, they even mimic your own number, making it seem like you're calling or texting yourself. Many scammers rely on " spoofing," a practice that tricks your phone's Caller ID into thinking you're getting a text or call from someone you trust. The company says that if you're suspicious about a message requesting updated payment information, you should go to your online Amazon account's "Your Orders" page. "If you aren't prompted to update your payment method on that screen, the message isn't from Amazon," the company says. The company says that red flags include order confirmations for items you didn't order and messages with grammatical errors or prompts to install software.
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