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FBI Issues Warning About Smishing Scam Texts Grow: How to Avoid Been Scammed?

Elite Personal Finance

Last Update: March 20, 2025 • Financial News •

The FBI has recently called out an increase in the number of smishing scams targeting iPhone and Android users. These are fake messages designed to trick people into giving away their personal information, such as bank login credentials and Social Security numbers.

One of the larger, more well-known scams targets vehicle owners, where scammers impersonate parking violation departments, threatening fines and legal action if unpaid parking invoices are not handled on time. These scams have hit all the major metropolitan areas, including New York, San Diego, and San Francisco.

“Since early March 2024, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received over 2,000 complaints reporting smishing texts representing road toll collection services from at least three states,” stated the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “IC3 complaint information indicates the scam may be moving from state to state.”

According to cybersecurity analysts, many of the recent smishing scams have been linked to Chinese hacking groups that have developed sophisticated toolkits. The origins of these smishing scams also come from the Chinese registered. XIN top-level domain (TLD), which employs millions of automated scripts to impersonate U.S.-based phone numbers. These scams often impersonate government bureaus and financial institutions like Bank of America.

On top of the lucrative endeavor of stealing personally identifiable information, scamming groups also sell their kits across the dark web, allowing American-based criminals to do the same. One of the main challenges in combating this is shutting down these domains, as they quickly spring up again once another is taken offline.

In the past, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued warnings about smishing scams, posting information on its website along with guidance on how to avoid becoming a victim.

If you suspect that you have been the victim of a smishing scam, you should contact law enforcement immediately and consider filing a complaint with the FCC. For more details on how to submit a complaint, visit the FCC Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Center.

Other Scam Tactics on the Rise

All of this news comes at a time when scammers are identifying new ways to steal personal data. Another popular scamming method involves Chrome extensions. This year, over 3.2 million users were impacted by security breaches across more than 16 different browser extensions. These scams spread malware while disguising themselves as legitimate browser extensions, causing even more damage.

Another common scam is the change-of-address scam, where scammers impersonate victims and request a change of address with the United States Postal Service (USPS). With these fraudulent redirects, scammers can collect physical mail and steal personally identifiable information to take out loans under the victim’s name. Many change-of-address forms do not require a verified signature, which scammers can easily obtain from other databases.

What Are Smishing Scams?

A form of cyber fraud, smishing scams use SMS text messages to lure victims into revealing their personally identifiable information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and account passwords. Often, these scams disguise themselves as messages from legitimate sources like banks, the Department of Motor Vehicles, or companies people regularly engage with. The goal is to trick recipients into clicking on malicious links or calling a fake customer service number, where scammers attempt to extract sensitive information.

Once a victim engages, scammers can install malware, steal login credentials, or engage in prolonged conversations to convince them to transfer money to fraudulent accounts. Unlike phishing emails, smishing scams are highly personalized and involve direct one-on-one interaction between the scammer and the victim.

How Do I Avoid Falling Victim to a Smishing Scam?

To protect yourself from smishing scams, follow these guidelines:

Never Click on Anything!

Under no circumstances should you interact with links from unknown senders. Sometimes, they are carefully disguised, for example: “Congratulations! You’ve won a brand new Ferrari! Click here to claim your prize.”

Scammers often use urgent or enticing messages to trick victims. Instead of clicking links, independently verify websites by typing the company’s name into your search bar.

Block and Report Odd Numbers

We highly recommend using apps like Truecaller or RoboKiller to automatically filter out suspicious numbers. These services maintain massive databases of millions of identified scam numbers and can automatically block them before they reach you.

For an extra layer of protection, you can report scam messages by forwarding them to 7726 on most mobile carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. If the scam is impersonating a well-known company like Chase or Bank of America, you can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Protect yourself against smishing attempts by enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification (e.g., a six-digit PIN code) before accessing your account.

For better security, use app-based authentication (such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator) instead of SMS-based codes. Hackers can intercept SMS messages through SIM-swapping attacks, making SMS verification less secure.

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