Text based scams are becoming more prevalent

In a world full of ever-changing tech scams, our phones can be dangerous. Increasingly, tactics to lure new people in are getting more sophisticated and seemingly more personal. Some will even text you from an unknown number talking about how much they want to “enjoy the great outdoors and barbecue under the stars next week” for example. This is just one instance of the increasingly prevalent scams (usually targeted at elderly victims) that cell phone users have to deal with.

Chris Mathers, a Crime and Risk Consultant, says these types of scams are becoming more common. He notes that these scams mainly originate from West African gangs who try to engage victims (preferably elderly ones) with the idea being to establish contact, pretend they sent the text to the victim’s number in error, then apologetically try to engage with the victim. This is all an attempt to establish a relationship with the victim and extract information from them. This eventually leads to a Zoom call, where the perpetrators will use face swapping and voice altering apps with the ultimate goal being for the victim to send them money.

As technology advances in ways many ordinary cell phone users (especially older ones) are unaware of, it can be harder and harder to tell what is or isn’t legitimate. It may be helpful to discuss these types of scams with older family members in your life to make sure they steer clear of sharing sensitive information with potential bad actors. And, as always, trust your instincts when dealing with anyone you don't know. You can never be sure who is on the other side of the line, or where they might be (even if it's the other side of the world).