A crime reporter has revealed why you should never respond to text messages from numbers you don’t know by writing that they have the wrong number – and there’s a big reason.
The crucial information was shared in recent months on TikTok by Lori FullbrightTulsa crime reporter, Oklahoma’s News on 6.
Fullbright has worked as the station’s crime reporter for 31 years, anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. news nightly with Craig Day and often uses TikTok to share public service announcements about ongoing crimes and scams. .
this video It was no different as he explained to his viewers why they should never reply to unknown numbers with a message.
“I’m seeing a lot of these scam text messages really draw people in, so one of the new things they’re doing is making it look like they know you,” Fulbright began.
Crime reporter Lori Fullbright has revealed why you should never respond to text messages from unknown numbers apologizing that it’s the “wrong number.”
Fullbright has worked as the station’s crime reporter for 31 years, anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 pm news nightly with Craig Day.
He explained that some scammers have stopped impersonating companies like Amazon, UPS and various banks, and are instead posing as real people.
‘They say something like, “Hey, how are you today?” or “Hi Susie, I won’t be able to make it Thursday at 2, let’s reschedule,” Fullbright explained.
‘And, because we’re nice, kind people, what we do is respond to a text and say, ‘Oh, you’ve got the wrong number,’ which seems like a really nice thing to do, but just don’t do that.’ she continued.
He explained that there are several reasons for this; The first is that at the end of the day, these people are simply scammers.
“First of all, they are trying to confirm that this is a real number, not a robot, which they have already confirmed is a real person,” he said.
The crime reporter said she will often see people receive a text after saying it’s the wrong number, and these scammers will introduce themselves or try to get the innocent person to respond.
“It always leads to two things: they want to steal your information or they want to steal your money,” Fulbright revealed.
Often, they will do this by telling you that they have a great way to invest in Crypto or Bitcoin, or sometimes they will even try to woo you with a romance or outright ask you for money.
He explained that some scammers have stopped impersonating companies like Amazon, UPS and various banks, and are instead posing as real people you may know.
“First, they are trying to confirm that this is a real number, not a robot, which they have already confirmed: it is a real person,” Fullbright said.
“Somehow, they will say that they need your information, your passwords, your account information or that they need money,” the journalist explained to viewers.
“And many times, it is a cryptocurrency investment scam,” he added.
So what does Fulbright recommend doing?
She advised that the next time you receive one of these scam text messages, you should “resist the urge to be nice” and respond.
“You can just delete it and move on with your life, I promise you it’s a scammer, and you can also report the scam on your phone, if you want to delete it and report it through your phone,” Fullbright shared.
The crime reporter also warned against clicking on any link, QR code or attachment that comes with a text or email from someone you don’t know.
“It’s difficult because we are polite and kind, but in this case, stop being polite, don’t respond to this, don’t respond to this, because they are scammers in every way,” he said.
“And once they catch you, they will continue to work with you, but also now that they have confirmed that your number is real, other scammers will also attack you and it is a pain,” Fullbright concluded. .
In the comments section of their video, many shared their own tips on what they do when they receive these scam text messages.
‘I pick on them by pretending to have fallen for their trick and then at the last minute I call them. I like wasting their time and then making them angry lol,” one person wrote.
Another agreed: “I end up insulting them a lot and they tell me I’m being mean to them and to stop doing it.”
‘I love those texts! I have a lot of fun with them… I act like different people every time,” someone else admitted.