Have YOU been bombarded with fishy texts recently? Americans are being stung by scam messages

Americans are attacked by more than 376 million scam text messages a day, posing as Netflix, Amazon and banks to steal their money or votes.

These bogus messages claim that users’ accounts have been blocked or credit cards have expired, prompting them to click on a link that asks for personal information.

There are also dangerous communications with the name of the user, who offers a job, but they have to call a number at a certain time.

“Stacy, please call me before 6 p.m. at (201) 862-8851. I may have a job for you,” reads a message obtained by DailyMail.com.

While the type of scam is unknown, scammers try to get people on the phone and speak for a few seconds to clone their voice, which is then used to scam someone else.

“If you get a text message you weren’t expecting asking you to provide some personal or financial information, don’t click any links. Legitimate companies will not ask for information about your account by text message Federal Trade Commission.

“If you believe the message is genuine, please contact the company at a phone number or website that you know is genuine. Not the information in the text message.”

Mobile devices have improved our lives in ways we could never have imagined, but they have also become an essential tool for scammers to invade our lives.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that the number of robotext complaints skyrocketed from 3,300 to 18,900 per year between 2015 and 2022.

And Americans lost $10 billion to these scams in 2021 alone.

FCC President Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement: “Scammers have found that sending messages about a package you never ordered or a payment that never went through, along with a link to a shady website, is a quick and easy way to to involve us. on our devices and fall prey to fraud.”

While many robot texts ask users to click a link, some provide a callback number.

This is a new type of scam where scammers use AI-powered tools to capture your voice and clone it in less than five seconds.

‘You’re being called. There’s a panicked voice on the line. It’s your grandson. He says he’s in big trouble — he wrecked the car and ended up in jail,” the FTC shared Monday.

‘But you can help by sending money. You take a deep breath and think. You’ve heard about grandparent scams. But damn it sounds just like him.’

‘How can it be a scam? Voice cloning, that’s how.’

Microsoft announced in January that it has developed artificial intelligence that perfectly clones a person’s voice after analyzing just three seconds of an audio clip of them speaking.

The company’s VALL-E hasn’t been made available to the public, but the innovation shows that any tech-savvy person can recreate it and use it for evil.

These scammers also use big names to fool their victims.

Netflix has released a statement about such arrangements urgently stating that “your account is on hold,” stating that there is a problem with current billing information.

A link has been added to the message stating that recipients have 48 hours to take action before their account is permanently suspended.

The link takes users to a site similar to Netflix and asks them to re-enter their credit card information, which the scammer steals.

“We will never ask you to enter your personal information in a text or email,” Netflix said in a statement about the fishy texts.

“We will never ask for payment through a third-party supplier or website. If the text or email links to a URL you don’t recognize, don’t tap or click on it.

“If you’ve already done that, don’t enter any information on the website that opened.”

Unfortunately, if scammers manage to get you to the web page, they can quickly take advantage of your phone or computer.

Aaron Rouse, a special agent from the FBI’s Las Vegas office, told local NBC affiliate KSNV, “Sometimes you lose access to your device. You gave someone access to your device and you may lose personally identifiable information,”

“So it’s something we just like to say with email. If you didn’t ask for it, don’t click it.’

Amazon is another big company that is used to trick people into text messages.

The fake communication may claim that your account has been suspended after a security check and provides a link to verify your credentials.

Another scheme tells consumers that an expensive product was ordered through their account and lists a phone number if they believe it was a mistake.

Like Netflix, Amazon has also addressed the issues by urging customers not to share their personal information.

In May 2022, the Better business agency (BBB) ​​issued an alert after people received text messages from a bank, warning them of a withholding, fraudulent activity or financial account update.

Scammers will take the opportunity to get your bank details. For example, a website may ask for an ATM card number and PIN under the guise of “reactivating your ATM card,” BBB said in a statement.

Other times, the link may download malicious software that gives scammers access to everything on the phone. A scammer on the phone may ask for personal information, such as your social security number.”

The FCC has announced new rules to combat spam text messages, requiring mobile carriers to block text messages from suspicious sources, including phone numbers that appear “invalid, unassigned or unused.”

The update, announced last week, also requires carriers to block text messages from phone numbers that don’t send text messages.