Texts to Verizon users from own numbers a scam

In late March, some Verizon mobile buyers documented having a suspicious text information, created all the much more alarming by its sender: the user’s very own mobile phone range.

Verizon buyers on Reddit, Twitter and Verizon’s group discussion board all shared equivalent stories expressing they acquired the suspicious concept. The text message Verizon consumers described said some variation of: “Free Msg: Your bill is paid out for March. Many thanks, here’s a minor gift for you,” and then included a hyperlink.

Did Verizon send mobile prospects a payment confirmation textual content message from the customers’ own cellular phone numbers?

No, Verizon did not send out mobile clients a payment confirmation textual content from the customers’ own cellphone quantities. Verizon reported the messages arrived from “bad actors.”

Verizon cellular prospects claimed obtaining the complicated textual content messages that appeared to occur from their have phone figures on March 28. Persons who clicked on the website link in the textual content explained in neighborhood forum posts they were directed to a single of two destinations: Either a internet site providing a “free” tech gift in trade for filling out a survey and delivering credit score card information and facts, or a Russian news web-site.

Verizon verified it did not ship the text messages, and the messages were being from what they referred to as “bad actors.”

“Verizon has blocked the resource of the current text messaging plan in which negative actors had been sending fraudulent text messages to Verizon consumers,” a Verizon spokesperson confirmed to Confirm. “In this circumstance, the textual content messages despatched appeared to occur from the recipient’s have variety.” 

As to one of the back links that redirected to a Russian information web page, the Verizon spokesperson explained: “We have no indicator of Russian involvement or that any of our customers’ phones ended up compromised.”

The New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell identified as the texts a “SMiShing campaign,” which is an try to trick anyone more than text messages. The organization also reported the textual content messages targeted prospects of providers who piggyback off of Verizon’s community, these as Spectrum. It claimed a very similar campaign specific AT&T customers in August 2021. Posts dated to that time from AT&T’s group discussion board reveals consumers gained textual content messages with almost similar wording to the one particular Verizon prospects not too long ago acquired.

The fraudulent textual content messages are typically intended to trick folks into handing over particular or economic information and facts to scammers.

Additionally, quite a few Verizon shopper aid reps who replied to the local community thread about the text messages mentioned the messages applied a tactic referred to as “caller ID spoofing.” This tactic is more frequently made use of with spam calls.

“Scam artists now use technological know-how to make a person’s caller ID clearly show their very own title and telephone quantity — building it surface as nevertheless a man or woman is contacting him or herself,” the Minnesota Attorney General’s office warns. “These fraud artists are falsifying — or ‘spoofing’ — caller ID information. Spoofing cons are usually perpetrated by felony gangs found exterior the condition or region making an attempt to mask their identification and evade legislation enforcement.”

A lot more from Validate: Indeed, scammers do try to impersonate AT&T and many other corporations in text messages