FCC warns American citizens of increasing phishing text messages attacks
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On Friday, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warns the citizens of the United States of an increase in the number of SMS phishing attacks trying to steal their personal data and money.
These attacks are also known as smishing or robotexts, and fraudsters behind them might use various lures to trick you into giving up your confidential information.
The US communications watchdog’s Robocall Response Team said that the FCC tracks consumer complaints – rather than call or text volume – and complaints about unnecessary text messages being risen steadily in recent years from approximately 5,700 in 2019, 14,000 in 2020, 15,300 in 2021, to 8,500 through June 30, 2022.
They further said that some independent reports estimate billions of robotexts every month – for instance, RoboKiller estimates consumers in June receiving over 12 billion robotexts.
American consumers report “False-but-believable” smishing baits to the FCC that include claims regarding unpaid bills, package delivery issues, bank account problems, or law enforcement actions.
Some of the most convincing lures used in Phishing text messages are links diverting the targets to landing pages that impersonate bank websites, asking them to verify a purchase or unlock frozen credit cards.
Phishing text messages may also be spoofed, making it seem that the sends is someone you’re more likely to trust, such as a government agency like the IRS or companies one might be familiar with.
