Tech Teacher

Author/Source: Brian Krebs See the full link here

Takeaway

This article explains how text message scams, called smishing, are getting smarter and more dangerous. You’ll learn about new tricks scammers are using, like fake loyalty points, tax refund notices, and realistic fake online stores, to steal your money and personal information.

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Technical Subject Understandability

Intermediate

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Analogy/Comparison

These new text message scams are like a sneaky magician who keeps changing their tricks to fool more people into giving them private information or money.

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Why It Matters

These advanced scams can lead to people losing money and having their personal information stolen. The article describes how some victims have lost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to these fake retail websites and other smishing schemes.

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Related Terms

Smishing, Phishing, Multi-factor authentication (MFA), SMS pumping, SIM swapping. Jargon Conversion: Smishing means scams sent through text messages that try to trick you into giving up personal information. Phishing is a broader term for online scams, often by email, trying to trick you into revealing personal details. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an extra security step, like using a password and a code from your phone, to prove you are who you say you are. SMS pumping is a trick where scammers sign up your phone number for many online services to flood your phone with messages and find active numbers. SIM swapping is a scam where someone takes control of your phone number, often by tricking your phone company.