If we have learned anything, it is that no one is immune from a simple text message scam. Not even, it seems, major political leaders.
Earlier this week, it emerged that British prime minister Andy Burnham exchanged text messages with someone he thought was US president Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. But, it emerged, Burnham may have been communicating with an imposter.
When the messages were exchanged and what was discussed has not been disclosed; officials say there is a policy not to comment about national security issues.
Nor is it clear how the scam happened. The White House has denied that Wiles’s phone had been hacked. Shortly after the suspicious texts were reported, the numbers of three British ministers were found online – defence secretary Wes Streeting, justice secretary Alex Norris and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant.
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But Burnham isn’t the first prime minister to have been duped. Former British prime minister Boris Johnson was fooled by a phone call when he was in office, mistakenly believing he was talking to the newly elected Armenian prime minister.
For most people, scam text messages won’t cause an international security incident, but they can be unsettling. Messages that claim to be from family members who have lost their phones, for example, and need money urgently. Supposed delivery companies that need payment for phantom charges. Fake fraud alerts that claim to come from your bank, asking you to verify a payment that has been flagged as suspicious.
But there are steps you can take to protect yourself and reduce the risk of falling prey to a scammer.
Verify the sender independently
The first and most important rule is always to double-check that you are talking to a genuine person. If you get a message out of the blue claiming to be from a particular person or company, pick up the phone and verify that the message has come from that source.
It might be inconvenient, but giving away too much information to a scam artist will also cause you a few problems – even if it is only a red face.
Don’t reply
If the message is from a clearly opportunistic spammer, don’t respond. Any response, even one asking to unsubscribe from a mailing list, will alert whoever is behind it that the number is an active one, ensuring you stay on spam lists and get even more targeted messages in the future.
Mark the sender as spam, if your phone allows that, and block them. On Android, open the message and tap the three dots in the top-right corner. Tap Block and report spam. On Apple devices, scroll down to the end of the message thread in question, and there should be an option to report spam. To block a number, tap on the contact card at the top of the message, and scroll down to Block Contact.
Don’t give out personal details
If a message asks to confirm information – codes, personal details, anything at all – think before you respond. Your bank, for example, will never ask for a PIN or access code via text or over the phone.
If the message puts pressure on you to act quickly, that is another red flag. Scammers often use pressure tactics to try to force people to act before they consider the legitimacy of a message.
Don’t click links
Got a message asking you to follow a link to find out more? Don’t click it, even out of curiosity. Doing so could put your phone at risk of malicious software being installed simply by visiting an infected site. At best, you might find yourself on a scam site that is trying to steal your personal information.
Turn on spam filtering
Smartphones have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, and will now mark suspected spam messages.
On Apple devices, go to Settings>Apps>Messages, and scroll down to Filter Spam. Turning the filter on will move junk texts to your spam list and hide any notifications they generate. If you are using Android, you will find the same option in the Messages app itself. Tap on your profile picture, scroll down to Messages Settings, and tap Protection and Safety. Turn on Spam protection, and unwanted junk will be shifted away from your message inbox.
You may have to occasionally trawl your junk message box to check that a legitimate message hasn’t been caught up, but better for it to be over-enthusiastic than leaving you open to scams.
