While many people are familiar with robocalls and spam calls, such as the dreaded auto-warranty call, less people are familiar with scam texts. However, with the recent elections taking place and the holiday season right around the corner, there has been an uptick in both political and holiday scam texts. According to wdef.com, “with consumers looking to cut costs however they can, scammers are not far behind in trying to be the Grinch this holiday season…According to a survey conducted by Norton Security in 2021, nearly a third of all consumers surveyed were scammed in some manner, losing on an average nearly $400. An increasing method of these scams is done via texting through a process called smishing, which is messages designed to install spyware or steal other personal data through a text message.” Thus, it’s critical for people to be vigilant against scam text messages now more than ever in order to protect both themselves and their families.
In this article, we cover:
- What are scam texts?
- Why you should protect yourself from scam texts
- How to protect yourself from scam texts
What are scam texts?
Scam texts are quite prevalent and have been appearing more and more over the past few months. Ultimately, the more information you give out to various platforms and companies, the more susceptible you are to receiving scam texts. According to nbcnews.com, “so-called wrong number scams — in which con artists send out huge batches of eye-grabbing but innocuous texts — have become the introduction du jour for scammers looking for people to bilk for money. If recipients respond, scammers will try to establish relationships with the potential victims and eventually try to persuade them to give away their savings under the false impression that they’re investing in cryptocurrency.” Scam texts try to trick you in deceiving ways, so if you’re not vigilant, you can easily fall victim to one of these scam attempts.
Why you should protect yourself from scam texts
Protecting yourself from scam texts can help guard your private information that otherwise could put your security at risk. By falling prey to subtle text scams, people can create a host of problems for themselves that can lead to significant damage. According to consumer.ftc.gov, with phishing (which typically tell a story to trick you into clicking or opening something), “scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers.” Thus, protecting yourself from these harmful actors can save you a lot of time, money, and frustration.
How to protect yourself from scam texts
Protecting yourself from scam texts is easier than you think. Spam text blocking provides you with the peace and protection you need by preventing bad actors and scammers from reaching you via text. By blocking those on our spammer list, YouMail detects and blocks spam texts so you can preserve your identity and protect your private information. As of now, spam text blocking and filtering through YouMail is only available on iOS devices.
While YouMail is unable to block spam text messages from being received, we are able to filter them so they do not clutter your Messages app. The YouMail app would need to be installed on your device for the option to be available.
Once installed, please follow these steps to enable the setting:
- Navigate to settings
- Open your iPhone Settings and find the Messages tab.
- Once the Messages tab is selected, scroll down to Unknown & Spam. It will be under the Message Filtering heading.
- From here, make sure that YouMail is enabled under the SMS Filtering heading.
- Once YouMail is enabled there will be a new tab in your Messages app. Any spam or junk text messages will appear there.
To protect yourself from scam texts, download YouMail today.
