Boom of SMS scams: 330 million dollars lost in the last year alone

The report released last week by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reveals a disturbing reality: SMS scams have caused economic damage in excess of $ 330 million in the last year alone. This figure marks a notable increase from the previous year's 131 million and the 86 million recorded in 2020.

Smishing: the new frontier of cyber crime

In an interview with WEAR News, the FBI and a local cyber security expert addressed the topic of "smishing", or SMS scams. This practice, although not recent, is becoming increasingly popular among cyber criminals, so much so that it is considered the preferred method for obtaining information and money from victims. The deception techniques used are various: usually, the text of the message induces the user to click on a link or to call a telephone number.

Recognize and prevent SMS scams

Elizabeth Rasnick, an assistant professor in West Florida University's cybersecurity program for five years, provided some advice on how to recognize these scams. "Some clues may come from the area code and phone number, which should match," Rasnick said. This information can be easily verified via a Google search. Also, always be wary of messages that direct you to websites that appear authentic. A typical example is that of the post office scam, in which the fraudulent site looks almost identical to the real one.

The FBI against digital scams: a constant commitment

Email scams, known as "phishing," and voicemail scams, called "vishing," are also seeing an increase. The FBI reported more than 800,000 complaints in the last year alone, with reported economic losses in excess of $10 billion. The FBI's Cybersecurity Division is constantly monitoring these threats. However, as Amanda Videll of the Jacksonville FBI Office says, identifying and stopping these criminals is no easy feat. In fact, many of the scams are reported late or not reported at all, often due to the embarrassment of the victims. The FBI encourages anyone who receives a suspicious text message to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Reporting Center, where the information is then forwarded to the FBI.