Is That Text Message From Your Bank Legit? How to Detect and Avoid SMS Phishing Scams

How can you tell if a text message from your bank is real?

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What’s the first thing to do if you get a text from ‘your bank?’

First, stop to consider if you’ve consented to receive text messages from your bank.

First, banks will never ask for personal or confidential information via text messages.

Banks will also not ask you to verify your identity by clicking a link.

Second, watch for claims of urgency.

Scam messages often have a go at scare people by indicating they need to act quickly to avoid disaster.

McGovern says, “they’re expecting you to panic and act immediately.

Especially if you see a bank name.”

She also advises to “never tap on the link that they send.”

You should always be able to reach any necessary URLs via your regular bank website.

In fact, there’s no need to engage with any text messages from your bank.

You should be able to accomplish any necessary tasks by calling your bank or visiting its website.

Next, report your suspicious text message to both your bank and the FTC.

Toreport the phishing attempt to the FTC, simply forward the message to 7726 (SPAM).

you could also report the scam usingReportFraudftc.gov.