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5 text scams going around right now
It’s not just clingy exes popping into your messages out of the blue. Scammers are ramping up phony texts across the country. You can make the texts stop (more below). Here are the latest ones making the rounds and the red flags to watch for:
🚨 Fake missed toll or parking ticket
The FTC just warned about this one. You get a text claiming you have unpaid tolls or a parking ticket and must pay immediately to avoid late fees or legal trouble. The link takes you to a fake payment site that steals your credit card or driver’s license info.
💰 Nonexistent tax rebate
Scammers love free money, yours, that is. After the IRS announced stimulus payments for 2 million people in December, crooks started blasting texts saying you’re owed a $1,400 rebate. The link? A phishing site set up to steal your personal details or install malware on your phone.
👋 “Oops, wrong number!”
This one plays on human kindness. It starts with a vague message like, “Hey, is this Jessica?” or “Oops, wrong number!” If you respond, they’ll keep chatting, slowly steering the conversation toward a scam investment, a fake emergency or a malware-infected website.
📱“Suspicious activity” on your Apple ID
Scammers are texting about “suspicious activity” on your Apple ID, urging you to call a fake support line. Once they have you, they’ll try to steal your personal info or even take control of your phone to install spyware.
📫 USPS “delivery issues”
If you get a text about a “delivery issue” or needing to “confirm your address,” don’t fall for it. Scammers are sending fake USPS messages with links that steal your personal info. USPS never asks for sensitive details over text.
How to shut scammers down
Selling your car? Do this first
© Iuliia Lisitsyna | Dreamstime.com
New cars are computers on wheels, tracking just as much about you as your phone does. Before you sell your car or return a lease, you need to take the time to wipe all that data.
Otherwise, you’re handing over a digital diary of your life to anyone who knows where to look. Your car tracks where you’ve been, how fast you got there, your contacts and text messages and what radio stations you listen to most. Don’t let that info go along for the ride!
82%
K-12 schools hit by cybercriminals from July 2023 to December 2024. That’s over 9,300 incidents. Most happened when staff fell for phishing scams. But they didn’t just lose data. Some attacks forced schools to close and affected meals and special education services.
Think your browser’s password manager is safe? Think again.
© Gmm2000 | Dreamstime.com
It’s so easy to click and save your passwords right to Chrome, Edge, Safari or any other browser. Have you ever stopped to think about just how bad an idea it is to do this? Anyone with access to your browser can jump right into any one of your accounts. Yup, even your banking and investment accounts are up for grabs.
Get your refund: The FTC is sending $25.5 million worth of payments to 736,375 scam victims. Restoro and Reimage tricked folks with fake pop-ups and ads into thinking their computers were infected when they weren’t. Check your PayPal if that’s you.
😱 This is horrifying: A mom says she’ll never let her daughter go to another sleepover again. Why? Her 11-year-old found cameras in her friend’s bedroom. The parents said they were “for security” but turned off. Except … the light was on. So she covered them with a shirt. The parents came in, removed it and that’s when she called her mom to pick her up.
Move over Kia Boys, the Nissan Boys are here: Steps outlining how to steal a Nissan are all over social media. Thieves use special hardware to intercept a Nissan’s key signal, which lets them unlock the doors and start the engine. To stop your key’s signal from transmitting, wrap it in tinfoil (Yup, that trick again!) when you’re at home or place it in a metal box. Expect an upgrade from Nissan soon.
$21 million
Stolen from victims of a grandparent scam ring. Good news: Police caught the bad guys. Scammers called, pretending to be a teenager or adult grandkid who was in a car crash, arrested and needed money for bail.
📬 Ransomware by snail mail? It’s happening. Cybercriminals are now sending ransom demands through postal mail. The letters warn folks that their networks have been compromised and sensitive info stolen. The price to keep it private? $250,000 to $350,000 in bitcoin, due in 10 days. And because they’re oh-so-considerate, they include a QR code so you can send the crypto right to their wallet.
1 million+ infected with malware: You know those cheap Android-based streaming boxes, tablets or used car infotainment systems? Bad news. They’re being used as a botnet by the Badbox 2.0 hacking group. The top targets are TV boxes with the generic names “TV98” and “X96.” Don’t risk it to save a few bucks.
🚨 YouTube creators, don’t fall for this: Scammers are using an AI video of CEO Neal Mohan to trick you into giving up sensitive info. They’ll send it privately, claiming YouTube is changing its monetization policy. It’s your credentials they’re after. Reminder: YouTube will never contact you or share updates through a private video.
🚨 Word of the day: Info-stealer. Malware that sneaks in and grabs your personal data, especially credit and debit card details. Over 26 million devices were hit, with 2 million bank cards stolen and for sale on the Dark Web. Watch for small charges on your statements because that’s how hackers test if your card is still good.
📱 Ring, ring, it’s not IT: If you get a call from your help desk or IT asking for a password reset, check if it’s legit. Scammers are getting good at tricking people over the phone to sneak into their systems. CrowdStrike found voice vishing scams (that’s voice phishing) jumped 442% last year.
💪🇺🇸 The only easy day was yesterday: Special ops commanders went to DC to explain that America’s military tech, especially AI, machine learning, autonomous weapons and cyber warfare, is way behind our adversaries. China and Russia are investing heavily in AI-driven battlefield awareness, drone swarms and cyber capabilities. We have to do the same.
💸 Avast sold your data: If you bought the antivirus software between Aug. 2014 and Jan. 2020, you might be entitled to a cut of a $16.5 million settlement. Watch your inbox for a claim ID, then fill out the settlement claim form by June 5. I use this antivirus.
🇨🇳 Communist China’s at it again: Now, China’s sending hackers after Microsoft 365 accounts, mostly in the financial services and insurance biz. Their method of choice is password spraying, aka attempting to log in to accounts with all the most common, weakest passwords. This is your friendly reminder to use a complex password for every single account.
Don’t look up: Chinese scientists built a surveillance camera that can see your face from space. In a ground test, it locked onto a target 62 miles away and picked up tiny details with scary accuracy. It’s supposedly “100 times” better than today’s top spy cameras and lens-based telescopes.
🚨 PayPal alert: A new phishing email from “service@paypal.com” claiming a new address was added to your account is making the rounds. It says you bought a MacBook M4 or another pricey item. They’re trying to scare you to call the number in the email. Don’t.