"Your toll balance is overdue. Pay now to avoid a $50 late fee." If you've gotten one, you're in good company. They're everywhere right now, and they're written to make you pay before you stop to think.
The ones going around right now
- The unpaid toll. "E-ZPass," "SunPass," or "Toll Services" says you owe a few dollars, plus a scary late fee. Toll agencies don't text you a payment link out of the blue.
- The missed package. "USPS: your package could not be delivered, update your address." The Postal Service won't text you a link unless you signed up for tracking on that package.
- "Hi Mom, I dropped my phone." A "new number" from your kid who needs money for a bill, today. Call your kid on their old number. Their phone works fine.
- The fake fraud alert. "Did you just spend $1,284 at Best Buy? Reply YES or NO." Reply, and someone "from the bank" calls to help you move your money somewhere safe. Your bank will never ask you to move money.
- The friendly wrong number. "Hi, is this Linda? Are we still on for dinner?" It turns into a friendly chat, and weeks later, an amazing investment opportunity. Don't reply at all.
- The too-good job. "Earn $300 a day working from home, just like and rate products." It ends with you paying them.
The five-second test
If a text has a link, a deadline, and money, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise. Real companies rarely combine all three, and scammers almost always do.
Other giveaways: a sender that's a random email address or a long number, an address that's almost-but-not-quite right (like usps-redelivery-help.com), and anything that makes you feel panicked or rushed.
What to do instead
- Don't tap the link and don't reply. Even "STOP" tells them your number works.
- Check it yourself. Open the real app or type the real website into your browser: your toll account, the USPS site, your bank's app. If something's actually wrong, you'll see it there.
- Report it. Forward the text to 7726 (it spells SPAM). That works with every major U.S. carrier and helps them block it for everyone. On iPhone, you can also tap Report Junk under the message.
- Delete it.
If you already tapped
It happens to smart people every day. Act quickly:
- If you entered a card number: call the number on the back of your card and have it replaced.
- If you entered a password: change it right away, plus anywhere else you used it. (This is where a password manager really pays off.)
- If you sent money: call your bank or the payment app immediately, then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Cut down the noise
On iPhone, you can send texts from numbers that aren't in your contacts to a separate list, so they never interrupt you. Look for Screen Unknown Senders (on older versions, Filter Unknown Senders) under:
Settings › Apps › Messages
On Android, open the Messages app and turn on Spam protection in its settings.
If your parents ever text you asking whether a message is real, send them this page.