The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warned about a “substantial increase” in Robotext scams via automated smishing attacks.
These attacks involve unsolicited and automated text messages impersonating entities such as government agencies or familiar businesses.
Early this year, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) also warned about “wrong number” text scams from chatbots.
Robotext scams make “false but believable claims” to put you on edge.
The FCC noted that unwanted text messages include false but believable claims about unpaid bills, package delivery snafus, bank account problems, or law enforcement actions.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Amazon is the most impersonated brand in smishing attacks. Apple, Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are also common in robotext scams.
Some malicious SMSs may also contain links aimed at stealing personal information for use in subsequent attacks or sale to other threat actors. Cybercriminals such as FluBot operators also leveraged smishing attacks to spread malware.
The attackers also steal people’s finances by tricking them into logging on to fake banking websites or parcel delivery services.
“Some recipients have been pressured to ‘login’ to a fake bank web site to verify a purchase or unlock a credit card that was frozen. Others use package delivery updates as phishing bait,” the FCC alert stated.
FCC says complaints about unwanted texts increased from 5,700 in 2019 to 15,300 in 2021…
