This type of fraud is called “smishing,” which is a combination of the words “SMS” and “phishing,” a well-known online scam. Scammers pretend to be a bank, government agency, or delivery service and encourage you to click on a fraudulent link or call a fake number. Their goal? To restore your confidential information and, in some cases, install spyware on your phone.

A threat that explodes with the use of smartphones

Millions of messages are sent every day, and these scams have reached alarming proportions. The rise of smartphones and online transactions has presented numerous opportunities for fraudsters, especially after the pandemic, when we were increasingly digital. According to a recent survey, nearly 40% of users have already experienced a smishing attempt.

Why does this work so well? Unlike fraudulent emails, which are often filtered by messaging services, text messages slip through the net. What’s more, we instinctively rely more on messages we receive on our phones than those that arrive in our inboxes. As a result, the click-through rate on these fraudulent links is up to eight times higher than on phishing emails.