What is smishing?

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Smishing is a form of phishing where someone attempts to obtain private information via a text message or SMS. Smishing is an emerging and growing threat in the world of online security. Read on to find out what smishing is and how you can protect yourself against it.

Simply explained, smishing is a form of phishing that involves a text message. Often, this form of phishing involves a text message in an SMS or phone number. Smishing is alarming because people tend to trust text messages more than email messages. Most people are aware of the security risk that comes with clicking on links included in email messages. However, the same cannot be said when it comes to text messages.

Smishing uses elements of social engineering to get you to share personal information. This tactic takes advantage of your trust to gain information. Attackers are after all kinds of information, from online passwords to your social security number to your credit card information. Once they have it, they can start making purchases in your name. That’s when trouble starts.

Another tactic attackers use is to tell you that if you don’t click on a link and enter your personal information, you’ll start being charged for using a service on a daily basis. If you didn’t sign up for the service, ignore the message. If you see unauthorized charges on your debit or credit card statement, complain to your bank. They’ll be happy to assist you.

How to Tell If You’re a Victim of Smishing

In general, you shouldn’t respond to text messages from people you don’t know. That’s the best way to stay protected. This is especially true when the SMS comes from a phone number that doesn’t look like one, such as phone number 5000. This is a sign that the text message is actually an email sent to a phone. You should also take some basic precautions when using your phone, such as:

Don’t click on links that appear on your phone unless you know the person who sent it. Even if you receive a text message from a friend with a link, check before you click it to see if they intended to send it to you. Comprehensive internet security suites aren’t just for laptops and desktops. You can use them on your mobile phone, too. It’s also recommended that you use a VPN, such as Norton Secure VPN, on your mobile devices. This will protect and encrypt any communication that occurs between your mobile device and the internet. Never install apps from text messages. Any app you install on your device must come from the official app store. These programs undergo intensive testing procedures before they can be put on the market. It’s better to be overly cautious. If you have any doubts about the security of a text message, don’t even open it.

Almost every text message you receive won’t pose any threat. But it only takes one malicious message to compromise your security. Using a little common sense and being cautious will prevent you from becoming a victim of identity theft.