Our phones are our lifelines, connecting us to family and friends with the simple tap of a screen. But this direct line also means that sometimes, strangers knock on our digital door. We're talking about those strange text messages from unknown numbers that can leave you feeling confused, annoyed, and a bit suspicious. It’s a question we know many of you have asked: "I got this text. Is it a scam?"

You might have seen the recent popular one about an "unpaid toll," or perhaps you've received a seemingly innocent message like, "hi, how are you?" from a number you don't recognize. Today, let's pull back the curtain on these common scams. We’ll explore not just what they are, but the psychology behind them—why scammers send them and what they hope to achieve.

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Decoding Dodgy Texts: The "Why" Behind the Scams

Understanding a scammer's goal is the key to defeating their tricks. They often use one of two main strategies: creating false urgency or building false trust.

1. The "Urgency" Scam with a link (Example: The Unpaid Toll)

This scam is designed to make you panic and act without thinking. You receive a text message that looks something like this:

(Notice the weird foreign country code +63 at the beginning and the link that directs to “.xin”)

Why They Do It & What They Want:

The goal here is pure, swift deception. The small amount, like $2.85, seems insignificant, and the threat of a large late fee creates a sense of urgency. They are betting you'll think, "Oh, I'd better just pay this small amount quickly to avoid a bigger problem." The link, however, leads to a fake website that looks official but is designed for one purpose: to steal your credit card information when you try to pay the "toll."

2. The "Innocent Message" Scam with no link (Example: "Is this John?")

This scam feels very different. It’s friendly, personal, and doesn't seem to be asking for anything. It might look like this:

Why They Do It & What They Want:

This is a more patient, psychological tactic. The scammer's initial goal is simply to confirm that your phone number is active and that you are the type of person who will respond to a stranger. When you reply, even just to say, "Sorry, you have the wrong number," you have given them valuable information. You've confirmed you're a real, responsive person. From there, they often launch into their real scam with a different number, which might be a longer-term "romance scam" where they build trust over weeks before asking for money, or a fraudulent investment scheme. Your initial reply is simply the "foot in the door" they were looking for.

Beyond just confirming that your number is active, there's a more technical reason for these seemingly harmless texts: a process called "warming up" a number. Scammers don't send messages one-by-one; they use computer systems that can blast out thousands of texts at once. However, cell phone carriers have powerful spam filters that are automatically suspicious of a brand-new number that immediately starts sending a high volume of messages.

To get around this, scammers must make their new number look legitimate. They "warm it up" by first sending out simple, unique messages like "hi, how are you?" to many different people. When even a few people reply, it creates a pattern of normal, two-way conversation that makes the number appear trustworthy to the carrier's spam filters. Once the number has a "warmed up" reputation, the scammer can then use it for their real purpose: sending out a massive wave of their actual scam messages to thousands of other people with a much lower chance of being immediately blocked.

Your Action Plan: The Three Best Things to Do (and Not Do)

The good news is that protecting yourself from these scams is simple and requires you to do very little.

1. The Best First Step is No Step: The single safest and most effective thing you can do with a suspicious text from an unknown number is to ignore and delete it. Don't engage, don't reply, don't click.

2. Block the Number: To prevent them from trying again, you can easily block the number. On both iPhones and Androids, you can usually tap on the number at the very top of the message thread and find an option to "Block this Caller" or "Block number."

3. (Optional) Report the Spam: For those who want to help fight back, you can report the message. The easiest way is to copy the text of the message, and then forward it in a new text to the number 7726 (which spells SPAM on a phone keypad). This sends a report to your cell phone carrier, which helps them identify and block these numbers on a larger scale.

By understanding their motives and following these simple rules, you can confidently delete these dodgy texts and keep your digital front door securely locked.

Quick Tech Tip

Never, ever click a link in a text message from a number you don't recognize. If you receive a message that seems like it could be legitimate (for example, from your bank or a delivery service), do not use the link they provided. Instead, open your web browser, manually type in the company's official website address that you know is correct, and log in there to check on your account safely.

Tech Term Demystified: 'Smishing'

You've likely heard of "phishing," which refers to scam emails. When criminals use this same tactic—tricking you into giving up personal information—but do it through a text message (an SMS message), it has its own special name: "Smishing." It’s a combination of "SMS" and "phishing." It's the same old trick, just delivered in a different way.

Good News Byte

Your smartphone and cell carrier are already working hard to protect you! Many modern phones now have built-in spam detection that will automatically flag a suspected spam text with a warning label. Behind the scenes, carriers are using powerful AI systems to analyze messaging patterns and block millions of scam texts every single day before they even have a chance to reach your phone.

If phone carriers and tech companies are using such advanced AI, why do so many of us still feel overwhelmed by a "zillion spams a day,"? The answer is that it’s a constant, ongoing "cat-and-mouse game." As the AI "cat" gets better at recognizing and blocking the patterns of old scams, the scammer "mice" are always inventing new, cleverer tricks to get around the filters.

For instance, scammers constantly change the phone numbers they send from, use slight misspellings in their messages to fool the AI, and are even starting to use their own AI to write more convincing, human-sounding messages that are harder to detect automatically.

Unfortunately, there will likely never be a single day when the problem is "fixed" for good, just as there's no single lock that can stop every possible burglar forever. However, the good news is that the technology is constantly improving. Every time you use the "Report Spam" feature on your phone, you are helping to train the AI filters to get a little smarter for the next time. The solution is a partnership: the technology will continue to get better at blocking the obvious junk, while our own awareness and vigilance remain the best defense against the tricky messages that still slip through.

Did You Know?

The very first text message was sent on December 3, 1992, by a 22-year-old software engineer named Neil Papworth. He typed "Merry Christmas" on his computer and sent it to the mobile phone of a director at the telecom company Vodafone. The director couldn't reply, because at the time, mobile phones could only receive messages, not send them!

Your Turn to Tidy Up!

This week, take a look at your text message inbox. Do you see any messages from unknown numbers that you haven't deleted yet? Practice by pressing and holding on one of the suspicious message threads and choosing the "Delete" option. It's a simple, satisfying way to clean up your digital space and reinforce a safe habit!

Stay safe and have a wonderful week!

Steve