Have you received a text message from yourself promising a “gift”?
If this is the case, do not click the link that was emailed to you! You didn’t email it to yourself, obviously. It was also not sent to you by your phone carrier, which in this case was most likely Verizon.
Hundreds of screenshots of the text message have been shared on Twitter, where Verizon Support experts have been responding to numerous customers.
The texts appear to have started appearing around March 27, when a barrage of worrying tweets and messages started pouring in.
“Verizon is aware that criminal actors are delivering spam text messages to some consumers that appear to be from their own phone number,” says the company.
In a statement first provided to The Verge, a Verizon spokeswoman noted “Our team is actively working to block these messages, and we have engaged with US law enforcement to identify and stop the source of this fraudulent activity. Verizon continues to work on behalf of the customer to prevent spam texts and related activity.”
It’s not a new spam tactic to impersonate a target’s phone number and then contact or text them. These kinds of spammy marketing texts and scams can target phone numbers from any carrier. This spam effort, on the other hand, appears to be fairly ubiquitous among Verizon Wireless consumers.
While all of these spam messages attempt to direct their recipients to a link, the kind of links delivered appear to vary substantially. A link to a phony customer survey was provided to some Verizon customers, according to reports.
A standard spam text message strategy is also being used here, informing the victim that they must click a link to get a free gift as a result of paying their most recent phone bill. Another spam mail attempts to direct Verizon users to the website of Channel One Russia, a Russian state-owned news network.
Spam text message complaints to the FCC have continued to climb in recent years, indicating that this is certainly a widespread issue. It’s unclear why this particular round of spam texts appears to be aimed at Verizon Wireless consumers.
Verizon claims that its systems have not been hacked in any way that would allow spam SMS to be distributed to its consumers.
Readers, please do not click on any links in your text messages that encourage you to fill out surveys or offer you free prizes for the time being.
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