Text messages telling you of unpaid tolls from far-away states.

Text messages informing you of orders made to your Amazon or Paypal account.

Text messages alerting you to unsuccessful attempts to deliver a parcel to you by UPS or the U.S. Postal Service.

More text messages threatening to suspend your driver’s license and registration because of unpaid traffic tickets.

Text messages from your bank notifying you they locked your account due to suspicious activity.

Even text messages coming out of the blue, from who knows who, asking “Are we still on for 8 a.m. golf?

What’s up with all these text messages? They are all phishing messages, pushed out to millions of cell phone subscribers, designed to motivate the recipients, through fear, excitement, or curiosity, to respond. And we see a lot of them. The messages show recipients a phone number to call, or direct people to click on a link for more information. It’s a mistake to respond to these messages.

If you respond, criminals will tell their best lies to convince you to give up money, personal information, or both, to smooth over whatever problem they manufactured.

But what about those random messages asking about golf tee times, or asking about a lunch date, or those that feature just one-word messages – “Hello”? These may appear like “wrong number” or “accidental” messages. Many folks receiving them might just reply, telling the sender they received the message by mistake.

That reply is exactly what the sender wants. They want to engage you, so any kind of response is a win for them. Once the crooks get you to respond, they will apologize profusely for bothering you and commend you for alerting them. They will keep up the conversation with flattery and attention, seeking to turn you into a new friend. And once they make you into a new friend, they might want to share some secrets – like giving you an opportunity to invest in a lucrative new stock offering or buy Bitcoin and make a fortune in two weeks.

The FBI made a public service announcement on July 3, 2025, reporting a 300% increase in 2025 in what they call “ramp-and-dump” stock fraud. A great deal of these schemes feature investors contacted through these accidental or wrong number text messages.

Ramp-and-dump or pump-and-dump schemes pitch cheap penny stocks secretly controlled by criminals who inflate the stock price by pressuring investors into buying. After the stock price is artificially elevated, the criminals sell out at big profits, while the stock price collapses, leaving the unwary investors holding an empty bag.

Avoid these text message scams by using these measures:

Don’t click on any links in, or respond to, unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly to get your personal information before you realize it’s a scam. Stop and talk to someone you trust.

Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). Once you’ve checked it out and reported it, delete the text.

Look at filtering or blocking scammy text messages before they reach you:

• On your phone, options exist to filter and block spam. iPhones and Android phones use different methods, but both offer this service.
• Your wireless provider may offer a tool or service allowing you to block calls from unknown or private numbers. Check out ctia.org, an industry website, to learn what your provider offers.
• You can try call-blocking apps that block unwanted texts. Check out ctia.org to see what works with your phone model, user ratings, and expert reviews.

Contact Seniors vs. Crime

Let me know about scams, fraud, or other crookedness you run across. Most of what I learn, I learn from you. Contact me at Seniors vs. Crime, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, in Clinton, Iowa, at 563-242-9211, Ext. 4433, or email me at randymeier@gapa911.us.