Are you ready for yet another scam? Smishing is one of the latest ways scammers are using to try to get your sensitive information or get you to visit their site. Smishing, like phishing, is one of the latest things less-than-scrupulous people are doing to get something from you. Let's go over phishing and smishing so you can understand them and avoid them.
Phishing
Phishing is a strategy used to attempt to get personal information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, etc. by demanding immediate attention to something that seems to be urgent. For example making one believe their account has been compromised, and that they must act immediately. There is usually a link to another site that, when clicked, allows one to enter personal information to "fix" the problem.
Smishing
Smishing is similar to phishing but uses the capabilities of smartphones and the very popular text messaging service that is on most phones today. The term comes from SMS (Short Message Service) which is a technical term for texts. SMS phishing, or smishing, usually uses the same strategy that phishing uses. Scammers try to get you to think something is "very urgent" and then try to get you to click on a link in the text.
What to do if you think you see a smishing text
If you see a text on your phone that seems phishy (pun intended) look at the sender's phone number. If you don't recognize the number it is very likely a smishing scam. What to do? Simply delete the text and nothing will happen.
The best thing you can do is always be on your guard and never click on links in a text unless you know the sender and you are sure it is legitimate. If you aren't sure, reply to the sender of the questionable text and ask them if it is legitimate.
One thing that's certain - there are plenty of new scams coming out. So to protect yourself always be on the lookout for suspicious emails, texts, etc. Always be careful, and you will very likely never have problems with these kinds of scams.
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/article/smishing-yet-another-scam-perpetrated-on-computer-and-smartphone-users?cid=roadrunner