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My friend in Chicago got a weird text that almost fooled him
He got a text that looked like it was from his bank, asking him to click a link to check a charge. It said his account would be locked in 24 hours. The link looked real, but the number was off by one digit. He called the bank's real number from their website, and they said it was a scam. How do you guys check if a text like that is real?
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julias445mo ago
Check the sender number like your friend did, @victor651. I also look for weird grammar or a sense of panic in the message. If it feels like they're rushing you, that's a huge red flag. Never click the link, just go straight to the app or website yourself.
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the_jessica5mo ago
That's all good advice from @julias44, but checking the sender number isn't foolproof anymore. They can fake those now, it's called spoofing. The best tip is to never trust a link in a text for something important. If your bank says there's a problem, hang up and call the number on the back of your card yourself. That panic feeling they mentioned is the real key, that's what they use to make you click before you think.
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victor6515mo ago
Man, I almost fell for the EXACT same thing last week!
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rose_clark814mo ago
Oh man, I fell for one so bad I tried to pay my "overdue Netflix bill" with a gift card.
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