https://phishing.mrwebmd.com/smishing#learn-the-basics
What is Smishing?
Smishing is the practice of sending deceptive text messages with the aim of getting the recipient to reveal sensitive information or install malware.
People around the world recieve these types of messages on a daily basis. In fact the 2022 Robokiller report states that between January - June of 2022, over $9 billion dollars were estimated to be lost in damages due to smishing. The Robokiller report projects that $28 billion dollars would have been lost by the end of 2022.
Package Tracking Smishing
One popular smishing method is to send out a bunch of messages appearing to update the recipient about the status of a delivery.
It is very common for online stores to provide SMS (Simple Message Service / Text Message) updates about orders. Scammers abuse this to trick the recipient into giving up information under the pretense that the message is from an online store they purchased from.
https://phishing.mrwebmd.com/smishing#defense
How to defend yourself
- Visit websites manually instead of clicking links.
When you recieve a text message claiming to be from a reputable company, it is always safer to manually visit the website address you know is correct in your browser rather than click a link. This would provide you with a zero percent chance of visiting a website you don't normally visit. Your browser prefills this information normally for you.