Smartphone User?? Read this!!

We all know to protect our computers from spam and viruses by not clicking on unknown links or unsafe sites, but now, since technology is getting more advanced in our phones, hackers and other scammers are attacking our phones as well.  This new way to attack us is called "smishing". 

Have a smartphone or considering purchasing one?  Here's some things you will want to be aware of before you become a victim.


If you get a text that’s unsolicited or from an unidentifiable source, protect yourself with these tips:

• If the message appears to be from a legitimate source, contact that source’s main phone number—not the number provided in the text—and verify. Legitimate businesses, such as banks, do not send out texts that elicit a response.
• Delete messages from unknown sources without reading.
• Do not click on links or download apps from an unverified source.
• Never provide sensitive information to an unverified texter.
• Avoid messages that appear to come from the number 5000. This may be an identity that hides a scammer’s real number. The message may have no number at all.
• Add security software to your mobile phone.
• Look into setting up a “text alias.” This cell phone feature hides your actual phone number from the smishing sender.
• Contact your phone provider and alert it to the messages you’ve been receiving. 

Read the entire article about "Smishing" here.