Latest news with #textmessages
WIRED
3 days ago
- WIRED
How to Spot and Guard Against Wrong Number Scams
Jul 22, 2025 7:00 AM Ever gotten a text from a number you didn't recognize? These communications are not as innocent as they might seem. Photo-Illustration:Something you can be sure of when it comes to scams and swindles is that the methods used to try to part you from your data, your money, or both are constantly changing—which of course makes it more difficult to spot scenarios where someone is attempting to trick you. One simple scam that's continuing to get more common starts off with text from someone who has apparently messaged the wrong number. There's no mistake though: Your number is being deliberately targeted by a fraudster. A wrong number scam can lead in multiple directions. The aim might be to con you out of money or to get into some of your most important digital accounts—either belonging to you or your company. Here's how to spot these scams and how to make sure you don't get taken in. How a Wrong Number Scam Works Wrong number texts can take many forms. David Nield The US Federal Trade Commission says wrong number scams are on the rise, but they're an old trick. Quite simply, you get a text message that appears to be for someone else. They might pretend to be confirming a delivery order or asking if you are free to work a shift tomorrow. They could even be from a family member telling you about their 'new' number. Sometimes, the message is a simple 'hey' or 'hello,' while in other cases it will seem to be following up on a previous conversation—something like 'did you get the documents I sent over?' or 'are we still OK to meet up tomorrow?' The original message will be designed to seem as innocuous as possible. There are lots of variations, which makes them more difficult to spot. The manipulation doesn't really get started until you reply. That confirms to the scammer that the number is active and that there's another person on the line. If you do reply, expect further messages to follow, trying to establish some kind of relationship. The follow-up messages can take many forms, just like the original text. You'll most likely get a few questions, the answers to which will be used to try to gain your trust. The trick is sometimes called pig butchering, because the intended and unfortunate victim is being 'fattened up' and ready to be exploited. Most often, once some kind of friendship or even romantic connection has been established, you'll be asked for money. Maybe your new contact is in a bit of trouble, finance-wise, and just needs a quick loan; or maybe they've found a fantastic investment opportunity for you, though you'll need to act very quickly to take advantage of it. How to Spot and Respond to Wrong Number Scams Don't respond to messages, and block the sender. David Nield First and foremost, you need to be on the lookout for any kind of unexpected contact over a messaging app. You might think that's easy to spot, but fraudsters (and the AI they use) are very good at sounding convincing. They may even offer up photos and videos to help prove they are who they say they are. Remember that the people you're communicating with may well have done their homework on you. They may claim to be a friend of someone you actually know, or be part of an organization you used to volunteer for, in order to seem more believable. You should definitely double-check any claims like this. Ideally, don't respond at all, because this will mark you out for future scam attacks. If you feel like the message could be genuine—people do get numbers wrong, after all—run as many checks as you possibly can before replying. For example, if it's related to something happening at work, check around with your colleagues. If you are taken in by the first message, the scam should get easier to spot as the exchange progresses. The bots and the people at the other end of the conversation will try to engage you in chatting, perhaps by asking questions or maybe sharing photos and videos. Some kind of attempt to grab money or data will then follow, as the FBI warns. Whenever you realize you're being targeted by scammers, just stop replying. In the US, you can forward the messages to 7726 to report them as fraudulent. You can also block future messages from the number: In Google Messages on Android, tap the three dots (top right in the chat) then Block and report spam. In Messages on an iPhone, tap the header at the top of the chat, then Info and Block Caller.
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Fox News
New text messages fuel Alex Murdaugh's push for new trial
Newly uncovered text messages between disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh and his alleged drug dealer could have dramatically altered the defense's trial strategy and possibly prevented a conviction, according to lead defense attorney Dick Harpootlian. Harpootlian, a veteran South Carolina defense attorney and former state senator, told Fox News Digital that the texts between Murdaugh and Curtis "Eddie" Smith, revealed recently by FITSNews, were not provided to the defense during the trial. Their absence, he said, may have contributed to a key decision not to call Smith to the stand. "One of the big decisions in any trial like this is who you call as witnesses," Harpootlian explained. "We were not aware of these texts. Had we been, it may have made a difference in our decision. These messages offer new insight into the timeline of drug distributions, some of them happening the very week of the murders." Smith, alleged to have been Murdaugh's primary drug supplier, has not been prosecuted, despite what Harpootlian described as evidence suggesting he may have been one of the largest OxyContin distributors in the Palmetto state. "Everybody else who was indicted pleaded guilty — except Eddie Smith," he said. The text messages show that Smith and Murdaugh conversed in the days leading up to Murdaugh's murder of his wife Maggie and his youngest son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, on their family's hunting estate in Colleton County, South Carolina. "Hey Brother i need to come get the chech (sic) you got one with you or are you going to be around later," Smith texted Murdaugh on June 3, four days before the slayings. Murdaugh replied that he would be back that afternoon and that he "had to deal with some bulls**t this morning." "Ok Brother just give me a holler," Smith texted, later adding, "Leaving the house now." The day before the murders, Murdaugh texted Smith, "Call me back." Within a span of two minutes the morning after the murder, Smith texted Murdaugh, "Tell me what I heard is not true," and, "Call me please." Those texts went unreturned, and around 6:30 p.m., and Smith cryptically texted Murdaugh, "At fishing hole." After that message also went unreturned, he texted, "803 *** **13 it will not go through on my phone." "Those texts, the ones we don't have, indicate a little more of the timeline of those distributions, and some of them are the week of the murder," Harpootlian said. "And we were not aware of those. Had we been aware of these, it may have made a difference in our decision not to call Eddie Smith to the stand." He also expressed concern that Smith had not been prosecuted for his alleged role in selling drugs to Murdaugh. "And he has not been prosecuted. [He's] wandering the streets, I heard maybe out of the state, and we're perplexed why Eddie Smith has been given this preferential treatment when once Alex was convicted, there was no reason not to go ahead and prosecute him," said Harpootlian. "Everybody else has pleaded guilty. Everybody else that was indicted has pleaded guilty except Eddie Smith. Now these texts would have given us additional information we believe, and I've talked to [co-counsel] Jim Griffin. It might have made the difference in us calling him to the stand or not calling him to the stand. So yes, they're important." Murdaugh is already appealing his conviction, based in large part on accusations of jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill. She was arrested and charged with obstructing justice and misconduct in that incident. She was also charged with perjury in Richland County in relation to the case, after allegedly lying to State Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal during 2024 appellate proceedings. "We have an appeal based on errors made by the judge during the trial, and of course, the attempt by — or maybe she did — the efforts by the Clerk of Court, Becky Smith, to fix the jury. And that's a huge issue," said Harpootlian. "Many of the people we've had look at the appeal believe we have a substantial chance of getting a new trial, just based on the jury tampering." He said if they do not win a new trial, there is a possibility that they will file a habeas petition seeking to have the conviction vacated on the same grounds. "The state's brief on the underlying appeal is due Aug. 8," he said. "We have up to 30 days to reply. Then the Supreme Court decides whether to have argument, whether to grant it, whether deny it, and that could take months," he said, adding that if the appeal is granted Murdaugh will get a new trial. Harpootlian says he expects the state's high court to have a ruling on the appeal by early next year at the latest. "And again, there are all kinds of debates about the evidence and how it was allowed in by the trial judge and whether it should have been excluded or allowed in. And those certainly are important. And we think there's several of them, individually, would give us a new trail," he said. "But more important is a judge, former Chief Justice of Supreme Court, had an evidentiary hearing on Becky Hill's conduct in which she found: A) Becky Hill was not credible, and B) that Becky Hill did attempt to influence jurors to convict Alex Murdoch. She told several of her coworkers that she was writing a book, and it would be better for book sales if Alex was convicted. So we think that, and there is no clear state precedent on whether that's enough, but there's a clear federal precedent that we should get a new trial. So again, I think we should hear something before the end of the year or early next year." A retrial would likely look very different, Harpootlian said. With Murdaugh having already pleaded guilty to financial crimes, that aspect would be excluded, narrowing the scope to forensic and factual evidence. The lead attorney believes Murdaugh has a strong defense. "We had a six-week trial last time because of the financial misconduct. That won't happen again," Harpootlian said. "And when you look solely at the forensic evidence, I believe it overwhelmingly proves Alex did not kill Paul and Maggie." The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which led the investigation, and Prosecutor Creighton Waters did not return comment requests.
CTV News
12-07-2025
- CTV News
CTV National News: How people can protect themselves from smishing attacks
Watch It is getting harder for people to spot smishing attacks as scammers turn to AI to make their text messages seem more legit. John Vennavally-Rao explains.
Phone Arena
04-07-2025
- Phone Arena
In iOS 26 a new feature will stop spam texts and those from unknown senders from reaching you
Tired of receiving those spam texts asking you to pay for a toll you supposedly owe? Other spam texts can be just as annoying. How many messages have you received supposedly sent from the U.S. Postal Service about a package that couldn't be delivered because there wasn't enough postage paid? One of the hallmarks of a successful spam campaign is a message that forces you to react emotionally instead of logically. One example would be a text claiming to be from your bank that says it is processing a withdrawal for a large amount of money. Right away, you worry that someone was able to infiltrate your bank account so you respond to the text by revealing personal information, and find that you've put yourself in even more financial jeopardy. The Apple Messages app is the recipient of a new feature in iOS 26 that will help you avoid becoming the victim of unwanted spam and scam texts. On iOS 26 (and right now with the iOS 26 Developer Beta), tap the blue button in the upper right corner of the Messages app and press the Manage Filtering option to open a new menu. When that menu opens you probably should toggle on "Screen Unknown Senders" and "Filter Spam." Toggling on "Screen Unknown Senders" hides notifications about texts sent from a sender you don't know and moves such messages to the Unknown Senders list. In a little bit, I will tell you how to access that list. The Filter Spam hides notifications related to texts considered to be spam and moves such messages to the Spam list. Apple Messages will filter spam and texts from unknown senders in iOS 26. | Image credit-PhoneArena Even though you won't see notifications about texts received from unknown senders and texts considered to be spam in your main conversations page, these texts can be accessed from individual Unknown Senders and Spam lists. To see those lists, open the Messages app and tap the blue button in the top right-corner. You will see a small menu pop up. To view messages from "Unknown Senders," press on that listing. You will see all of the texts you received from unknown senders that were hidden by the system. Do the same for "Spam" to see a list of texts considered spam that were placed in the individual Spam list. Tapping the blue button in the upper-right corner will allow you to access four different and individual lists containing: Messages Unknown Senders Spam Recently Deleted messages Again, this is a feature that most of you will receive with the iOS 26 release in September. Those of us who have installed the iOS 26 Developer beta have this feature now. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
American Airlines flight is diverted mid-air after passenger freaks out over neighbor's text message
A frightened passenger caused an entire American Airlines flight to divert back to the airport after they wrongly panicked over a seatmate's text messages. The AA Flight 1847 to Dallas, Texas, was forced to abort and return to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Thursday due to concern the flight was in immediate danger. An unnamed female passenger became spooked when she oversaw her neighbor received a text that said 'Rip' 30 minutes into their journey. She interpreted the message as threatening, causing staff to declare an emergency and divert back to the island, according to local news site Primera Hora. Pilots told the tower they weren't 'sure what's going on' and declared the emergency simply because the flight was overweight, but were returning due to an unknown threat. Pilots told the tower they were treating the threat as a 'level three,' meaning it could be life-threatening to passengers. 'We have a threat onboard,' the pilot said in audio obtained by Daily Mail. 'With text messaging between passengers and flight members, so we're going to need authorities at the gate to meet us just to figure out what's going on here.' The tower asked if the cockpit was secure and the pilot confirmed, before reiterating: 'We just have a threat from out back, we're not even sure it's even credible at this point. 'But, you know, with the way things are this holiday weekend and everything else, we figured the best course is just to be safe as possible.' Upon landing, the message was investigated by Aerostar, the security company at the Puerto Rican airport. It was determined that the passenger had received the text about a relative who had died the day before. The passenger was traveling home from vacation early, Primera Hora said. TSA also inspected the aircraft and did not find a threat. Nelman Nevárez, Aerostar's director of operations, told the outlet: 'It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols. There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers.' The plane took off for Dallas shortly after and landed in the States shortly before 2pm local time.
