What is a Smishing Attack and How to Protect Yourself

Michelle Wilson - October 12, 2021

Even as we move towards technology with more effective forms of security, hackers and scammers are busy coming up with unique and varied ways of preying on unsuspecting victims and taking their life savings or personal information.

One of these new scamming methods is Smishing. Smishing is a phishing cybersecurity attack that happens through mobile text messaging. It works by deceiving the victim into providing the attacker with sensitive information, such as their SSN or credit card number.

What is Smishing

The term Smishing combines the acronym SMS, which stands for short message services, and phishing. This form of attack relies on exploiting human trust instead of exploiting technology.

To “phish,” cybercriminals send out fraudulent text messages that trick you into clicking on a malicious link. This link can cause you to download malware onto your phone inadvertently or visit a fake website that steals your data. In the case of the malware, it may disguise itself as a legitimate app and trick you into typing in confidential information. Conversely, the fake website may resemble a legitimate one and trick you into entering personal information, passwords, or credit card numbers.

In either case, the cybercriminal can then sell your information to a third party or use it to log in to your personal accounts.

Beware of smishing messages that fool you by appearing as though they are from your bank or a government agency. In this way, they trick you into giving over your personal or financial information like your account numbers or ATM pins.

How Does a Smishing Attack Work?

The core components of an SMS phishing attack are deception and fraud. In other words, the attacker fraudulently assumes the identity of a person or entity you trust, deceiving you into giving over your personal and financial information. This works because attackers use social engineering and your emotions to fool you into believing the veracity of their message. So, let’s look more closely at how deception, fraud, social engineering, and emotion make Smishing attacks so successful.

Deception and Fraud

The primary way that Smishers gain a person’s trust is by using information gleaned from online sources to make you think they are someone you know. For instance, an attacker can use information from public data such as your social media accounts, online shopping accounts, or data leaks to make you think you can trust them.

Social Engineering and Contextuality

Another way cybercriminals get you to give over your information is by posing as legitimate people or organizations. This is accomplished in two ways. For starters, people generally believe that text messages are a personal form of communication. Secondly, attackers personalize the message. In this way, your defenses are lowered, and your suspicions are overridden.

Emotion

Lastly, Smishers may target a person’s emotions to override their ability to think critically. For instance, they might pretend that they are the US customs and that the package will be sent back if you don’t pay the customs fees immediately. Of course, if you are a frequent online shopper who gets tons of packages, this is a ruse you’ll likely fall for.

Smishing Attack Examples

It can be hard to avoid getting caught up in a Smishing scheme. However, to decrease your chances of being fooled, you should look at as many live examples of Smishing so you can begin to identify the common ruses. Here are a few examples of common Smishing attacks:

The Fake Credit Card Alert Message

For many years now, we’ve relied on our credit card companies to alert us to frauds. Therefore, we wouldn’t consider it unexpected for our bank or credit card company to contact us about an issue with our card. Hackers know this and will often pose as a bank or credit card and send a message saying they’ve locked your account because of potential fraud, and you need to verify your identity to remove it. This message will likely cause the receiver to panic. After all, they need to use their card, so they’ll act quickly to rectify the situation. Without thinking, they’ll click on the link and walk right into the cybercriminals trap.

Fake Prize-Winning Message

The fake-prize winning ruse has been around for a while, so people are pretty immune. However, current-day attackers get around this by assuming the identity of a brand you know. For example, they might pretend to be Amazon and tell you that because of your last purchase, they entered you in a draw, and you won. Then, click on this link to claim your money.

This scheme works well because most people will assume that they forgot they entered a contest and trust in the company’s legitimacy.

Fake Messages from Trusted Brands

In recent years, companies have started sending out more and more text messages. Frequently it’s an authentication code or a shipping notification. As a result, we’ve gotten used to getting messages from companies like Walmart. Therefore, we wouldn’t necessarily be suspicious if Walmart sent us a message.

The Threatening IRS Message

The threat of financial ruin could make anyone panic. So, it’s only reasonable that you would want to act quickly to avoid it. This is why the fake IRS message threatening dire consequences is so effective. Most of these messages tell the reader that they owe the IRS money and that if they don’t pay up immediately, they will be sent to jail. Some of these messages even state that a warrant of arrest has already been issued. As a result, many people will panic and do whatever the message instructs them to do.

Fake FedEx and USPS Messages

It’s very common to get legitimate text messages about shipping details from FedEx and USPS. For this reason, it’s easy to fall for a fake message. If someone regularly gets packages and is used to receiving text messages from their carrier, vigilance is a must. Scammers are clever, so it’s essential to make sure the link you’re clicking is legitimate.

How to Protect Yourself from Smishing Attacks

A smishing attack is the same as a phishing attack. The only difference is that a smishing attack occurs through SMS text messages, and a phishing attack occurs online.

The first step to protecting yourself from a smishing attack is awareness. Then you need to protect yourself by doing the following:

Do Not Reply or Engage

Ignore the message and block the number. Even if the message says to reply, by texting “STOP” to unsubscribe, don’t do anything. This could simply be a trick to identify active phone numbers, and the less information you give attackers, the better.

Think Twice

Don’t panic, even if you get a message that insists it’s urgent. Instead, take your time and remain skeptical. Evaluate where the message came from and what type of link is being used.

Check the link in the Message

You should never click a link in a message you suspect is illegitimate. However, suppose you have some tech knowledge. In that case, you can investigate the URL to discover whether it’s consistent with the brand or bank that the message says it’s from, see whether the URL uses an HTTPS, and verify if the page in question is the same as the original page.

Check the Phone Number that Messaged You

A good way of checking if the phone number is legit is to type it into a search engine and see what results come up. If the number is related to a legitimate company, this should come up in the search.

Call your Banking Institution or Customer Help

If you’re ever in doubt about whether your bank or credit card company has sent you a text message, you should call your bank or the customer helpline. They will be able to confirm whether they sent you a message or not.

Do Not Use a Digital Wallet

While it’s convenient to use a digital wallet, the more sensitive information you keep on your mobile device, the more susceptible you are to a Smishing attack. Therefore, it’s best if you keep all financial information off your phone.

Run a Background Check on Yourself

If you’ve fallen prey to a Smishing attack, the first thing you need to do is change all your login information. Then you need to notify all your financial institutions. Finally, if you’re unsure what other pieces of information might be compromised, you can easily run an expert-level background check on yourself to find out what data about you is out in the world.