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What Is Smishing? How to Spot and Stop Text Message Scams

Post on in Fraud Prevention
scam text

If you’ve received a suspicious text claiming there’s a problem with your account, you may have encountered a smishing scam.

A smishing scam (short for SMS phishing) is a type of fraud where scammers send fake text messages designed to trick you into sharing personal information, clicking malicious links, or sending money. Because text messages feel immediate and personal, they can be especially convincing.

What Is Smishing?

Smishing is a form of phishing that happens over text message instead of email. These text message scams often impersonate trusted organizations — like financial institutions, delivery companies, or government agencies.

A smishing scam typically creates urgency, such as:

  • “Your account has been locked.”
  • “Unusual activity detected. Verify now.”
  • “Package delivery failed. Update your information.”

The goal is to get you to click a link or share sensitive details like your password, debit card number, or one-time verification code.

How to Spot a Smishing Scam

Knowing how to spot smishing can protect your money and personal information. Watch for:

  • Urgent or threatening language
  • Links that look unfamiliar or slightly misspelled
  • Requests for passwords, PINs, or security codes
  • Messages from unknown phone numbers

Financial institutions — including Embold — will never ask for your password, PIN, or secure access codes by text.

What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious Text

If you believe you’ve received a smishing scam:

  1. Don’t click the link.
  2. Don’t respond.
  3. Delete the message.
  4. Contact your financial institution directly using the official number listed on their website.

You can also report smishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission at: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

The FTC provides additional guidance on recognizing and reporting spam text messages here.:

How Embold Helps You Prevent Smishing

At Embold, protecting our members is a priority. We monitor accounts for unusual activity and provide resources to help you recognize fraud early.

For more tips on preventing smishing and other scams, click here to visit our fraud prevention resources page.

Smishing scams are designed to create panic. But when you know what to look for, you can stay calm — and stay in control.