7 Ways To Tell The Difference Between Scams and Legitimate SMS Marketing

How To Identify SMS Scams

Are you looking for ways to tell if a text message is a scam? Unsure if you should trust that link that was sent to you? This article aims to go through the basics of identifying an SMS scam vs. the real deal.

There are a few sure-fire ways that you can check whether a message you have received is legitimate or not. After all, scammers are nothing if not consistent. Try these tips if you ever receive a message that you are not 100% sure about.

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Here are 7 ways to avoid text message scams:

1. Check The Phone Number

The second you get a text that you aren’t expecting or don’t trust, you should get online and google the phone number that the text came from. Often people in the same situation as you will have done the same or reported it online. So, by searching online, you might be able to spot a scam immediately.

2. Don’t Click On Suspicious Links

If you don’t trust or recognize a message that you received online, then DO NOT, under any circumstances, click on a link from that SMS. If it is a scam message, you have no way of knowing what that link will do, and if it is legitimate, then there are often alternative ways to do what the link is supposed to do. It is simpler never to risk clicking that link.

3. Look For Poor Writing And Grammar

Another valuable point to help identify a scam message is to look for poor grammar or spelling within the message. While this can exist in a legitimate message, it is far less likely that a professional body would allow such mistakes to be sent to customers. If it is nearly illegible, then it is almost definitely a scam. Stay clear.

4. Points Of A Real Marketing SMS

Similarly, there are plenty of ways that you might be able to identify a legitimate message from something like a non-profit SMS company. So, if you are looking to figure out if your message is legit, look at some of these points.

5. Compare It To SMS Marketing From Real Sources

If the message is indeed legitimate, there is a good chance that there will be some record of the message online. Visit the company’s website, send them an email. There is never any harm in checking; you might save yourself a headache later on.

6. Check If Their Campaign Is Real

In the same vein, if the message is purporting to be a part of a political or charitable campaign, you should find such a campaign online. Check. If they exist, that’s great; you can check if they are using an SMS campaign. If they don’t exist, then you know it’s a scam.

7. Do Your Own Research

Lastly, if you’re in any doubt about the message, don’t click on anything. Do your own research online and if you want to support the campaign after looking into it, do it through their official website. Don’t trust something you did not initiate.

Let your family and friends know about this article on social media. You can also officially report scammers and any other suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission using this link: Report To The FTC Here

How To Protect Yourself More

If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week (not just SMS scams), feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You’ll receive periodic emails – we promise not to spam.

Meanwhile, educate yourself with some other Amazon fraud-related articles right under this paragraph, so that you know how to stay safe online. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.

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