Learn to recognize texting scams targeting older adults

By Amie Hoag, Eastside News

“Hi, Lisa! Are we still on for golf tomorrow?”

That’s a friendly text, and if you’re not Lisa, you might be tempted to respond and let the sender know they have the wrong number. If you do, they might write back thanking you and apologizing for being a bother. You might then let them know it’s no problem at all. All of a sudden, you’re in a text conversation with someone you’ve never met.

It all seems innocent enough, but there has been an increase in “wrong number” text phishing scams. If you’re not aware of the scam, you could be going down a path that could cost you.

These scams usually originate from overseas. According to an article published on cnbc.com, artificial intelligence is making it more efficient for scammers — therefore more frequent for you.

Online scams have increased in sophistication and many — especially these personal phishing scams — take a long view. The first contact may just be to confirm that a phone number is active and to identify the holder of the phone number as a possible target. From there, the conversation may last for a long period of time, building up a relationship and taking advantage of an individual’s need for connection.

What can you do to protect yourself? The FBI offers a few tips for handling digital scams:

• If you don’t know the person, recognize it’s a scam and end all communication immediately.
• If it’s a text, delete and mark the text as spam.
• If you’re unsure if it’s a scam, search for the contact information online. If it’s a known scam, others will have likely posted or reported the number.
• Never share any personal information of any kind. Even a mention about the weather where you are, paired with your area code, could give a scammer valuable information.
• Never send money, gift cards or any other valuables.

In short, anytime you’re communicating with someone via text, email or social media and you haven’t met the individual in person, proceed with extreme caution. Better yet, cut off the communication completely.