Smishing

Smishing is the fraudulent practice of sending text messages pretending to be from reputable companies to suck individuals in to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.

Criminals are taking advantage of the high usage of the smart phones and are aware that people spend most of the time on such phone, increasing the likelihood of reaching more audience. In most cases people are always on the move, creating an opportunity to pay less attention to the Smishing SMS content, leading most people falling victim of Smishing.

Dos and Don’ts

• Do not click on links or icons in unsolicited SMSs.
• Do not reply to these SMSs. Delete them immediately.
• Do not believe the information of unsolicited SMS without proper checks. If you feel that there may be some truth about what is been sent, use your own contact details to contact the sender to confirm.
• If you think that your device might have been compromised, contact your bank immediately.
• Create complicated passwords that are not easy to decipher and change them often.
• Don’t store your credit card or banking information on your smartphone in case malware gets installed on your phone.
• Regard urgent security alerts, offers or deals as warning signs of a hacking attempt.