Clemson and several other Universities are seeing an increase in phone texting scams which is called Smishing. These phone text messages impersonate someone you know, like President Clements or a Department head, but are typically from an unknown number.
These text messages usually begin by asking for a favor, with an excuse that they are too busy to do the task themselves. It can be a request for information or something like the purchase of a gift card.
Cybercriminals will often target specific groups of users and will try to impersonate someone who is known to that group.
Phone Texting has become a new focus for cybercriminals because people typically read 98% of texts and also respond to 45% of those messages. In comparison, email messages are read only 20% of the time and responded to about 6%. Plus, when people are on their phones, they are usually more distracted, which makes them more likely to fall for one of these scams.
Key points to remember:
- Be suspicious of any text message that asks you to provide personal or account information.
- Never provide your password in response to a text.
- Do not click on any links or call the number shown in a text message.
- When in doubt about a text, contact the actual person yourself through a reliable source, such as the Clemson online phonebook, before taking any action.
- And one of the best ways to avoid Smishing is by not responding to any text message unless it is from someone that is already in your phone’s Contact List.
If you do receive one of these suspicious text messages, please report it to the Clemson Office of Information Security at phishing@clemson.edu.
