Related terms

• Spoofing
• SPIM (Spam Instant Messaging)
• Slamming

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Smishing

Smishing is a type of fraudulent SMS (Short Message Service) sending. It is carried out by individuals who typically pose as a bank, public administrative institution, or social media platform with the intention of obtaining banking information, passwords, private details, or making unauthorized financial transactions. Its email equivalent is known as Phishing.

Attackers often use deceptive links that redirect recipients to fake websites, which are used to acquire the desired information or download potentially harmful files onto mobile devices.

How can we detect that a message we receive is smishing?

Although smishing SMS messages are well-crafted and may genuinely appear to be from the claimed sender, there are aspects that can help us identify that it's a scam rather than a legitimate message.

• Check the sender: Legitimate messages will always display the name of the entity or company as the sender, never just the phone number.
• Spelling errors or translation mistakes: Smishing messages may contain spelling errors or translation issues. Pay attention to potential inconsistencies.
• Unusual requests: Banks and other institutions already have our data and, under no circumstances, would they ask us to provide sensitive information via SMS.

It's crucial to be cautious when receiving unexpected messages, especially if they request confidential information. It's always recommended to verify the authenticity of the message by directly contacting the entity or company using official contact information instead of the details provided in the message.