If you receive a text message that appears to be your own, do not click on it. This is the wise advice of experts and Verizon, which has received numerous complaints about customers receiving spam messages that appear to come from their own phone numbers.
The Verizon Community Forum includes a thread posted Sunday detailing a recent increase in “fake” texts that inform recipients who have paid their March bill and can get a free gift by clicking a link.
“We can’t block … what’s the Verizon solution?” asked a customer of the wireless giant. Another who reported receiving the same message said that “the link goes to a live TV broadcast operated by the Russian state.”
I’ve seen a significant increase in spam, including fake messages, that seem to come from my own cell phone number.@VerizonSupport @Verizon Can’t determine if a message from your own accounts is legitimate? This seems to be easy to filter. pic.twitter.com/MxgjfHQUyg
– Joe Fagan (@joefagan) March 29, 2022
Chris Welch, a journalist for The Verge, wrote that he was directed to the website of Channel One Russia, a state-run television station, when he received the text and clicked on a link that offered a free gift. The Biden administration has warned companies to be on the alert for cyberattacks following the invasion of Russia. Ukraine.
People also expressed their displeasure on Reddit and Twitter.
Verizon customer support is taking on a different tone today after many reports of customers receiving spam from their own number.
Instead of the usual generic answers, Verizon now says its teams are working to resolve this specific issue.
pic.twitter.com/d6sdNvtO5a– Chris Welch (@chriswelch) March 29, 2022
Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but on Twitter urged not to click on the link, saying the best answer is to delete the text or message.
“Our teams are aware and working on the source to avoid further messages,” the company tweeted.
Add Comment