The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is warning consumers of the increased risk associated with scam text messages, or robotexts.
In a Consumer Alert, the FCC notes that consumer complaints regarding unwanted text messages received by the agency are steadily rising, with more than 8500 complaints already received through June 30, 2022. It also cites data from RoboKiller that American consumers received over 12 billion robotexts in June alone.
According to the FCC, typical robotexts may include claims about unpaid bills, bank account problems, or potential actions by law enforcement agencies against the recipient. The goal of scammers may include getting consumers to pay money, but more troublesome are robotexts that prompt recipients to turn over personal information, thereby providing pathways for future, more costly scams.
The FCC’s Alert warns consumers not to respond to suspicious text messages, even those that request that you “text STOP” to end messages, and to forward all unwanted texts to SPAM (7726), a free service that sends texts to your carrier’s spam protection unit.
Read the FCC’s Consumer Alert on the increased threat of scam robotexts.
