The FBI is warning of a particularly sinister text threat, which appears to be a new spin on an old scam.
Cybercriminals are sending fake text messages posing as the Department of Motor Vehicles in various states, to catch people off-guard, scare them, and then attempt to steal their money and, potentially, their identity, WREG-TV reported.
The scam texts “[share] an urgent message about a supposed unpaid ticket and even [threaten] prosecution,” per the outlet.
Trending: Rep. Thomas Massie Discusses One Option For ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ That Could Earn His Support
“Smishing,” per IBM‘s Matthew Kosinski, is a combination of “short message service” — or SMS — and “phishing,” which form the technology behind these deceptive text messages.
In a Krebs on Security article, Ford Merrill, who works in security research at SecAlliance, explained that China-based cybercriminals are selling SMS phishing kits
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!