The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sounding the alarm.
Despite sounding like some innocuous TikTok trend, the FBI is issuing a stern warning — and some directives — to Americans about waves of “smishing” attacks that are targeting swaths of people.
Multiple outlets are reporting that the FBI has issued a fresh, new warning about “smishing,” after having first identified the problem in March of 2024.
“Smishing” is a combination of the cybersecurity term “phishing” and “SMS,” or “short message service,” which is akin to standard text messaging.
According to Newsweek, this new wave of “smishing” has already “exploited more than 10,000 newly registered domains, using fake payment demands to steal personal and financial information.”
These “smishing” messages will typically all follow the same “script,” with the most recent wave being characterized by sending cell phone users a message saying that they have an unpaid toll due.
(This writer has personally received a bevy of these messages despite primarily driving in my neighborhood only — no toll roads anywhere.)
Given that not everyone deals with toll roads, the New York Post reports that these “smishing” scams have grown to emulate delivery services as well.
As for what Americans need to do about this scam spam, it’s a rather simple solution.
Per Forbes, the FBI is telling any and all iPhone and Android users to “delete any smishing texts received.”
The Federal Trade Commission also issued a warning, telling users (emphasis added) don’t click on any links.
“Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity,” the FTC posted at the start of 2025.
So prevalent is this issue that the FTC has actually maintained an entire page dedicated to helping users identify the increasingly sophisticated scam attacks.
Apart from not clicking any links, the FTC also recommends reaching out to local authorities directly just in case there is an outstanding toll due, as well as to learn how to filter, block, and report such spam.
For those blessed enough not to have been hit by any of these yet, the “smishing” scams all follow the same script.
A serious-sounding message warns users that they have some sort of outstanding debt, be it an unpaid toll or delivery. The message, which will typically come from a non-official sounding sender (i.e. from xyzabc123@hotmail.com instead from, say, “dmv.gov”), will then provide links to help expedite the process by sending them to a veritable network of scams — this is where those aforementioned 10,000 domains can come into play.
You can forward these scam messages to 7726 (SPAM), before deleting them to help your wireless provider better root out the offending numbers.
