In the midst of reporting a story about how to avoid job scams, I received an unexpected text message: “We received a referral indicating you are the talent we need. Please text yes or no for more info. Thank you.”
As someone who frequently writes about scams and how to avoid them, I was immediately suspicious. While the message was most likely fraudulent, I was tempted to respond so I could better understand how job scams work.
But first, I asked the scam experts I was interviewing for their advice. How could I, or anyone else who received this kind of message, really tell if it was a scam or not?
Conduct additional research
The simple fact that the text message arrived unprompted was enough to lead one expert to immediately suspect it was fraudulent.
“An unsolicited text message is not how most legitimate recruiters contact potential hires,” says John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Breyault warned me that responding wasn’t a good idea. “The goal of these messages is to engage recipients and ultimately to get them to take action,” he says, such as clicking a link and sharing personal information.
Instead, Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, suggested that I look up the company name mentioned at the start of the message. (I have omitted the company name here since it likely has nothing to do with the message.) Going to the source directly, Velasquez says, is always the best way to verify whether something is legitimate.
I reached out to the company through multiple email addresses listed on its website, but did not get a response.
Avoid responding to random texts
Against the scam experts’ advice and for the sake of research, I responded to the text message with a “yes.” Immediately, I got a text back: “This phone number is no longer in service.”
That’s most likely because the phone number was a burner phone that’s no longer in use, says Nilav Mukherjee, co-founder of ThiefDroppers, a company dedicated to fighting scams.
“Oftentimes, they are just testing to validate your number,” he explains. “If you respond, they will see if you can be reeled in.”
Indeed, criminals maintain a so-called “sucker’s list” of potential targets, says Ally Armeson, executive director of the Cybercrime Support Network, which helps people avoid and recover from cybercrime. Responding to one scam text message can land you on that list.
“If you’ve ever answered a bot call, they know your number is active and it goes on that list. Now, everyone’s trying to get you and you are at a higher risk for other kinds of scams,” she says.
That’s exactly what happened to me. Soon, I was getting more texts from unfamiliar numbers telling me recruiters were intrigued by my resume and asking if I was interested in remote job opportunities.
Help report the scams
To do my part, I reported the scam messages I received to three organizations that track scams: the Federal Trade Commission, the BBB’s Scam Tracker and AARP’s Fraud Watch Network. In response, each organization sent me helpful tips for making sure my information stayed safe, including changing passwords, filtering and blocking messages and freezing credit.
While the scam texts messages keep popping up — and I continue to block them — reporting them helped me feel like I was contributing to the broader effort to shut down these kinds of crimes and protect others.
If you get targeted, consider doing the same; it can be a helpful way to take back some measure of control.
