The first few months of 2021 has seen a significant surge in text scams hitting inboxes. And it appears these scams are targeting customers of a number of organisations. We run down the most popular text scams so far in 2021.
Scam text messages spreading in 2021 so far
HSBC Scam Texts
HSBC has been used in a large number of scam text messages in the first few months of 2021. And while these scams are being sent to a number of targets regardless of whether they actually hold an HSBC account, it’s HSBC customers that are most at risk since they are more likely to take the messages at face value and click on them.
Many of these scams are claiming a payment has been made or a payee had been added to the recipient’s account. For example –
These are phishing scams that lead to spoof websites that steal information entered into them.
More information on HSBC scams and how to report here.
DHL Scam Texts
Courier services are often targeted by text scammers because lots of people are often expecting deliveries. And notices about pending deliveries – even fake ones – are still likely to grab the attention of any recipient.
Scammers have been using DHL to lure recipients into clicking links under the guise that they can track a delivery coming their way, such as the example below.
However the link leads to the download of a dangerous mobile app outside of Google’s Play Store. The app can spy on a user, send texts from a user’s phone and even steal financial data.
More information on DHL scams and how to report here.
Hermes Scam Texts
A massive surge of Hermes scam texts have been hitting inboxes claiming that a failed delivery needs to be rearranged. However when clicking the link, recipients are told they are required to cover extra shipping costs and are asked for their online payment details.
It’s a standard phishing scam, and any details entered into the website are handed over to cyber crooks.
More information on Hermes scams and how to report here.
Royal Mail Texts
Royal Mail has also been targeted by these scammers with text messages that work in a very similar way to the Hermes examples above. Recipients are told that they need to reschedule a pending delivery by clicking a link. Again this link will lead to a spoof website that steals any information entered into it, including payment data.
More information on Royal Mail scams and how to report here.