How to spot a scam text message

One rule: a pushy text with a link, don't tap.

The answer in 2 lines. Be wary of any text that rushes you, asks you to tap a link, pay a small fee or confirm personal details: package on hold, unpaid toll, bank alert, prize, job offer, or a friendly "wrong number" chat. Don't tap and don't reply. Check by opening the official app or website yourself. Then forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and delete it.

The first 3 steps

Don't tap the link and don't reply, not even "STOP" if the message looks suspicious.
Check for yourself: open the official app or website you already know (carrier, toll agency, bank), never through the text's link.
Forward the text to 7726, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, then delete it.

The warning signs

Urgency: "final notice", "within 24 hours", "your account will be suspended".
A link, often shortened, or an address that looks like a real company's but isn't quite.
A small fee: redelivery fee, unpaid toll, "processing" fee. The goal is your card number.
A request for information: password, one-time code, Social Security number, bank details.
A message you didn't expect, or a stranger who "texted the wrong number" and wants to chat: it can be the start of a long investment or romance scam.

Common scenarios

Package delivery: pay a fee to release a package you weren't expecting.
Unpaid toll: settle a toll balance through a link.
Bank or card alert: "confirm" a suspicious charge by tapping or calling a number.
Government agency: refund, benefit or fine to claim.
Job offer: easy money for simple online tasks.

What not to do

Replying, even to say you know it's a scam: it confirms your number is active.
Calling the number in the text to "check": call the number on the official website or the back of your card.

Good to know

A real carrier won't charge you a redelivery fee through an unexpected text link.
A fake text can show a real company's name as the sender.
Most phones have a setting to filter texts from unknown senders: turn it on.

In Philadelphia, Gloria gets a text: "Your package is on hold, pay $1.99 within 24 hours." She isn't expecting anything. She doesn't tap, forwards the text to 7726, reports it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and deletes it.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Already tapped? And the numbers

Typed nothing: close the page. Typed a password: change it. Typed card details: call your bank. All the details are in our guide "I clicked a scam link: what now?".
The FTC reported about $470 million lost to scams that started with a text in 2024; we could not verify a 2025 figure for texts alone.
All fraud combined: about $15.9 billion in reported losses in 2025 (FTC, latest full year published).

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on October 18, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for 7726 and FTC reporting; high for the 2024 text-scam figure (FTC Data Spotlight, April 2025) and the 2025 total (FTC testimony to Congress, March 2026). This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis or legal advice.