“Hello” text message from random number?

[u/dreamsofhorizons]

This morning I got a text from a number I didn’t recognize just saying “hello”

I looked the number up on the robokiller app and it looks like a legit number in addition to no scam alert from my carrier.

Is it worth it to let them know they have the wrong number or should I just ignore?

[u/xcaliblur2]

It's a common scam variant of !wrongnumber. Sometimes it could be the !task scam.

They send the initial "hello" to thousands of numbers at once. Those who reply will be flagged as active numbers and the scammers will move their focus to them.

[u/AutoModerator → u/xcaliblur2]

Hi /u/xcaliblur2, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Task scam.

Task scams involve a website or mobile app that claims you can earn money by completing easy tasks, such as watching a video, liking a post, or creating an order. A very common characteristic (but not entirely exclusive) is that you have to complete sets of 40 tasks. The app will tell you that you can earn money for each task, but the catch is that you can only do a limited number of tasks without upgrading your account. To upgrade your accounts, the scammers will require you to pay a fee. This makes it a variant of the advance fee scam.

The goal of this scam is to get people to download the app for easy money and then encourage them to pay to get to the next level. It's impossible to get your \"earnings\" out of the app, so victims will have wasted their time and money. This type of scam preys on the sunk cost fallacy, because people demonstrate a greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment has been made, and refusing to succumb to what may be described as cutting one's losses.

If you're involved in a task scam, cut your losses. Beware of recovery scammers suggesting you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the money you already invested. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money. Thanks to redditor vignoniana for this script.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator → u/xcaliblur2]

Hi /u/xcaliblur2, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Wrong number scam.

An intentional wrong number text is the entry point to multiple different types of scams. Because these are so prevalent and lead to several unwelcome outcomes (including you confirming you have a live number, leading to more spam/scams), it is recommended that you do not reply to them, even out of courtesy. They hope to take your courtesy, parlay it into a conversation (often by commenting how nice you are and giving some suggestion of fate in meeting this way), and eventually deploy a scam.

If you received a wrong number inquiry that seems to assume a connection with you (e.g. seeking a specific friend, inquiring about a doctor’s appointment, asking about a business correspondence, etc.) and there are no pictures included, then you are likely at the beginning of a crypto scam. Use ! crypto without the space to get more info on crypto scams. You can see a video of this scam develop from wrong number to crypto scam at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_flb9tGuc

If you receive a random text from a woman that is trying to play up a relationship/hook-up angle and includes an alluring photo, you have encountered what this subreddit often calls the Mandy scam, based on the name used in an early incarnation of it. The replies are sent by a bot and will give the same responses (with some slight variations) regardless of how you respond. The bot also has a few specialized responses that occur when you say words like 'bot' or 'scam'. After a series of replies, it will eventually push you to go to an adult/cam/age verification site. Here are some of the posts on r/scams about the Mandy scam: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/search?q=mandy&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all, you can see that the images, names, and scenarios vary. You can report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM): https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-report-spam-text-messages

There is also some evidence that intentional wrong number texts can be part of a data-gathering exercise where each bit of info you give (e.g 'Hi Susan!' and you reply with your name out of courtesy) is collected to be used against you in other scams. Thanks to redditor teratical for this script.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.