Smishing: Warning about fraudulent package SMS and how to protect yourself

Smishing: Warning about fraudulent package SMS and how to protect yourself

According to a report by www1.wdr.de, consumer advice centers and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) warn against fraudulent SMS and emails that allegedly come from parcel services. These messages often announce a link to track the shipment, but this leads to dubious websites. The LKA warns that clicking on these links can introduce viruses and Trojans onto the smartphone, thereby accessing sensitive data. The consumer advice center also warns of subscription traps into which users can be lured by entering personal data.

In order to protect yourself preventively, the consumer advice center recommends setting up a spam filter, only entering your own mobile phone number, never clicking on the links in the messages and not replying to the SMS. If you are unsure whether the SMS or email comes from a parcel service, you can check the link manually by copying the URL and comparing it with the parcel service's official company website.

If you accidentally click on a fraudulent link, the consumer advice center recommends switching your smartphone to airplane mode to prevent the malicious app from sending further data over the Internet. You should then collect evidence and go to the nearest police station.

These fraudulent messages can cause significant harm, both to consumers who fall victim to fraud and to the companies affected, whose reputation could be damaged. It is important that consumers become aware of such scams and take steps to protect themselves. Companies should also actively inform their customers about such fraud attempts and recommend possible countermeasures. It is expected that demand for secure delivery and identification methods could increase to increase consumer trust and counteract fraud attempts.