By Remy Rosenberg

If you ever get a strange email or text with a link from a number you don’t know, or a text that tells you to reply with certain words, do not click or engage with it!  Sometimes the message says that your account is frozen, that you owe money, or that there’s a package that you never ordered “waiting to be tracked”. These are examples of phishing, or “smishing” when it is sent by SMS. Just the other day, I got a text from a random number with a flyer offering me a job, and it told me to reply “Yes” if I was interested. Scammers purposely send these messages to try to trick people into giving them their personal information, money, or infect their device with a virus. Because these messages look like they could from real companies or maybe even friends, people tend to engage without thinking.

These attacks aren’t just annoying, but they are a threat. Once you tap on the link, you could accidentally hand over account credentials, payment information, and personal data, making it easier for scammers to use to commit identity theft or fraud. Phishing attacks are evolving quickly, and scammers are finding new ways to trick people. If a virus is downloaded from clicking a link, the scammer now has long-term access to your device.

Phishing messages intentionally look real enough to fool you. They usually use urgent language, pretend to be well known companies, or copy the tone of real notifications. The URLs may look almost right, but the switch of a letter can make it a fake website. Scammers can also change the number that shows up as the sender, sometimes matching your area code, so it looks like it came from a trusted number. All of these tricks make it easy to give in and tap the link.

Phishing attacks have increased over the past year. According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report, “44% of cybersecurity breaches involved ransomware, up 37% from the previous year.” The development of Artificial Intelligence has also helped scammers in the past year. According to SQ Magazine, “Nearly 1 in 4 phishing attacks now use AI-generated language to improve personalization and believability.”

3 Steps to Avoid Getting Scammed:

  • If you receive a message from a random number or email, this should be your first sign to be cautious. Look for urgent language, requests for personal information, shortened links, and incorrect spelling of websites.
  • If you suspect any signs of phishing, resist the temptation to interact with any links, photos, or messages. Do not reply to any message or click on any link.
  • Report/Delete. Make sure not to click on any “unsubscribe” links. You can easily report a text or email, and immediately delete it!

Conversation Starters:

  1. What would you do if you accidentally clicked on a random suspicious link?
  2. Why do you think people click on links even when they seem suspicious?
  3. Have you ever received a phishing message? How did you respond?
  4. What are some examples of phishing messages that you or someone you know have received?

Learn more

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