Better Business Bureau warns of “wrong number” text scams

ST. LOUIS — If you've received a text message from a number you don't know sending an innocent-looking message like, "Hi, who is this?", you might be the target of a scam.

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), these "wrong-number" texts could set consumers up for scams that may expose them to identity theft or monetary losses.

When an unfamiliar number sends a text to your phone, you may want to message them back saying they have the wrong number. However, BBB says these messages could be a setup for a scam, where the scammer will try to start a conversation and try to befriend you until they ask you to invest in cryptocurrency, send them money or register for a dating website once they feel like they've gained your trust. Some of these scams can even be carried out by chatbots.

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According to BBB, around 25% of scams reported to them were through text messages or over the phone, with a reported median loss of $509 coming from text scams. Americans also received nearly 3 billion spam texts per week in 2023.

"It might feel rude not to respond to a wrong number text, but it's best to play it safe," said BBB St. Louis president and CEO Michelle L. Corey. "If you reply, scammers will mark your number as active, which could lead to more calls or texts in the future."

To avoid these wrong number scams, the BBB recommends the following tips:

Ignore texts from strangers

Block suspicious numbers

Never give personal information to strangers such as your full name, address, banking information, etc.

Never click links in a message from strangers

Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission or the BBB Scam Tracker .