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PEOPLE ARE GETTING WRONG-NUMBER TEXTS FROM WOMAN IN NEW SCAM | MIAMI HERALD

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el Nuevo Herald Miami.com


NATIONAL


HAVE YOU GOTTEN A WRONG-NUMBER TEXT WITH A WOMAN’S SELFIE? DON’T RESPOND,
EXPERTS SAY

By Mike Stunson

March 10, 2022 3:46 PM
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   ORDER REPRINT →


People throughout the United States have been getting an unsolicited text
message accompanied by a photo of a young woman. Mike Stunson



If you receive an unsolicited text message along with a photo of an unknown
young woman, don’t answer it, experts warn.

In the latest text messaging scam, people throughout the United States have been
receiving a text — likely from a number with the same area code as their own —
from a rather friendly woman.

“it’s been a little bit since u called, do u want me yet?” one text reads.



Others have received texts with similar phrasing. “What’s up handsome! I had so
much enjoyment the other night. What do you feel ab round 2?” another reads.

Many of the texts include a selfie of a red-haired woman, likely in her 20s or
30s ⁠— except that’s not who is actually sending the text.



“I did a double-take,” Pam Anson, the director of brand outreach for the Better
Business Bureau serving Greater Cleveland, told WOIO. “It’s a different approach
than most scammers take and I didn’t think anything too seriously until more of
my friends started to say that they also received it.”

One theory that has circulated on social media is that the scam is related to
sex trafficking. One viral post says that by responding, the person on the
receiving end “can track your location.”

But that’s not accurate, says Ron Pierce, president of IT company Trinity
Solutions.

“It’s a spam text message,” Pierce told WFMY. “It’s kind of one of those social
myths, it gets circulated every now and then. This one has been going around
since at least 2020, and maybe even a little before. Then it used to be just the
whole sex trafficking angle, but now it’s, ‘watch out, they could track you.’
It’s a lie, they can’t track you by responding to the text or clicking anything
like that.”

That’s not to say answering the wrong-number text isn’t without some risks,
however. By responding, you confirm to the scammer that your phone number is
legitimate and they are able to get additional numbers, says Robyn Householder,
CEO of BBB Middle Tennessee.



“Once they have access to your phone, then they have access to your contact
list,” she told WSMV. “One victim makes it a good day for them.”

It also may be a part of a romance scam, which have been on the rise. The
Federal Trade Commission says people have lost more than $1.3 billion to romance
scams in the past five years — including $547 million last year.

The scammers are deceitful and may try to con you out of your personal
information or money, said Angie Barnett, president and CEO of the Better
Business Bureau serving Greater Maryland.

“They’re charming, they say the right thing, they make you feel important,”
Barnett told WMAR. “They give you what you need.’

All of the experts agree on one thing — don’t respond. Screenshot the text and
reach out to your local law enforcement, they suggest.



READ NEXT

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HE WOOED ONLINE DATERS WITH ‘WORDS OF LOVE’ – AND STOLE $800,000 FROM THEM, FEDS
SAY

November 19, 2021 4:16 PM

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‘GRANDPARENT SCAM’ HAS NEW TWIST INVOLVING RIDE SHARE DRIVERS, OFFICIALS WARN

September 16, 2021 4:25 PM

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PENNSYLVANIA


FAMILIES OF TRAVELERS TO MEXICO BORDER ARE BEING TARGETED IN KIDNAPPING SCAM,
FBI SAYS

January 19, 2022 9:34 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





MIKE STUNSON

twitter email phone 202-383-6176
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky
University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and
Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a
breaking news reporter. Support my work with a digital subscription

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PEOPLE


TIMELINE OF EVENTS SINCE JUSSIE SMOLLETT REPORTED ATTACK

The Associated Press



March 11, 2022 6:56 AM
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Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail and
ordered to pay restitution and a fine Thursday for staging an anti-gay, racist
attack on himself and then lying to Chicago police about it.

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