Statewide Iowa — Iowans are being warned about a new type of phone scam called “smishing.”
It’s similar to “phishing” except now crooks are using text messages to try and get you to give up your personal financial information. Paul Benda, a cybersecurity officer with the American Bankers Association, says people should know not to reveal sensitive information like their passwords and Social Security numbers, even if the source appears legitimate.
Benda says if you end up talking to one of these people on the phone, they’ll sound really convincing.
Iowans should recognize there’s a red flag when the supposed bank representative asks for your account information, which that representative should already have.
The Federal Trade Commission says Americans lost more than $5.8 billion to phishing and other fraud in 2021, an increase of more than 70-percent compared to 2020.
