Verizon Users Are Getting Spam Messages From Their Own Number
Verizon subscribers are getting spam text messages from their own number, encouraging them to click an obscure link to receive a gift for paying their phone bill. Spam emails, text messages and phone calls have become a massive problem over the years, affecting people worldwide.
While many spam emails and messages include malicious links and could pose a danger to the user or their device, others are relatively minor annoyances and are easier to dismiss without getting too worked up. Unfortunately, it's not immediately clear which category the current spate of spam messages belongs to.
Many Verizon customers are taking to Reddit, Twitter, and other forums to complain about receiving spam messages, apparently from their own number. According to the complaints, the messages almost always thank the hapless user for paying their March phone bill and include a link that they could tap on to navigate to a website and receive a free gift. Needless to say, there's no gift to be had when tapping on those links. Instead, according to The Verge, the link takes users to Russian websites, including one belonging to state TV outlet 'Channel One Russia.'
Verizon confirmed the reports in an email to CNET, saying that it is aware of bad actors sending spam messages to customers by spoofing their own numbers. The company also assured that it is "actively working to block these messages" and is also working with law enforcement "to identify and stop the source of this fraudulent activity." Meanwhile, the situation is puzzling and confusing people, with many wondering how this is even happening. The most annoying part for many people is that reporting spam to Verizon is returning an automated message, asking the user to forward the spam message to 7726. However, most people are wary about doing that, as they don't want their number to be blacklisted as spam.
Interestingly, while the vast majority of affected people seem to be Verizon customers, some AT&T and T-Mobile users are also reporting receiving similar texts. It is, however, not immediately apparent how those carriers are dealing with the situation. Either way, in the absence of any concrete advice from the carriers, the only action users can take right now is to report the problem to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The complaint page on the official FCC website offers the option of "my own number is being spoofed," which suggests that the FCC, Verizon and the other carriers are aware of such issues, although it continues to happen nonetheless.