Smishing Might Be the Next Buzzword in Illinois in 2022 and It Could Be Bad For You

Another year, more problems, this one has been around for a while but officially has its own word.

There is a scammer lurking around every corner, maybe not physically but on a technical term, there's no arguing.

Scamming by way of technology is not a new trend, it's been happening since the 1990s during the America Online era. In fact, the word phishing was first used in 1996, according to Phishing.org.

First, scammers started obtaining users' passwords, then credit card number generators became a thing, and it has snowballed from there.

Owners of tablets, laptops, personal computers, etc. need to be in the mind frame to be sure you are 100% about links before clicking. If you have a weird feeling about a link do not click it. Contact the "source" to confirm the authenticity before moving forward.

Scammers are in the palm of your hand and not in a good way.

We know for certain smartphones can easily lead users to be scammed digitally, but what about flip phones? Yes, they're still around. My mom just got a new one less than 2 years ago.

And, yes, even flip phones in 2022 come with the risk of clicking the wrong link and, boom, the phishing has become.

"Smishing" is how scammers dupe users via text message. The technical term for scammers phishing for your personal information through text. a.k.a. Short Message Service/SMS, is smishing. (Forgive me if you've been using this term for a while because I have not, which is why it caught my eye.)

Drivers, beware.

If you legally hold a driver's license you are especially encouraged to never click a link sent directly to your phone from the DMV, it is a scam, there is no second-guessing it.

The whole DMV smishing trend has become such a problem that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles had to send out an advisory to drivers in the land of cheese.