Beware of the Innocent-Seeming “Wrong Number” Text Scam

Key Takeaways in This Article

• Wrong number text scams are a type of scam in which you receive a seemingly innocent text from an unknown number. That person will then try to build a relationship with you before ultimately executing their end-goal scam.
• If a person tries to maintain contact with you after you’ve told them they have the wrong number, you’re more than likely dealing with a wrong number text scam.
• Never click on any links or download any apps sent to you by unknown senders.
• You can’t get scammed by simply opening the text; however, opening anything within the text is dangerous.
• Always confirm that the person who is texting you is who they say they are by running their number through a reverse phone lookup tool like Spokeo.

Whether you’ve fallen for text message scams in the past or even just side-eyed a slightly suspicious text, there’s no reason to feel embarrassed — according to the FTC, text message scams shook Americans down for about $470 million in 2024 alone. That number is eye-wateringly big, but not a surprise considering all of the different text scams pinging people’s phones on the regular. Lately, however, there’s been a new scammer favorite hitting everyone’s lines — the “wrong number” text.

This new breed is pretty sneaky, as scammers start with a tricky “wrong number” text and pull victims into a friendly rapport. But, if you know what to look for, you — and your bank account — can easily slip out of the situation scam-free. 

What is a Wrong Number Text Scam? 

Typically, text message scams target your personal (i.e., financial) info pretty quickly. For instance, bogus “bank fraud prevention” texts pressure victims to make bank transfers on the spot, fake giveaway scams outright steal credit card numbers to cover small “shipping fees,” and fake package delivery notifications do the same with bogus “redelivery fees.”

Wrong number text scams, however, are a slower burn. Here, scammers develop a simple “wrong number” text into a friendly, ongoing correspondence that gets increasingly personal as time goes on. Once they’ve built enough trust — which can happen over days, weeks, or even months — the scammer will drop some type of request (that almost always leads to their financial gain), often by wrapping it in an emotional plea. This is called “making the pitch,” and it’s not a pitch you want to hear. 

According to the FBI, “The scammers behind the fake wrong-number text messages are counting on you to continue the conversation. They want to exploit your friendliness. Once they’ve made a connection, they’ll work to become friends or even cultivate a remote romantic relationship. It’s all a ruse, designed to get you to relax your mistrust so you’ll be more susceptible to falling for their scam, such as a cryptocurrency investment or many others targeting victims.”

How Wrong Number Scams Work

Because wrong number text scams are long-form and rely on ongoing conversations, each iteration of the scam can differ wildly in terms of specific content and interactions – for the scammer, it’s almost like a free-form performance or improv. But the racket does have a basic structure, or at least a few variations, that most scammers follow. 

Commonly, these scams look something like this: 

1. The scammer breaks the ice with a mundane text that clearly isn’t intended for you – like a reminder of a meeting, dinner party, tee time, or some other urgent or fun-sounding activity.
2. When you message back to let the texter know they’ve got the wrong number, they’ll then try to strike up a friendly conversation with you (rather than the typical radio silence or “sorry”).
3. Next comes engagement. This can take a wide variety of forms, but whether over minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months, the scammer will strike up and attempt to maintain an ongoing rapport with you.
4. Once they think they have you on the hook (as a friend or potential romantic partner), the scammer will finally make a pitch for things like private information, financial requests (like gifts or “investment opportunities”), or other requests that will eventually benefit them (at your loss).

How to Identify a Fake Text Message

Getting a legitimate text from a wrong number (or just a number you don’t have saved) happens all the time, which is why this scheme is so effective in the first place. Especially when the hoax takes such a seemingly friendly form, it’s natural to feel like you’ve accidentally stumbled into making a new connection.

That said, red flags do still exist, sly as they may be: 

• The number one red flag is the texter attempting to carry on the conversation after you’ve told them they have the wrong number. Sure, stuff like this develops into Lifetime channel rom-coms or cute Buzzfeed headlines about 1 in 10,000 times, but it’s just not worth the risk with scams like this afoot. 
• There will eventually be an ask. Whether it’s slowly grabbing seemingly innocent private information (i.e., your exact birthdate, where you grew up, childhood pets, etc.) or straight up asking for things like loans, gift cards, or investments, they always end up asking for something (and never ever pay you back).
• You’ll never actually meet them in person. While the first text you get might be about meeting up before hitting you with the “oops, wrong number,” like classic catfish scammers, they’ll never actually meet up with you. 
• Cryptocurrency “investments” are becoming a more commonly used scam method within text scams. Sometimes, scammers may even send or attempt to send their victims a small amount of cryptocurrency to prove that their “investment opportunity” is “real,” before disappearing with anything you send them in return.
• Scammers will often try to get you out of texting and onto a different platform or messaging service, such as Telegram or WeChat.
• Often, scammers will send a link to a website or an app download. This link will either be a phishing link or malware that can mine your phone for private information.

The first bullet point is the real dead giveaway. That said, if you’ve already engaged in the convo, all of these other signs should make it clear that someone you’ve never met in person (and isn’t explicitly part of a trusted organization) is more than a red flag; it’s a blaring red alarm. Don’t do it, ever.

Stay Safe from the Wrong Number Text Scam

Alongside spotting red flags, a few smart habits and tactics can help keep you safe, not just from wrong-number text scams, but from text message scams in general. The FBI and other pros recommend:

• Don’t follow up if a wrong number attempts to engage you in a conversation, no matter how cute, friendly, or funny it seems.
• Delete the associated message and block the number.
• Never click on a link sent to you by an untrusted or unknown number.
• Avoid responding with “STOP” if the message says you can do so to avoid future messages — it’s safer to block the number instead, especially if you’re even the least bit uncertain.
• Never offer private or financial information of any sort to any texter that you aren’t 100% certain is a trusted institution. This includes passwords or other account login info, bank account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.
• Confirm that the person who is texting you is who they say they are by running their number through a reverse phone lookup tool. Using Spokeo’s Reverse Phone Lookup, you’ll be able to see the names of the people recently associated with the phone number that is texting you — as well as if that number has been linked to any suspicious activity, such as spam or scam calls. 

FAQS

Can you get scammed by opening a text message?

You can’t get scammed just by opening the text, but opening any links or attachments within the text is where you get into trouble.

Is it safe to respond to wrong number texts?

While simply responding likely won’t result in direct harm, nothing good comes from it. It’s best to just delete, mark as spam, and block the number as soon as you realize it’s a scam.

What happens if you accidentally text back a scammer?

If you responded to a wrong number text before realizing it was a scammer, you’re still safe as long as you didn’t interact with any links they sent you.

Can a scammer get your info if you reply to a text?

The only way a scammer can get your private information is if you directly give it to them or interact with any links, attachments, downloads, or apps they send your way.

What should I do if I fell for a text scam?

The first thing you’ll want to do is contact your bank to put a freeze on any accounts that may be compromised. You might also consider requesting a credit freeze with the three main credit reporting agencies. 

If the scammer conned you out of money under a fraudulent pretext, it may also be a good idea to file a police report in an attempt to get back what you lost. 

Protecting Yourself — and Others 

If you’ve received a suspicious text, or one that you’re sure is a wrong number text scam, you can also take a few simple steps to be a good Samaritan and help protect others from the same shakedowns. File a report of your experiences with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or at the FTC’s ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or copy the message and forward it in a text to the number 7726 (and yes, that spells “SPAM”).

Because, as different and diverse as we all are, just about everyone on the planet has at least one thing in common: no one likes a scammer. 

Dan has been a freelance writer, small business owner, and media consultant for over a decade.  Along the way, he’s been lucky enough to collaborate with partners such as Sony, USA Today, Xbox, The Seattle Times, Netflix, Disney, and many more. Dan currently lives in Dallas, TX.

This post was updated for accuracy and clarity by Cyrus Grant in November 2025.