What should I do if a text not sent by me but from my number?
A close friend texted me this morning asking if I meant to send that last text, noting it was suspicious. I asked for a screenshot of the text in question, and it is a text from my number with spam I did not send. The text said "Visit http://legacy.operator.com:8080/webgui/vm[...] to read your new mms." and it appears in-line with the actual dialogue I'd had with this person.
From my phone, I see no record of sending that text. They received it around 10am, and at 11:30am I received a text from an unrecognized # with similar spam but in German. An odd coincidence or just a sign spammers were active all around. In any case, because of the difference in timing, at least the German text couldn't have infected me and caused the text to my friend.
Neither of us clicked either spam attack's link. I expect the German one I received can safely be ignored. I'm uncertain about the other text which my friend received from my # and which I have no record of sending.
Does the text my friend received from my number imply one of us has a virus? I'm concerned this is the case because either a virus on my phone sent spam out to the # I contact the most (this friend), or a virus on my friend's phone brought up spam spoofed from the # they contact me the most (me). How else would the spammer know to spoof from my # to my friend's # - of all the #as it could go to/come from, my friend and I are each other's top contact.
If it does imply one of us has a virus as I suspect, is there a way to tell who, or do we each need to take antivirus cleanup measures? We both have Android phones and I think the same carrier but different phone models and OS versions. We both have antivirus on our phones (WebRoot on my end, Norton on my friend's) and scans came back clean.
Related but doesn't answer my question, just clarifies tech involved: Someone received a text from my iPhone. I don't even have the number the text was sent to
The answer to your question - What should I do if a text not sent by me but from my number is -
There are two possible scenarios: There is a virus on the sender's phone, or the SMS was spoofed, as per the SMS Spoofing link in your post. I think the most likely scenario is that there is a virus on your phone that Webroot is not able to detect. A good way to check is to ask some of your other contacts to see if they have received a similar text.
If this were a virus, I would expect your other contacts to have received similar messages. If this was done via SMS spoofing, this implies that whoever was trying to compromise the receiver's phone knew that the two of you had a pre-existing relationship, assuming they weren't just spoofing random numbers. This would imply a targeted attack.
Answer (1)
If text messages are being sent from your phone number without your authorization, it could be a sign of unauthorized access to your device or your phone number being spoofed. Here's what you should do:
Check Your Device: First, check your own device to ensure that you haven't unintentionally sent the messages. Verify that no one else has physical access to your device and that there are no unauthorized apps installed.
Change Your Passwords: If you suspect unauthorized access to your device or accounts, change the passwords for your email, social media, and any other accounts associated with your phone number.
Contact Your Mobile Carrier: Reach out to your mobile carrier's customer support immediately and inform them about the issue. They may be able to provide insights into the situation and take measures to protect your account, such as changing your SIM card or adding extra security measures.
Report the Issue: Report the unauthorized text messages to your mobile carrier. They may investigate the issue and take action to prevent further unauthorized use of your phone number.
Consider Blocking the Number: If the messages are coming from a specific number, you can block that number on your device. This will prevent further messages from reaching you, but it won't necessarily prevent the sender from continuing to use your phone number for other purposes.
Be Vigilant: Monitor your phone bill and bank statements for any unusual activity. Unauthorized access to your phone number could be part of a larger attempt to compromise your accounts or personal information.
Consider Security Measures: Enable additional security measures on your device, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) or biometric authentication, to prevent unauthorized access.
Report Fraud: If you suspect that your phone number is being spoofed for fraudulent purposes, you can report it to the appropriate authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States.
Taking these steps will help you address the issue of text messages being sent from your phone number without your consent and protect your personal information and accounts from unauthorized access.