Dealing with Unwanted Texts: A Personal Experience with Number Spoofing
In today’s digital age, the threat of identity misuse has become increasingly prevalent, and it seems I’ve become a victim of this unsettling phenomenon. The situation unfolded during a video call with an old friend, where I learned that they had been receiving strange text messages from what appeared to be my number.
At first, I suspected typical number spoofing scams; however, these messages were distinctly non-scammish and seemed innocuous, such as, “New phone, who’s this?” Yet, what raised my eyebrows were the images included in these texts—photos I recognized as commonly associated with various “troll” accounts online. This led me to believe that someone is experimenting with my number, potentially probing to see what type of responses they could elicit.
I documented the strange interactions and shared my experience in a post on Reddit’s r/Verizon forum, seeking help and advice from others who might have encountered similar situations. You can view the post here.
If anyone has insights on how to handle this issue, your guidance would be much appreciated! This phone is crucial for my work communications, making it even more urgent to resolve this situation.
Update on the Situation
I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who took the time to respond to my post. After reaching out to Verizon, they confirmed that the texts are not being sent through their network. This raises two possibilities: either my Apple ID was compromised (which I’ve since changed) or my number has been spoofed.
I took proactive measures by informing my friend and advising them on how to reach me in case they receive further suspicious messages. Fortunately, the odd texts seems to have only targeted that specific person in September. For context, I’ve been living in a relatively isolated area since March due to the pandemic, with little physical interaction beyond close family and colleagues—who, honestly, wouldn’t have the technical know-how nor the images being sent.
Moreover, I’m ruling out any personal vendettas; one wouldn’t typically hack just to send a ‘hacked’ message. To safeguard my finances, I’ve also reached out to my bank, removing my number from my account.
This experience serves as a stark reminder of the importance of digital security. If you’ve ever faced something similar or have tips
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