Concern Over Spoofed Texts: My Number is Being Misused

Recently, I’ve encountered a troubling situation that I felt compelled to share in hopes of gaining some insight from the community. While engaging in a Zoom group with an old friend, I learned that they had been receiving peculiar text messages purportedly from me. The messages were not typical scams; rather, they contained casual greetings like, “New phone, who’s this?” However, what raised alarm bells for me was that these texts included images commonly associated with “troll” accounts across various platforms.

It appears that my number is being spoofed, a tactic often employed in scams, but this scenario seems more illicitly playful given the nature of the messages. I’ve documented the texts and shared them in a post on the Verizon subreddit for anyone interested.

If anyone has encountered a similar issue or has advice on how to tackle this problem, your input would be invaluable! Given that I rely on this phone for professional communications, I’m eager to resolve it.

Update on the Situation

After reaching out to Verizon, I found out that the messages were not being transmitted through their network, indicating that my Apple ID may have been compromised (which I have promptly changed). Alternatively, it could also be a case of someone simply spoofing my number.

To address the matter, I’ve informed my friend about the situation, and I’m encouraging anyone in my contact list who might have received suspicious messages to get in touch directly via call or email so we can clarify any confusion.

Additional Context

I want to clarify that this issue appears to have only affected my friend back in September, as no one else has reported receiving odd texts from my number. It’s worth noting that since the onset of the pandemic, I’ve been living in a remote area, with only close family and a few trusted coworkers having access to my phone. None of them are tech-savvy enough to carry out such an act, and they certainly wouldn’t have the images included in the rogue messages.

Given these circumstances, I don’t suspect this is someone intending to hack my information—they seem to be more interested in the frustration they can cause by sending these messages. In light of the situation, I will also be contacting my bank to ensure there are no compromises with my account linked to this number.

I appreciate any advice or shared experiences from this community to help me navigate this troubling issue. Thank you!