Addressing the Unwanted Intrusion: Someone Is Texting My Contacts from My Number

It has come to my attention that someone has been sending messages to my contacts using my phone number, and I want to share my experience in hopes of finding solutions and guidance. Recently, during a Zoom call with an old friend, I discovered that they had been receiving peculiar texts supposedly from me.

Initially, I suspected that this might be a case of number spoofing, a common tactic used in scams. However, these messages appeared to be innocent—similar to the casual “New phone, who’s this?” inquiries. What concerned me more were the included photos, which I recognized as images often associated with troll accounts on various platforms. This leads me to believe that someone might be intentionally spoofing my number, simply to provoke reactions.

To illustrate my predicament, I have shared images of the texts over on Reddit in the Verizon community, where I hope to find someone who might have encountered a similar issue or can provide insight on how to address it.

Seeking Advice and Support

If anyone has any recommendations for how to stop this unauthorized activity, I would be grateful for your advice. This phone number is a vital tool for my professional communications, and I am eager to resolve this disruption swiftly.

Updates on the Situation

After posting my concerns, I reached out to Verizon for clarification. They confirmed that the messages are not originating from their network, which opens up new possibilities. It could either mean my Apple ID was compromised—something I promptly addressed by changing my password—or it may revel in a number spoofing incident. To keep my friends and contacts informed, I have reached out to them directly, warning them about this situation and advising them to contact me through calls or emails if they receive any further unusual messages.

Context and Additional Notes

To clarify some points for those curious about my circumstances: so far, the only person impacted was that one friend, and the odd messages have only occurred in recent weeks. Living in a remote area during the pandemic, my physical interactions have been limited to family and a few older coworkers. It seems unlikely that someone close to me would be behind this, considering their lack of familiarity with technology and the specific photos involved.

It’s worth mentioning that I don’t believe this act was meant to compromise my data further; if that were the case, it seems counterproductive to alert my contacts about the hack. Regardless, as a precautionary step,