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Every week, I get emails from readers asking the same type of question: "I found this app called Removed — is it legit?" Sometimes it's Removed, sometimes it's another obscure app that popped up in a search result, an ad, or a text message from
In February 2022, the FBI warned that Americans lost over $68 million to smishing and vishing scams in a single year — and that number only counted what victims actually reported to the FBI's IC3. The real figure is almost certainly multiples higher. I've spent the last
16,000 Complaints and Counting: Why the FBI Is Sounding the Alarm In February 2021, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) began tracking a dramatic spike in smishing — phishing attacks delivered via SMS text messages. The FBI warning on smishing texts wasn't hypothetical. It came
In February 2021, the FBI warned that threat actors were sending fake text messages impersonating banks, delivery companies, and even state unemployment agencies — all designed to steal credentials and drain accounts. These weren't theoretical risks. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported over $54 million
10,000 Malicious Domains and Counting In early 2025, the FBI issued a stark public warning about a massive smishing campaign — fraudulent SMS text messages — targeting Americans across all 50 states. The FBI warning on smishing texts wasn't routine. It described a coordinated operation leveraging more than 10,
