Tag

Smishing Attacks

posts

Smishing Attacks

Smishing Attack Examples: Real Texts That Stole Millions

In 2023, the FBI's IC3 reported over $5.6 billion in losses from phishing and its variants — and smishing, the SMS-based cousin, drove a massive chunk of that number. I've watched smishing evolve from clumsy "you won a prize" texts into sophisticated, multi-step social

Carl B. Johnson May 10, 2026 5 min read
Smishing Attacks

Smishing Attack Examples: Real Texts That Stole Millions

In February 2024, the FBI warned that threat actors stole over $10 billion through internet-enabled fraud in 2023 — and SMS-based phishing, commonly called smishing, was one of the fastest-growing attack vectors cited in the FBI IC3 annual report. If you think smishing is just a nuisance text from a fake

Carl B. Johnson Apr 08, 2024 7 min read
Smishing Attacks

Smishing Attack Examples: Real Texts That Stole Millions

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

Carl B. Johnson Apr 22, 2022 8 min read
Smishing Attacks

Smishing Attack Examples: Real Texts That Steal Data

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

Carl B. Johnson Apr 14, 2021 7 min read