A fivefold increase in four years
The scenarios that work best
According to reports aggregated by the FTC and FBI, the most effective fraudulent texts consistently mimic the same types of senders: package-delivery companies, banks, toll operators, government agencies, recruiters, or even a simple "wrong number" that starts a conversation before drifting toward a request for money or a fake investment opportunity. The common thread: a scenario universal enough to work on anyone, with no prior targeting.
The message format is changing too
With RCS (Rich Communication Services) adopted by major smartphone makers in 2025, a fraudulent text can now display with a logo, polished formatting and an embedded link preview — a look far closer to a real business communication than a plain-text SMS. The same deceptive mechanism now comes with a far more convincing wrapper, without the underlying scenario changing at all.
Smishing
A blend of "SMS" and "phishing" — phishing carried out by text message rather than email.
RCS
Rich Communication Services: the successor to the classic SMS, enabling rich messages, read receipts and attachments — increasingly used, including by scammers.
Frequently asked questions
Has smishing really increased?
Yes, measurably: the FTC documented $470 million in losses linked to text scams in the United States in 2024, versus a fraction of that amount in 2020 — a fivefold increase in four years.
Why are package-delivery scenarios so common?
Because a message announcing a delivery problem creates believable urgency for almost anyone, without needing any prior personal information about the target — a universal scenario, and therefore profitable at scale.
Do new message formats (RCS) change things?
RCS allows messages with logos, formatting and link previews — a look far closer to a real business communication than a plain text message, which makes visual imitation harder to spot at a glance.