Scammers have shifted from phone calls to texts because you’re more likely to respond. These 12 text scams are draining accounts right now, and #1 is the one the FTC says is growing fastest.
If you’ve got a smartphone, you’re already in the crosshairs. Scammers have moved from cold calls to text messages because you’re statistically more likely to open a text than answer an unknown number, and the window between reading a scam text and responding is shorter than anyone wants to admit.
The scam at #1 on this list has cost Americans over 55 more than any other text-based fraud in 2025, and the FTC says it’s still growing. One retired teacher from Georgia lost $31,000 in three days without making a single phone call.
Read through every one of these. If you’ve got a parent or a sibling who texts, send this their way too.
12. The “Missed Package Delivery” Text
You get a text from “USPS” or “FedEx” saying your package couldn’t be delivered and you need to click a link to reschedule. The link looks close to the real thing. Maybe it says “usps-delivery-confirm.com” instead of usps.com. You click. A page loads asking you to confirm your name, address, and a small $2.99 redelivery fee with your credit card.
There’s no package. There’s no fee. There’s just a scammer with your card details. This scam generated over 5 million complaints to the FTC in 2024 alone. USPS and FedEx never collect redelivery fees via text link.
11. The “Your Account Is on Hold” Bank Text
A text arrives that looks exactly like one from your bank. It says your account has been temporarily suspended due to suspicious activity and you must verify your identity immediately by clicking a link. The link takes you to a page that mirrors your bank’s login screen.
You type in your username and password. They now own your account. This is called a phishing text, or “smishing,” and it works because the fake pages are almost pixel-perfect copies of real banking sites. Your actual bank’s texts will never ask you to log in via a link. Go directly to your bank’s app or website instead.
10. The “You Owe the IRS” Text
A text claims you have an unpaid tax balance and legal action will begin within 24 hours unless you pay immediately via a link. The message uses official-sounding language and may include a fake case number.
The IRS does not send text messages. It doesn’t initiate contact by text at any point. Any text claiming to be from the IRS is a scam without exception. Do not click the link, do not reply, do not call any number in the message. Forward the text to 202-552-1226, the IRS’s official fraud reporting number.
The next one is designed to catch you completely off guard. It’s happening right now.
9. The Wrong Number “Accidental” Text
You receive a text clearly meant for someone else. “Hey Michael, still on for dinner Thursday?” or “Just confirming our meeting at 2pm.” You reply to let them know they have the wrong number. They apologize warmly, introduce themselves, and start a conversation.
Over days or weeks, this person builds a friendly relationship with you. Then the conversation shifts. They mention a remarkable investment opportunity or they’ve run into a crisis and need help. This is called a “pig butchering” scam, and the FBI says it cost Americans $3.9 billion in 2023. The “wrong number” was never an accident.
8. The “You’ve Won a Prize” Text
A text congratulates you on winning a gift card, a vacation, or a cash prize from a retailer you probably shop at. All you need to do is click the link and claim it within 24 hours. The urgency is deliberate. So is the familiar brand name.
The link asks for your name, address, and credit card for “shipping and handling” on your free prize. There is no prize. The small fee is just the opening. Some victims report being charged repeatedly over subsequent weeks after entering their card details once. You cannot win a contest you didn’t enter.
Read More: 10 Things Your Kids Text That Mean Something Completely Different Than You Think
7. The Social Security Text Alert
A text says your Social Security number has been linked to suspicious activity and your benefits could be suspended unless you verify your identity immediately. The message may include a partial Social Security number that’s close to yours, which makes it feel eerily specific.
That partial number is guesswork or purchased from a data breach. The Social Security Administration does not send text messages about benefit suspensions. If you click through, the page asks for your full SSN, date of birth, and banking details. The losses from SSA impersonation scams topped $1.3 billion in 2024. Report the text to the SSA’s fraud line at 1-800-269-0271.
6. The “Unusual Login” Apple or Google Text
A text says there’s been an unusual sign-in attempt on your Apple ID or Google account from a new device in another state. It includes a link to “secure your account” immediately. The page it takes you to looks exactly like Apple’s or Google’s login screen.
This scam is especially effective because the fear of losing access to your photos, contacts, and personal files is real. The link is fake. Apple and Google send account alerts through their own apps, not through texts with external links. If you’re ever worried about your accounts, go directly to apple.com or myaccount.google.com by typing it in yourself.
It gets worse from here. The next three are more targeted and harder to spot.
5. The Medicare Renewal Text
A text arrives in October or November saying your Medicare plan is up for review and you may be eligible for additional benefits or lower premiums during open enrollment. The link asks for your Medicare number and date of birth to check your eligibility.
Timed to coincide with Medicare’s annual open enrollment window (October 15 to December 7), this scam harvests Medicare numbers by the thousands. Real Medicare plan changes happen through Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. No text from an unknown number has the authority to review your plan or enroll you in anything.
4. The Family Emergency “New Number” Text
You get a text from an unknown number that says: “Hi Mom/Dad, it’s me. I lost my phone and this is my new number. Can you save it?” You text back to confirm it’s really them, and the conversation feels warm and familiar.
A few days later, or sometimes hours, there’s a problem. An overdue bill. A car repair. An emergency they can’t tell the rest of the family about yet. The ask is usually $300 to $800, small enough to feel manageable. One woman from North Carolina named Diane paid her “son’s” $550 emergency bill before calling her actual son on his old number. He’d been fine the whole time.
Before you respond to any “new number” text, call your family member on their original number first. Every time.
Read More: 8 Things You Should Never Text to Anyone (No Matter How Well You Know Them)
3. The Crypto Investment “Tip” Text
A text arrives out of nowhere saying something like: “Just wanted to share this with a few people I trust. My brother made $14,000 last month using this platform. Here’s the link.” Sometimes it’s phrased as a message sent to the wrong number that you weren’t supposed to see.
This is an entry point for what the FBI calls a “confidence investment scam.” The platform looks real. You can deposit money and watch it grow. You can even make small withdrawals to prove it works. But when you try to pull out a large amount, you’re told there’s a tax or fee to release the funds. The “profits” were never real. Americans over 55 lost an average of $28,000 each to crypto confidence scams in 2024.
What’s waiting at #1 has caused more financial loss among Americans over 55 than any other text scam currently active.
2. The “Zelle Payment Pending” Bank Impersonation Text
A text that appears to come from your bank says someone has sent you a large Zelle payment and you need to confirm your identity to accept it. You’re asked to reply with a one-time code your bank will send you. You receive the code and reply with it. The text says the payment is processing.
What actually happened: a scammer already had your banking username and password from a previous breach. They initiated a Zelle transfer out of your account. The “code” you sent them was your bank’s two-factor authentication code, which let them approve their own transfer. A retired school principal from Ohio named Frank lost $4,800 in under ten minutes this way. Your bank will never ask you to text them a code they sent you.
What’s waiting at #1 causes more total financial damage than any other text scam on this list.
1. The “Warrant for Your Arrest” Government Text
The Most Financially Devastating Text Scam Targeting Americans Over 55 Right Now
You receive a text from what appears to be a local sheriff’s office, the FBI, or the Department of Justice. It says a warrant has been issued for your arrest connected to fraud, identity theft, or drug trafficking. A case number is included. A phone number to call is included.
When you call, a serious-sounding officer confirms the warrant and explains that to resolve it before you’re physically arrested, you must act immediately and quietly. They instruct you to withdraw cash or purchase gift cards to “secure” the funds in a protected federal account while the case is cleared. You are specifically told not to tell your family.
That last instruction is the entire scam. No legitimate law enforcement agency asks you to keep a financial transaction secret from your family. No warrant gets resolved with a gift card. No federal compliance officer communicates by text.
A retired nurse from Georgia named Barbara received this text on a Tuesday afternoon. By Thursday, she had withdrawn $31,000 from her savings account, driven to three different stores to buy gift cards as instructed, and read the card numbers out over the phone to someone she believed was a federal agent. Her daughter found out when Barbara called her, still shaking, two hours later.
The FTC reports that government impersonation scams via text cost Americans over 55 a median of $1,400 per incident in 2024. For the subset involving fake arrest warrants, losses regularly exceed $20,000. Any text that creates fear, demands secrecy, and involves gift cards is always a scam. Forward texts like this to 7726 (SPAM) to report them to your carrier.
Now check your recent texts. If any of these patterns look familiar, trust that instinct.
What to Do When You Spot One of These Texts
Don’t reply, don’t click, don’t call any number included in the message. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 to report them to your carrier, and report them to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The single most important rule: any message that asks you to act fast, pay in gift cards, or keep something secret from your family is a scam. No exceptions. Send this to someone you care about who texts regularly. It might be the most useful thing they read this week.
