It costs peanuts to send millions of texts

The text fraud pandemic is a shift of medium, from emails and social media.

Effective mainstream marketing campaigns use different media, as using a single one will desensitise their audiences. The same goes for criminals. Some of these campaigns are poor in design and delivery but some are really evolving.

Some people will become more tech-savvy but I know some have reduced their use of computers and mobiles for internet activities because of the current levels of fraud.

SIM farms are a new technological solution for fraudsters. The sending of multiple texts involves devices that are basically boxes with slots for mobile SIM cards, that act like a multiple mobile phone centre. They are used to send texts with fraudulent links. Most people believe they are individually targeted but these devices send serial messages.

They start with a mobile number and then they send to the next one, just adding one digit.

Scammers can send out millions of texts a month for about £100 then steal thousands from victims. A large SIM farm operation, which used the likes of a real farm, could be based in the countryside, making use of an empty barn rather in a city, with people and police all around.

Delivery scams are among the most common now and my advice is that unless you are expecting a delivery and the courier’s message quotes your reference number, everything else must be treated as fraudulent.