Trick or treat? Well, this post is a treat of 2 tricks that were sent to me. The first trick I received as a text from what doesn't even appear to be a phone number. Poor grammar and a strange flow. What is "FRM"? Why am I getting a "Voucher"? How can you expose something when you turn around and claim it is a give away? I'll turn this trick down.

​"FRM:[LINK] (Voucher#NLXR49) MSG:[RANDOM CONTENT] (Voucher#NLXR49)"

The next trick at least tried. An actual phone number and a somewhat coherent sentence. But that is it. The link/URL is obviously fake. There is a clear grammatical error. Lastly, what is "USP"? Are they claiming to be "USPS" or "UPS"? Or was this sender incredibly lazy and forgot the "S" at the end? We will probably never know.

​"[ORGANIZATION]-Your package has been held up due to an address is incorrect, please complete the address in time. [LINK]"

Apparently you get rewarded for paying your bill. I'll be honest, this one is actually quite clever. This message mimics a few Verizon messages that are sent out regarding your data limit such as you have exceeded your limit and the like. However, this one caught my attention because it looks like someone sent it from their actual phone number - the other flag is that Verizon is willing to reward me for paying my bill. First of all, when has anyone received a reward for paying a bill on time? I appreciate the gesture but this text requires a healthy dose of skepticism.

Honestly, I have received a few other messages like this in the past few months that were talking about Verizon trade-in offers. I had no interest in trading in my phone so I didn't look closely at them - however after seeing this text, I imagine that the trade in text is also a phishing attempt.

"[COMPANY] Free Msg: [MONTH] bill is paid. Thanks, Here's a little gift for you: [LINK] Happy New Year!"

These scammers are getting more crafty. I have recently noticed attempts purporting to be from Venmo. In these texts they bait you with the allure of a potential $100 gift in exchange for a quick 2 minute survey. I worked in research during my prior career and paying a participant $100 in exchange for 2 minutes of their time is overwhelmingly too good to be true. Additionally, the link they push out is clearly a scammy link. In reality, by you tapping that link, you will not receive the $100 nor will your phone or personal information be safe going forward.

"Venmo User: You have been selected to receive a free gift worth at least $100 for a 2 minute survey  [LINK]"

"Dear Venmo Customer, You have been selected to receive a free gift valued at least $125 for a 4 minute survey [LINK]"