How To Avoid Becoming A Smishing Victim

PHILADELPHIA - With every day there is a new way the crooks are trying to steal your identity. Now, they can grab your identity from a text message.

Anthony Mongeluzzo, of Pro Computer Service, explained on "Good Day" Monday that it's called "smishing" because people using "SMS" message, or text messaging, are tricked into using the old email trick of "phishing."

Basically hackers send thousands of these messages out knowing they will trick a low percentage of the people and get some very valuable information from them, Mongeluzzo said.

Common tricks they use are a text from your "bank" saying money has been transferred which scared people so they click it and then "login" to a fake site. Once that happens, they have your password.

Some sites have even tricked people into giving credit and debit card information.

Really, the only way to prevent it is to not click the link and, if there is a transaction in question, call your provider to see if it is real or not.

It's a good rule of thumb that banks, the IRS, credit card companies will never ask you for information via text message, Mongeluzzo said.