Those ‘Package Pending’ Texts Are A Scam Called ‘Smishing’

So, you know, don't click on the link, mmmkay?

I've gotten quite a few of these in the last few weeks. Luckily, I figured out quickly that they are NOT legit without jeopardizing my own personal information.

Millions of cell phone users have been receiving unsolicited text messages recently, claiming that they have a package for you that has not been picked up. The texts include a link that often sends the user to a fake Amazon website, where they ask you for your personal information. This usually ends up resulting identity theft and theft from your bank account.

This is a tactic called "smishing." It's when scammers send out SMS messages to cell phones in an attempt to solicit personal information from the phone's owner. Experts are also saying that these scammers are buying your personal information off of the dark web so that they can further convince people that they are legitimate.

So, the short and skinny of it is - don't respond. And most definitely do NOT click on ANY links sent to you from an unknown user. Don't give your personal information out to ANYBODY who asks you for it, unless it's a trusted source.

This may seem like common sense but you have to remember that these warnings are super important, especially for older generations. People like AJ's parents are still new to the smartphone game, and this is something that they'd fall for in a heartbeat and possibly lose all of their savings.