This message is posted to all new submissions on this forum; please do not message the moderators about it.
New users beware: because you posted here, you may start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a hacker or a recovery expert lawyer who can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments here, where the community can keep an eye on things. If you take advice privately, you’re on your own.
A reminder of the forum rules: no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc.). Be civil to one another (no name-calling or insults). Personal army requests or ‘scam the scammer’ posts are not allowed. No uncensored gore or personal photos are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available in the sidebar or clicking here.
You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content using the ‘report’ button. We review all reports. Also, consider warning community members of scammers if you see them in the comments.
Questions about forum rules? Send a modmail clicking here.
Someone probably entered your number by accident while signing up for their own account.
Brittany said:
Someone probably entered your number by accident while signing up for their own account.
Someone used my phone number by accident to sign up for appointments at a nail salon. I had to call them three times just to fix it.
Brittany said:
Someone probably entered your number by accident while signing up for their own account.
Had the same thing happen to me, someone with a Red Robin account. Every few weeks, I get a couple of passcodes for their rewards program. Definitely not me.
The sad thing is that the poor person who owns that account probably can’t log into it anymore.
Be worried if you’re giving those codes to anyone. Otherwise, no.
Some idiot probably signed up and gave the wrong phone number.
You should double check if there’s an Experian account under your name. They had a big data breach recently, and someone could use an account to mess with your credit. I’ve seen posts about it in r/identitytheft.
@Amber
My thoughts exactly. You should call Experian and check. I would also freeze my credit with them.
@Amber
Yikes. I’m gonna check it out. Thanks!
The only thing I can think of is that the number you have now might have been used by someone else for MFA on their account. How long have you had the number? I had mine attached to an e-wallet from another country, and even though I haven’t used it for more than 10 years, I still get OTP requests for that account.
@Marley
Oh, this makes sense. I do get calls for people asking for the previous owner of this phone number. I’ve had it for 9 years now. Thanks!
I started receiving them too, but mine are from 7-Eleven. I’ve also been getting calls from ‘customer service’ about a customer service call and live chat from Google and Coinbase.
Landon said:
I started receiving them too, but mine are from 7-Eleven. I’ve also been getting calls from ‘customer service’ about a customer service call and live chat from Google and Coinbase.
Weird. It’s so random.
Wrong number. It’s a bot.
MarieCampbell said:
Wrong number. It’s a bot.
Hi /u/horizon_1234bt3, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Wrong Number scam.
An intentional wrong number text is the start of many types of scams. Because these are so common and can lead to unwanted consequences (like confirming that your number is live, which leads to more spam/scams), it’s recommended you don’t reply, even out of courtesy. Scammers often try to turn your courtesy into a conversation and eventually deploy a scam.
If you receive a wrong number message that assumes you know the sender (asking about a doctor’s appointment, for example), and there are no pictures included, you’re likely at the start of a crypto scam. Use !crypto (without the space) to get more info on crypto scams. You can also see a video of the scam here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_flb9tGuc
If you get a random text from a woman trying to play up a relationship angle and includes an alluring photo, you’ve probably encountered the Mandy scam, which is a bot that will push you to an adult/cam site. You can report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM): How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages | Consumer Advice.
When I was younger, and texts cost money, I used to put my ex-friend’s phone number in every ad I came across just to annoy her. Never found out if it bothered her or not.