Replying to those ridiculous “hi, how are you?” texts sound like innocent fun. But what if there’s something much more complex going on under the surface? 

On episode 27 of Privacy Chats with John and Rachel, we investigate the ever-growing popularity of text-based scams, from "warming" phone numbers to "pig butchering" schemes (wild name, huh?) AND “smishing” attempts disguised in everyday transactions, such as package tracking and road toll notices. We break down how scammers manipulate victims, the tactics used to gain trust, and how these scams have continued to evolve globally. 

With practical security tips and insights from authoritative sources, our goal is to equip listeners with the knowledge to keep their friends and families safe from these increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

This episode was informed by the following publications & forums: 

• FTC: How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages

• US Senate Federal Credit Union Security Corner Blog: Why Responding to “Hi, How Are You” Texts Can Be Risky

• Building a Digital Defense against Oops Wrong Number Texts

• Pig Butchering Scams

• FTC: Why It’s Not Rude To Ignore Hi How Are You Text Messages From Strangers

• BitDefender: Wrong Number Text Scams and How To Protect Against Them

• r/Scams Reddit Discussion & Anecdotes on Random Hello Texts

• r/OutOfTheLoop Reddit Discussion: What’s going on with scammers “happening to text the wrong number”?