{"id":101724,"date":"2026-01-04T15:34:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seminarsonly.com\/news\/?p=101724"},"modified":"2026-01-04T15:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:04:27","slug":"39041-text-message-how-to-spot-it-as-scam-or-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seminarsonly.com\/news\/39041-text-message-how-to-spot-it-as-scam-or-real\/","title":{"rendered":"39041 Text Message | How to Spot it as Scam or Real"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em>Receiving a text from this number when you didn&#8217;t request one is a major red flag. Ignore it and share the code with no one.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Why you received this text<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">There are two likely scenarios:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ol start=\"1\" data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Someone is trying to hack you (The &#8220;Reset&#8221; Scam):<\/b> A scammer has entered your username\/phone number on Instagram and clicked &#8220;Forgot Password.&#8221; Instagram&#8217;s system automatically sent <i data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"181\">you<\/i> the code. The scammer will now likely message you (from a hacked friend&#8217;s account or a fake support profile) asking for a &#8220;screenshot&#8221; or the &#8220;code&#8221; to &#8220;verify your identity&#8221; or &#8220;help you win a contest.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"4,0,1\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,0,1,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The Trap:<\/b> If you give them the link or code, they will use it to take over your account and lock you out.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Bot Spam:<\/b> Bots often cycle through thousands of phone numbers triggering these texts to see which numbers are active or to annoy users.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"5\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">What you should do<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"6\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">DO NOT share the code or link:<\/b> Never give this code to anyone, even if they claim to be Instagram Support or a friend. Real support will never ask for this code.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">DO NOT click the link:<\/b> If you did not request a password reset yourself, ignore the link.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Check your security:<\/b> If you are worried, open the Instagram app directly (don&#8217;t use the link in the text) and ensure 2-Factor Authentication is turned on.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,3,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Block\/Mute:<\/b> If the texts are spamming you, you can mute the conversation, but blocking shortcodes can sometimes stop you from receiving legitimate codes when you actually need them later.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"7\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Summary:<\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">The text itself comes from a real system, but <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"55\">the person who triggered it is likely trying to scam you.<\/b> Ignore it and share the code with no one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Receiving a text from this number when you didn&#8217;t request one is a major red flag. Ignore it and share the code with no one. Why you received this text&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6067],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scam"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>39041 Text Message | How to Spot it as Scam or Real - Seminarsonly.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Receiving a text from this number when you didn&#039;t request one is a major red flag. Ignore it and share the code with no one. 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