No, You Can't Get Hacked By Responding To a Text Message

Did You Respond to a Strange Text Message? Don’t Panic!

No, you can’t get hacked by responding to a text message — but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely safe to reply to spam texts. 

Once scammers know that you respond to unknown numbers, they’ll target you with other more dangerous scams — which could be much harder to evade. 

These secondary scams and phishing attacks are more difficult to spot — with many designed to steal your personal data and open you up to identity theft.  

Still, as long as you don’t click on suspicious links, share sensitive information, or continue to engage with suspicious messages, you should be safe. 

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The Real Risks of Responding to a Suspicious Text Message

While you can’t be hacked by responding to an unknown sender’s text message, you most certainly can be scammed. 

By some accounts, fraudsters send upwards of 19 billion fake text messages a month — that’s roughly 63 spam texts for every person in the United States.

Scammers don’t expect many people to respond. Instead, they’re looking to target the 0.01% of people who do interact with scam text messages and then dupe them with even more elaborate and dangerous scams. 

If you responded to a scam text or message through any messaging app, here are some of the most common ways that you’ll likely be targeted by cybercriminals:

🤔 Test you ability to avoid scams with Aura’s spot the scam quiz →

1. Crypto investment scams

Scammers dangle promises of huge returns on cryptocurrency investments as a way to steal your money or get you to visit malicious websites. 

This scam — often known as “pig butchering” — is a long con that starts as a random text message, Whatsapp message, or social media direct message (DM), and evolves into an elaborate combination of both a romance scam and investment scheme. While these scams take many different forms, the common element is a digital stranger promising big returns on an investment. 

💡 Quick tips to avoid cryptocurrency scams: Never send cryptocurrency (or money) to anybody you don’t personally know and trust. Also, never believe any offer or person that touts "guaranteed returns" on a trading app or website. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are as an investor — there is no such thing as “guaranteed returns.”

2. AI voice scams pretending to be family members

In October 2024, a Los Angeles man lost $25,000 after fraudsters used artificial intelligence (AI) technology replicating his son's voice to claim that he needed money to avoid a prison sentence after getting in a car accident. 

The proliferation of AI technology (and personal information available online) has enabled scammers to target victims with these kinds of hyper-personalized and believable AI scam calls. 

If you respond to a scam text message, you may begin receiving calls to your cell phone from scammers who have researched you online and know how to persuade you to do what they want. 

Deloitte predicts that generative AI, like voice-cloning technology, could enable fraud losses in the United States to surpass $40 billion by 2027.

💡 Quick tips to avoid AI voice scams: AI can mimic voices, but it isn’t able to respond to specific, private details or answer questions that only family members or close friends would know. Create a code or safe phrase with your loved ones, which you can use on live calls if you have any doubts about a certain conversation. 

📚 Related: 10 Text Message Scams You Didn't Know About (Until Now) →

3. Fake package delivery notification texts

One of the most common scams in recent years starts with a text message presumably sent from Amazon, FedEx, UPS, or the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) citing an issue with a delivery. 

If you click on the link in the message, it will take you to a malicious website that then asks for login credentials and sensitive information, like your Social Security number (SSN) or credit card details, to resolve the delivery issue. 

While smishing (SMS phishing) scams related to package deliveries are not new, this threat continues to defraud many unsuspecting victims. Natashi Garvins of the U.S. Postal Service reminded the public in December 2024: 

"The Postal Service does not attempt to attain customers' personal information through text messages, emails or phone calls."

💡 Quick tips to avoid delivery notification scams: If you get an unexpected text about a delivery, don’t click on the link. Go to the official site to track your delivery updates directly with FedEx or UPS, etc. You can verify if the tracking number in the text is bonafide by searching for it on the company’s website. 

4. Malicious links in text messages

Scammers are constantly looking for new ways to trick victims into clicking on malicious links in text messages — often employing a sense of urgency, or making threats to get you to act. 

These links lead to fake websites that steal your personal information and can sometimes even download malware, spyware, or other viruses onto your mobile device.

Here are some of the latest text message link scams that you need to know how to recognize: 

• Fake toll fees. Scammers send fake toll fine messages with links to “pay” the fee.
• Fraud alerts from your bank. These messages claim your bank account has been compromised and then provide a link to supposedly sign in and change your password. 
• Job offer text messages. Fraudsters pose as recruiters offering high-paying jobs, and include a link through which to apply.
• Purchase confirmation messages. These messages claim that a large purchase has been made by using your credit card or bank account — and provide a link to “dispute” it. 
• “Your account has been closed.” Con artists claim that an online account of yours — such as Netflix or Amazon — will be closed unless you click on a link to update your information.

💡 Quick tips to avoid malicious link scams: Don’t click on links in text messages. Instead, go to the account in question directly on your mobile browser (or through the official app) to see if the alert is legitimate. You can also use a cybersecurity app like Aura on your smartphone to block viruses, malicious links, and other cyber threats.

How To Quickly Recognize a Fake Text Message 

Many fake text messages are incredibly hard to spot. Some scammers even send seemingly harmless messages that comprise simple, friendly greetings such as, “Hi,” just to see if you’ll respond. 

Still, there are common warning signs you can look out for, including:

• Unsolicited links. Any link in an unexpected message is cause for concern — especially if the link is shortened into a random string of letters and numbers or uses a look-alike URL (for example “amazon-supp0rt.com”). 
• Promises of rewards (or punishment). Scammers use social engineering tactics to try and persuade you to act — including threats of fines and jail time, or the promise of prizes, gift cards, or money. Either approach signals a scam.
• Mismatched or strange sender information. Fraudsters often impersonate trusted authorities, but don’t have access to their official phone numbers or email accounts. Again, look out for emails that come from look-alike addresses (such as @amazon.xyz or @the-IRS.in).
• Requests for sensitive information. Be immediately suspicious if an unknown sender asks for personal details, account numbers, passwords, or financial information. Legitimate companies, like your bank or government agencies, will never request this type of sensitive data in a text message.

📚 Related: How To Identify a Fake Text Message Scam [With Examples] →

‍How To Stay Safe After Responding to a Text Message Scam

If you reply to a fake text message, it’s important to take immediate action to shut down the threat.

1. Don’t supply any information. The more details you share, the more information a scammer has to use against you. Even innocuous details could be compiled to form a profile of you, which scammers can use to impersonate you in phishing scams that target your friends or family members. 
2. Never click on links. Hackers use links to hide malware or direct you to fake websites. If you click on a link and are taken to a site, do not enter any information — especially passwords. 
3. Keep your iOS or Android device’s operating software up to date. If you click on a link in a malicious text message, it could download viruses that take advantage of known vulnerabilities in your software. Regular updates ensure that you’ve got the proper security patches in place to stay safe. For even more security, download antivirus software on your devices.
4. Block and report scam numbers. Blocking spam numbers helps reduce the likelihood of scammers targeting you in the future. Both Apple iPhones and Android phones have easy ways to quickly block and report spam numbers. 
5. Consider a spam-blocking app or tool. Aura plans offer an optional AI-powered Call Assistant, which screens incoming calls on your behalf and blocks spam and scam texts. By filtering out these fraudulent communications, there’s less chance that you’ll reply to a spam text.
6. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your sensitive accounts. With a second step in the verification process, you can thwart unauthorized attempts to access your accounts — including your bank accounts, emails, and social media accounts.
7. If you gave up personal information, report it to the FTC. Any information you give to scammers can be used to steal your identity. File an official identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov to start the recovery process.‍
8. If you give out financial information, report it to your bank. If you suspect your bank accounts are at risk, immediately contact financial institutions to lock down your accounts. The fraud departments at banks and credit card companies can help freeze your cards and place fraud alerts.

The Bottom Line: Protect Yourself From Text and Phone Scams

If you receive a suspicious text message, don’t engage at all — do not respond, click on any links, or call any listed numbers. Instead, report and block the number to stop receiving messages from the sender.

For additional and ongoing security, consider signing up for Aura. You’ll get robust device and online scam protection — including antivirus, a virtual private network (VPN), password manager, phishing and malicious website protection, and more — plus optional identity and credit protection along with up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.