NJ Residents Warned Not to Respond to Weird Text Message

At first, it seemed innocent enough.  It was 10 pm and my phone pinged, alerting me to an incoming text message.  The message began, "Hello, are you Mr. Lucas, the yoga teacher Anna recommended?"

Thinking nothing of it, I responded, "Nope."

Turns out, that wasn't the end of it.  The message continued,

I'm sorry, I entered the wrong number.  I'm very sorry for disturbing you, and I'd like to apologize to you and ask you to forgive me.  But what shocked me was that your number and Mr. Lucas' number were only one digit apart

The exchange became a topic of conversation for me.  I thought it was funny.  I've received calls from the wrong number, but I've never received a text from a wrong number.

Strange Text Messages

Then a few days later I received another strange text.  This person was admonishing me for not showing up for an appointment.  I was mortified.  Did I miss a date?  So I asked who I was texting with, and they gave me a name I didn't know.  I told the person I didn't recognize the name.  The response I received made me realize I'd been had.

...maybe your number and my friend's number are one digit apart...

This may seem innocent enough, but experts say texts like these could be dangerous.  Many times, texts like these contain links that when clicked, could download malicious software on your phone.

Many of us know better than to click on strange links, but children and elderly people who are less tech-savvy can fall victim.

How to Deal With Spam Texts

The best way to deal with these texts is to ignore them.  Do not respond.  When you respond, you open the door to a flood of these texts, all from different numbers.

According to PCmag.com, it's possible to adjust your settings on some message apps to help weed out these spam messages.

How to Adjust Phone Settings to Filter Out Spam Texts

Android:  If you use the Google Messages app, go to settings and tap "enable spam protection."

iPhone:  Go to settings, then in the "messages" section, click on the "filter unknown senders" tab.  Messages from people not on your contact list will go to a separate folder.

While neither setting will eliminate spam messages, they'll at least be separated from your legitimate stuff, and you can then decide which messages are legitimate.