Technology

How hackers can send text messages from your phone without you knowing

Published

2 years ago

January 2, 2024

How hackers can send text messages from your phone without you knowing

There is enough to worry about in life without the additional stress and terror of finding out your friends, family or complete strangers have been receiving a text message from “you” without your knowledge. How did they do that? How did they send a text message from your phone without you knowing?

This is a real threat that many people face every day. That’s why we felt it was so important to answer this question sent in from John.

“I just found a text written to me, which was a response to a text I sent. Problem is, I didn’t send the text? I’m 65 years old, and not as spry as I once was, but I do not remember sending the text. My wife is trying to convince me I’m going crazy. She says it’s impossible for someone to send a text (impersonating me) without having possession of my phone. Is that true? Can someone hack your phone and send text??” – John, Fort Myers, FL

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What is SMS spoofing?

We’re sorry to hear that you’re going through this, John. It is possible for someone to send a text message impersonating you without having possession of your phone. This is known as SMS spoofing, and it is a technique used by cybercriminals to send fraudulent text messages.

How does SMS spoofing work?

SMS spoofing works by manipulating the sender ID of a text message to make it appear as if it was sent from a different phone number. This can be done using various online services that allow users to send text messages with a fake sender ID. Cybercriminals will change the sender ID to impersonate friends, family, or a legitimate company.

Example of text message screenshot of hacker pretending to be a bank (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

It is important to note that SMS spoofing is illegal and can be used for malicious purposes such as phishing scams, identity theft, and fraud. Scammers bank on the combination of familiarity and urgency to get you to interact with their text either by clicking on a link, downloading a file, or responding with personal information.

How to spot and avoid SMS spoofing scams

Here are the top 3 reasons why scammers often send text messages under a fake sender ID with some urgent request:

1. Trick you into clicking on a malicious link that leads you to a malicious website to rob you of your personal or financial information or even unleash malware or viruses to your phone.

Screenshot of text SMS spoof trying to trick you to click a malicious link (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

2. Lure you into paying a fake bill under the guise of a reputable or familiar company.

Screenshot of text spoof trying to trick you to pay fake bill (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

3. Damages your reputation or relationship with friends, family, and others by sending harmful messages.

Screenshot of text spoof trying to damage your reputation (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

iMessage Vulnerabilities

SMS spoof on Apple device from hacker posing as financial institution (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

In the past, many Apple devices were considered to be virtually immune to viruses and malware. Unfortunately, due to bugs in iOS, hackers can take over someone’s device just like any other device on the market. While Apple patches these vulnerabilities on a consistent basis, this leaves iPhone users vulnerable to SMS spoofing, too.

A hacker can use “interaction-less” bugs to send a specially crafted SMS message and the iMessage server can send user-specific data, including images or SMS messages, back to them. The user doesn’t even have to open the messages to activate this bug. Additionally, hackers can send malicious codes through texts, embedding them onto the user’s phone. These vulnerabilities are unique to Apple devices.

Aside from the specific vulnerabilities, hackers generally need the user to interact with the text message before the malicious code gets unleashed onto the device.

MORE: CHECK AND DETECT IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS SNOOPING ON YOUR IPHONE

7 Actions to take if you suspect SMS spoofing

If you suspect that your phone has been hacked or that someone is impersonating you, it is important to take immediate action. Here are some steps you can take:

1) Have good antivirus software on your phone: Having good antivirus software actively running on your devices will alert you of any malware in your system, warn you against clicking on any malicious links that may install malware on your devices, allowing hackers to gain access to your personal information. Find my review of Best Antivirus Protection here.

2) Keep your phone software updated: Both iPhone and Android users should keep their phone’s OS and apps updated regularly as Apple and Google release patches to vulnerabilities as they are discovered. Updating your phones can prevent hackers from exploiting security flaws and sending text messages from your phone without you knowing.

3) Change your passwords: Change the passwords for all your online accounts, including your email, social media, and banking accounts. Do not use easy-to-guess information such as your birthday or address. Use strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess; preferably ones that are alphanumeric and, if applicable, include special symbols. Be sure to do this on another device in case there is malware on your phone monitoring you. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords. It will help you to create unique and difficult-to-crack passwords that a hacker could never guess.

4) Enable two-factor authentication: Enabling two-factor authentication on all your online accounts will add an extra layer of security to your accounts and make it more difficult for hackers to gain access.

5) Contact your mobile carrier: Contact your mobile carrier and report the incident. They may be able to help you identify the source of the text message and take appropriate action.

6) File a police report: If you believe that you have been a victim of identity theft or fraud, file a police report with your local law enforcement agency.

Fraud detection text message alert on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

7) Watch your connections: When possible, do not connect to unprotected or public Wi-Fi hotspots or Bluetooth connections. Turn off the Bluetooth connection when not in use. On most iPhones, you can choose who to receive files or photos via AirDrop (a Bluetooth feature) from by selecting to receive from “no one,” people in your Contacts, or Everyone. We suggest you set it to “no one” and only turn it on when you are with the person you are sending or receiving a file or photo from.

MORE: GUARD YOUR PASSWORDS: CHERRYBLOS; FAKETRADE MALWARE THREATEN ANDROIDS

I’ve been scammed by SMS spoofing. What to do next?

Below are some next steps if you find you or your loved one is a victim of identity theft from an SMS spoofing attack.

1) Change your passwords. If you suspect that your phone has been hacked or that someone is impersonating you, they could access your online accounts and steal your data or money. ON ANOTHER DEVICE (i.e., your laptop or desktop), you should change your passwords for all your important accounts, such as email, banking, social media, etc. You want to do this on another device so the hacker isn’t’ recording you setting up your new password on your hacked device. Use strong and unique passwords that are hard to guess or crack. You can also consider using a password manager to generate and store your passwords securely.

2) Look through bank statements and check account transactions to see where outlier activity started.

3) Use a fraud protection service. Identity Theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.

Some of the best parts of using an identity theft protection service include identity theft insurance to cover losses and legal fees and a white glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any losses. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

4) Report any breaches to official government agencies like the Federal Communications Commission.

5) You may wish to get the professional advice of a lawyer before speaking to law enforcement, especially when you are dealing with criminal identity theft, and if being a victim of criminal identity theft leaves you unable to secure employment or housing

6) Alert all three major credit bureaus and possibly place a fraud alert on your credit report.

7) Run your own background check or request a copy of one if that is how you discovered your information has been used by a criminal.

8) Alert your contacts. If hackers have accessed your device through SMS spoofing, they could use it to send spam or phishing messages to your contacts. They could impersonate you and ask for money or personal information. You should alert your contacts and warn them not to open or respond to any messages from you that seem suspicious or unusual.

9) Restore your device to factory settings. If you want to make sure that your device is completely free of any malware or spyware, you can restore it to factory settings. This will erase all your data and settings and reinstall the original version. You should back up your important data BEFORE doing this, and only restore it from a trusted source.

If you are a victim of identity theft, the most important thing to do is to take immediate action to mitigate the damage and prevent further harm.

MORE: HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE HAS READ YOUR TEXT MESSAGE

Kurt’s key takeaways

It’s possible for someone who doesn’t have physical possession of your phone to spoof your information for SMS spoofing. Though you might not have control over who gets your number, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

Have you ever received a convincing text spoof message? What were the telltale signs that it was a spoofed message? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

Ideas for using those Holiday Gift cards

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Two more xAI co-founders are among those leaving after the SpaceX merger

Published

2 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Two more xAI co-founders are among those leaving after the SpaceX merger

Since the xAI-SpaceX merger announced last week, which combined the two companies (as well as social media platform X) for a reported $1.25 trillion valuation — the biggest merger of all time — a handful of xAI employees and two of its co-founders have abruptly exited the company, penning long departure announcements online. Some also announced that they were starting their own AI companies.

Co-founder Yuhai (Tony) Wu announced his departure on X, writing that it was “time for [his] next chapter.” Jimmy Ba, another co-founder, posted something similar later that day, saying it was “time to recalibrate [his] gradient on the big picture.” The departures mean that xAI is now left with only half of its original 12 co-founders on staff.

It all comes after changing plans for the future of the combined companies, which Elon Musk recently announced would involve “space-based AI” data centers and vertical integration involving “AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.” Musk reportedly also talked of plans to build an AI satellite factory and city on the moon in an internal xAI meeting.

Musk wrote on X Wednesday that “xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve speed of execution” and claimed that the process “unfortunately required parting ways with some people,” then put out a call for more people to apply to the company. He also posted a recording of xAI’s 45-minute internal all-hands meeting that announced the changes.

“We’re organizing the company to be more effective at this scale,” Musk said during the meeting. He added that the company will now be organized in four main application areas: Grok Main and Voice, Coding, Imagine (image and video), and Macrohard (“which is intended to do full digital emulation of entire companies,” Musk said).

Technology

2026 Valentine’s romance scams and how to avoid them

Published

2 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

2026 Valentine’s romance scams and how to avoid them

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Valentine’s Day should be about connection. However, every February also becomes the busiest season of the year for romance scammers. In 2026, that risk is higher than ever.

These scams are no longer simple “lonely hearts” schemes. Instead, modern romance fraud relies on artificial intelligence, data brokers and stolen personal profiles. Rather than sending random messages and hoping for a response, scammers carefully select victims using detailed personal data. From there, they use AI to impersonate real people, create convincing conversations and build trust at scale.

As a result, if you are divorced, widowed or returning to online dating after the holidays, this is often the exact moment scammers target you.

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WHEN DATING APPS GET HACKED, YOUR PRIVATE LIFE GOES PUBLIC

Romance scams surge around Valentine’s Day as criminals use artificial intelligence and stolen data to target widowed, divorced and older adults returning to online dating. (Omar Karim/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The new face of romance scams in 2026

Romance scams are no longer slow, one-on-one cons. They’re now high-tech operations designed to target hundreds of people at once. Here’s what’s changed:

1) AI-generated personas that look and sound real

In the past, fake profiles used stolen photos and broken English. Today, scammers use AI-generated faces, voices and videos that don’t belong to any real person, making them almost impossible to reverse search.

You may be interacting with a profile that:

Has years of realistic-looking social media posts
Shares daily photos that match the story they tell
Sends customized voice notes that sound natural
Appears on “video calls” using AI face-mapping software.

Some scam networks even create entire fake families and friend groups online, so the person appears to have a real life, real friends and real history. To the victim, it feels like a genuine connection because the “person” behaves like one in every way.

2) Automated relationship scripts that adapt to you

Behind the scenes, many scammers now use software platforms that manage dozens of conversations at once. This is known as “scamware” and is incredibly hard to flag.

These systems:

Track your replies
Flag emotional triggers (grief, loneliness, fear, trust)
Suggest responses based on your mood and history.

When you mention that you are widowed, the tone quickly becomes more comforting. Meanwhile, if you say you are financially stable, the story shifts toward so-called “business opportunities.” And if you hesitate, the system responds by introducing urgency or guilt. It feels personal, but in reality, you’re being guided through a pre-written emotional funnel designed to lead to one outcome: money.

3) Crypto and “investment romance” scams

One of the fastest-growing versions of romance fraud now blends love and money. A BBC World Service investigation recently revealed that many romance scams are now run by organized criminal networks across Southeast Asia, using what insiders call the “pig butchering” model, where victims are slowly “fattened up” with trust before being financially destroyed.

These operations use call center style setups, data broker profiles, scripted conversations and AI tools to target thousands of people at once. This is not accidental fraud. It’s an industry.

And the reason you were selected is simple. Your personal data made you easy to find, easy to profile and easy to target.

After weeks of trust-building, the scammer introduces:

A “private” crypto platform
A fake trading app
A business or investment opportunity, “they use themselves.”

They may show fake dashboards, fake profits and even let you “withdraw” small amounts at first to build trust. But once larger sums are sent, the site disappears and so does the person. There is no investment. There is no account. And there is no way to recover the funds.

AI DEEPFAKE ROMANCE SCAM STEALS WOMAN’S HOME AND LIFE SAVINGS

Data brokers selling personal details fuel a new wave of romance fraud by helping scammers select financially stable, older victims before contact is made. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)

How scammers find you before you ever match

The biggest misconception is that romance scams begin on dating apps. They don’t. They begin long before that, inside massive databases run by data brokers. These companies collect and sell profiles that include:

Your age and marital status
Whether you’re widowed or divorced
Your home address history
Your phone number and email
Your family members and relatives
Your income range and retirement status.

Scammers buy this data to build shortlists of ideal victims.

The data brokers behind romance scams

They filter for:

Age 55-plus
Widowed or divorced
Living alone
Financially stable
Not active on social media.

That’s how they know who to target before the first message is ever sent.

Why are widowed and retired adults targeted first?

Scammers aren’t cruel by accident. They target people who are statistically more likely to respond. If you’ve lost a spouse, moved recently or reentered the dating world, your personal data often shows that. That makes you a priority target. And once your name lands on a scammer’s list, it can be sold again and again. That’s why many victims say, “I blocked them, but new ones keep showing up.” It’s not a coincidence. It’s data recycling.

How the scam usually unfolds

Most romance scams follow the same pattern:

Friendly introduction: A warm message. No pressure. Often references something personal about you.
Fast emotional bonding: They mirror your values, your experiences, even your grief.
Distance and excuses: They can’t meet. There’s always a reason: military deployment, overseas job, business travel.
A sudden “crisis”: Medical bills, business losses, frozen accounts, investment opportunities.
Money requests: Wire transfers, gift cards, crypto or “temporary help.”

By the time money is involved, the emotional connection is already strong. Many victims send thousands before realizing it’s a scam.

The Valentine’s Day cleanup that stops scams at the source

If you want fewer scam messages this year, you need to remove your personal information from the places scammers buy it. That’s where a data removal service comes in. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy.

These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Practical steps to protect yourself this February

Here’s what you can do right now:

Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person
Be skeptical of fast emotional bonding
Verify profiles with reverse image searches
Don’t share personal details early
Remove your data from broker sites.
Use strong antivirus software to block malicious links and fake login pages. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

When you combine these steps, you remove the access, urgency and leverage scammers rely on.

SUPER BOWL SCAMS SURGE IN FEBRUARY AND TARGET YOUR DATA

Cybercriminals now deploy AI-generated faces, voices and scripted conversations to impersonate real people and build trust at scale in modern romance scams. (Martin Bertrand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Kurt’s key takeaways

Romance scams are no longer random. They are targeted, data-driven and emotionally engineered. This Valentine’s Day, the best gift you can give yourself is privacy. By removing your personal data from broker databases, you make it harder for scammers to find you, profile you and exploit your trust. And that’s how you protect not just your heart, but your identity, your savings and your peace of mind.

Have you or someone you love been contacted by a Valentine’s Day romance scam that felt real or unsettling? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Published

14 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Uber announced a new AI feature called “Cart Assistant” for grocery shopping in its Uber Eats app.

The new feature works a couple different ways. You can use text prompts, as you would with any other AI chatbot, to ask it to build a grocery list for you. Or you can upload a picture of your shopping list and ask it to populate your cart with all your favorite items, based on your order history. You can be as generic as you — “milk, eggs, cereal” — and the bot will make a list with all your preferred brands.

And that’s just to start out. Uber says in the coming months, Cart Assistant will add more features, including “full recipe inspiration, meal plans, and the ability to ask follow up questions, and expand to retail partners.”

But like all chatbots, Uber acknowledges that Cart Assistant may make mistakes, and urges users to double-check and confirm the results before placing any orders.

It will also only work at certain grocery stores, with Uber announcing interoperability at launch with Albertsons, Aldi, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Safeway, Walgreen, and Wegmans. More stores will be added in the future, the company says.

Uber has a partnership with OpenAI to integrate Uber Eats into its own suite of apps. But Uber spokesperson Richard Foord declined to say whether the AI company’s technology was powering the new chatbot in Uber Eats. “Cart Assistant draws on publicly available LLM models as well as Uber’s own AI stack,” Foord said in an email.

Uber has been racing to add more AI-driven features to its apps, including robotaxis with Waymo and sidewalk delivery robots in several cities. The company also recently revived its AI Labs to collaborate with its partners on building better products using delivery and customer data.