What is a pop-up SMS scam?

Ever had a SMS message pop up on your phone screen then can’t find it in your messages? It may be a fake SMS pop-up scam, a new scam trend targeting Australians.

What is a pop-up SMS scam and how do they work?

Officially known as a ‘flash’ or ‘class 0 SMS’, a pop-up SMS scam is a text message that appears directly on a phone screen, even if locked.

The phone can’t be used until the message is dismissed or saved.

The message does not automatically save in a phone’s SMS inbox, making these scams harder to report and a powerful tool for criminals.

What are criminals doing with these pop-up SMSes?

Pop-up SMSes are often used legitimately by governments overseas to share urgent messages, such as safety warnings for fires, floods or natural disasters.

NAB Head of Security Culture and Advisory Laura Hartley said this style of pop-up SMS was now being hijacked by criminals to rip people off.

“These transnational, organised criminals are the same groups linked to drug and arms trafficking,” she said.

“The current bank impersonation scam trend is focused on trying to get people to ‘call’ NAB and that’s what we see in these messages customers have had reported to us. A few years ago, text messages were much more focused on trying to get people to click a link.”

How do you recognise a pop-up SMS scam?

There are common underlying red flags that appear in pop-up SMSes from criminals.

• Urgency to act about a problem like your NAB ID being used overseas or a suspicious transaction
• A reference number in a text message
• Being asked to handover account log ins, PIN codes or to make payments.

How can pop-up SMS scams be stopped?

Ms Hartley, a criminologist, said it is vital Australians know how to recognise the red flags of these scams.

“Once funds are sent it’s often very hard to recover money, despite our best efforts. Criminals quickly send it to overseas accounts or to cryptocurrency platforms knowing it makes it harder to retrieve,” Ms Hartley said.

“You can turn off pop-up SMSes on some mobile phones. However, it’s best to exercise some caution here given these messages are often used overseas for emergency warnings about natural disasters.”

Other tips to protect yourself from pop-up SMS scams include:

• Slow down and ask yourself, ‘Could this be a scam?’
• Show the message to a trusted family member, friend or colleague for a second opinion
• Visit the website of organisation being impersonated to see if they’ve warned about the scam

What should I do if I receive a pop-up text message from ‘NAB’?

Ms Hartley encouraged customers and the community to report pop-up SMS claiming to be from NAB to phish@nab.com.au.

“You can also report it to your telco provider,” she said.

Will NAB ever send customers a pop-up SMS message?

NAB does not contact customers using pop-up SMS messages.

“If you aren’t sure if it is legitimately NAB contacting you, call the bank using details you have found yourself via our website or on the back of your card,” Ms Hartley said.

“Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed.”