Scams
Scammers are sending texts that say little more than your name and a question mark, hoping you’ll fire back a quick ‘Who’s this?’ out of politeness. The thing is, any reply at all proves your number is live and that you’ll chat — which is exactly what they’re after. From there they can resell your number or slowly spin the chat into a fake friendship that ends in a crypto or investment con.
The move
Don’t reply at all — not even ‘wrong number’ — then report the text in your messaging app and block the sender. If you think it might actually be someone you know, reach them on a number or app you already trust.
Practise it: Swipe to Survive →
For teachers
Talking about this in class
Someone in Year 10 gets a text that just says their first name and a question mark. It feels personal, so the instinct is to fire back ‘Who’s this?’ Ask the class: what’s the harm in a one-word reply to a text with no link in it?
Most will say none. Follow up with what the sender learns from any answer at all, even ‘wrong number’. A good answer gets there: the number is live and the person behind it talks back. That’s the prize. A confirmed number can be sold on as a target, or the chat slowly built into a fake crypto or investment con. If a message might be genuine, don’t reply to check: reach the person on a number or app you already trust.
Swipe to Survive practises the same habit with ‘new number’ money requests and other scam texts: verify on a number you already have.
If a student has already replied or been drawn into a longer chat, reassure them first: it’s a common trick and no fault of theirs. They should stop replying, then block and report the number. If money or bank details came up, pass it on through your school’s usual route.