Recipients of SMS text messages or calls from telephone numbers starting with: 1-410-200-500, instructing them to click on a link to visit a website or respond, are asked to delete the messages, and should not follow instructions in them or the callers'. This is because 1-410-200-500 and sequential numbers are being used by scammers to trick potential victims into visiting phishing websites that steal account credentials, personal and financial information. The number is also being used to trick potential victims into visiting malicious websites that will trick them into installing malicious apps.
Other sequential numbers being used by scammers are:
- 1-410-200-511
- 1-410-200-502
- 1-410-200-505
- 1-410-200-501
- 1-410-200-506
- 1-410-200-503
- 1-410-200-504
- 1-410-200-507
- 1-410-200-520
- 1-410-200-508
- 1-410-200-509
- 1-410-200-510
Therefore, recipients of phone calls and text messages from telephone numbers starting with "1410-200," where the callers or senders request money or personal information, or ask the recipients to go to a link, are asked to be careful.
Today, I received a text message from: 1-410-200-500, which claims it is an iOS update, and instructed me to click the link in it in order to update by iPhone. But, Apple doesn’t sent SMS text messages with a link to update. Therefore, iPhone users should never click on links in SMS text messages, which claim to be updates, or some other form of important notification. Remember, Tablets, iPhone and other Smartphones will automatically check for updates and display a notification when there is one. The makers of these mobile devices will never send a link in a text or an email message, instructioning the owners to update their mobile devices.