Watch out for text messages from 213 area code which appear friendly or start with a ‘Hello’ greeting. If you’ve got a text message from an unknown sender using 213 area code, it’s likely a scam. Read on to find out details of this scam and how to stay protected;
What is The 213 area code Text Message Scam?
The 213 area code scam is a social engineering scam from fraudsters attempting to win your trust and trick you into voluntarily disclosing your personal or financial details. Often times, the text message might seem harmless, like a friendly conversation, however it’s a tactic to make people lower their guards.
How The Scam Works
There are so many variations of this scam; via text message, WhatsApp, or Phone Call. It could start with a simple sentence like; ‘Hey, are you busy?’ ‘How are you?’ ‘yo is this (your name)’, etc.
Once the recipient responds to the text, the fraudster would pretend to have come across the telephone after buying a phone. Then once the conversation kicks off, the fraudster would claim to be a girl and send the recipient pictures gotten off the internet. This would then lead to a romance scam.
The 213 area code has also been reported for employment scams. This variation of scam starts with a sentence; ‘Do you want to work remotely?’ or something similar. Once the recipient indicate interest they’d be offered a lucrative job, but then scammed with the ‘Processing fee’ ‘training fee’ or ‘equipment fee’ tactic. This is a typical advance fee fraud.
Is The 213 Area Code Only Used by Fraudsters?
Absolutely not, the 213 area code is located in part of Los Angeles, originally covering California. However, it is the top-reported area code for scam calls because scammers can easily spoof the area code. Call spoofing is a technique used to falsify the number displayed on your caller ID. Most times the text messages or calls is from a different country like India, Nigeria, etc.
Here’s what to do If you get a strange text message or unknown phone call from 213 area code
- Do not respond no matter how friendly the text or voice call sounds
- Block The Sender Number. You can do this by flagging the telephone number as spam.
- Delete The Text Message. Deleting the text message will prevent you from mistakenly replying or clicking on it.
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