Explain It to Me That text is a scam
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Nov 2, 2025 
Join investigative minds Alex Salmon, a Slate reporter who engaged with a smishing job scam, Matt Burgess of Wired delving into how these scams proliferate, and Erin West, a former prosecutor turning the spotlight on human trafficking linked to scam call centers. They unravel the mechanics behind scam texts, the shocking conditions in scam compounds, and the disturbing intersection of crime and exploitation. Discover how to recognize and combat these pervasive threats while learning about the dark underbelly of scams that prey on the unsuspecting.
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Reporter Joins A Fake Remote Job
- Alex Salmon replied to a group text offering remote product-tester jobs and got recruited via WhatsApp by "Kathy."
- He performed repetitive clicking tasks, was asked to buy Bitcoin to "refresh" his account, and never successfully cashed out.
Smishing Triad's Scale And Business Model
- The Smishing Triad is a prolific smishing syndicate sending massive volumes of scam texts and selling scam software.
- They impersonate organizations worldwide and run hundreds of thousands of malicious sites to harvest victims' data.
Why Text Scams Keep Coming
- Scammers obtain phone numbers via data breaches, underground markets, or data brokers and automate mass messaging using virtual phone setups.
- Blocking one number rarely stops messages because attackers switch numbers rapidly.