It usually happens on a Sunday afternoon. Or maybe during your lunch break. Your iPhone buzzes. A text from a random number you don’t recognize.
Unknown Number (Area Code 213): “Hi Mandy! Are we still on for yoga at 3 PM?”
You look at your phone. You are not Mandy. You do not do yoga. So, being a polite American, you reply: “Sorry, you have the wrong number.”
Normally, that should be the end of it, right? But it’s not. Two seconds later, they reply: “Oh my god, I am so sorry! My assistant gave me the wrong number. You are so polite to correct me. I hope I didn’t disturb your day! I am Li, by the way.”
And then they send a picture. Usually, it’s a photo of a very attractive Asian woman sitting in a luxury car, or playing golf, or eating at a high-end sushi restaurant in LA or NYC.
Stop. Do not reply. Do not say “Nice to meet you, Li.” Do not send a selfie back.
You are currently standing on the edge of the most dangerous financial scam in the United States right now. The FBI calls it “Pig Butchering” (Sha Zhu Pan). And that “nice woman” who just texted you? It’s likely a guy in a warehouse in Southeast Asia working for a crime syndicate, and his only goal is to drain your 401(k).
I know, that sounds dramatic. It sounds like a movie plot. But I have a friend in Texas who lost $45,000 to this exact text message last year. Here is the chaotic, honest breakdown of how they get you, why they target US numbers specifically, and how to stop them.
The “Long Con” (Why It Feels Real)
Unlike the “IRS Scam” calling you saying “You are under arrest,” this scam is scary because it is patient.
They don’t ask for money today. They don’t ask for money next week. They just want to be “friends.”
If you keep replying, they will chat with you for months.
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They will ask about your dog.
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They will complain about the traffic in San Francisco (even if they’ve never been there).
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They will send you pictures of their “lunch.”
They build a genuine emotional connection. You think you made a random friend by accident. Then, one day, they casually mention: “Oh, I just made $5,000 trading USDT (Tether) on this new app. My uncle teaches me. Do you want me to show you?”
This is the trap. They tell you to download a crypto app. Here is the twist: The app looks real. It’s on the App Store. It looks like Coinbase or Kraken. But it’s a fake version. You connect your bank account via Zelle or wire transfer. You invest $1,000. The screen shows you made a profit! You have $1,200 now! You invest $10,000. The screen shows $15,000!
You feel like a genius. You liquidate your savings. You put in $100,000. And then… when you try to withdraw the money? Error. “You must pay a 20% tax fee to withdraw.” That is when you realize. The money was never invested. It went straight to a crypto wallet in Cambodia. And it is gone forever.
Why They Target US Numbers (+1)
You might be wondering: “Why me?” It’s not personal. It’s just math.
Scammers love +1 (USA/Canada) numbers because:
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High Income: Americans are statistically more likely to have disposable income or retirement savings compared to other regions.
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iMessage Trust: If the text comes through as a blue bubble (iMessage), we trust it more than a green bubble. Scammers know this. They register emails to Apple IDs just to get that blue bubble.
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Politeness: Americans have a cultural habit of replying to “Wrong Numbers” to be helpful. In other countries, people just block/ignore. We say “Sorry, wrong person!” which flags our number as “Active.”
The “WhatsApp Move”
This is the biggest Red Flag. The conversation starts on SMS/iMessage. But very quickly, usually within 10 texts, they will say: “I don’t use this app much, it’s for work. Can we move to WhatsApp or Telegram? It is safer/faster there.”
Why do they do this? Because US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) are getting better at flagging spam texts. If they keep texting you on SMS, the carrier might block them. WhatsApp is encrypted. Once they get you there, Verizon can’t save you. Rule of Thumb: If a stranger asks to move to an encrypted messaging app? Block them.
How to Stop the Texts (The Settings Fix)
If you are getting three of these a week, your number is on a “Sucker List.” You need to go dark.
1. The “Silence Unknown Callers” (iOS) Apple has a feature that saves my sanity.
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Go to Settings > Phone.
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Scroll down to Silence Unknown Callers.
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Turn it ON. Now, if a number isn’t in your Contacts, your phone won’t even ring. It goes straight to Voicemail. If it’s important (like your dentist), they will leave a message. If it’s a scammer, they won’t.
2. Filter Unknown Senders (Messages)
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Go to Settings > Messages.
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Turn on Filter Unknown Senders. This creates a separate tab in your iMessage app for people you don’t know. You won’t get a notification ping when “Mandy” texts you about yoga.
3. Report it to the Carrier (7726) If you get a spam text, do not reply “STOP” (that just tells them you exist). Instead:
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Copy the message.
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Paste it into a new text.
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Send it to 7726 (spells SPAM). Most US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) use this to update their spam filters. It actually helps.
The Tangent (My Dad almost fell for this)
(I have to share this because it’s embarrassing but true. My own dad who warned me about strangers in vans when I was a kid was texting a “Golf Buddy” named “Anna” for three weeks. He was literally about to send her $500 to “test” a crypto platform before I grabbed his phone at Thanksgiving dinner. It can happen to anyone. Smart people fall for this because they are lonely, not because they are stupid).
The Bottom Line
If you get a text that says: “Hi [Wrong Name]?” “Is this the dog groomer?” “Are we meeting for BBQ?”
Do not reply. Do not be polite. Just swipe left, hit “Report Junk,” and delete it. “Mandy” does not want to be your friend. She wants your wallet.
Stay safe out there. And keep your Zelle account locked down.
