"Unknown" text. saying restart phone

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thirdcrank
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"Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by thirdcrank »

I've just had a text from an account called "Unknown" with "great news" telling me to restart my phone. I presume it's a scam and I've deleted it but I can't see what a scammer might have to gain, other than the satisfaction of feeling they are a pain
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Pastychomper
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Pastychomper »

I understand some networks will send out texts asking people to restart their 'phones after some types of update to the network infrastructure, but the "great news" bit does sound suspicious.

Maybe someone was hankering after the old days of the internet: Around 2000 it was common for people in certain circles to remotely reboot each other's computers if they were running certain versions of Windows, supposedly it was easy to do because Microsoft didn't consider security a high priority. People with more secure systems would sometimes receive joke emails containing an "honour virus", which consisted of polite instructions to delete random files and/or restart their computer.
Everyone's ghast should get a good flabbering now and then.
--Ole Boot
Psamathe
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Psamathe »

thirdcrank wrote: 23 May 2022, 9:16am I've just had a text from an account called "Unknown" with "great news" telling me to restart my phone. I presume it's a scam and I've deleted it but I can't see what a scammer might have to gain, other than the satisfaction of feeling they are a pain
Do you have to press a button in the mail message to restart your phone?

What e-mail privacy settings are you using? e.g. have you blocked loading of remote content? (as if you have not then the sender may already know you have received the message ...).

Ian
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
there's just recently been a ios update to 15.5!
Assuming you've got a phone later than SE First gen iphone six and later..........
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
thirdcrank
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by thirdcrank »

It's an iphone so updates are notified through settings and once launched (?) the phone goes through a verification routine then updates itself including any restarts. It then usually (possibly always) wants the PIN entering to get going again.

There was nothing in this text to click on or do anything else except for the exhortation to restart, which I have ignored. I simply deleted it through the normal process for deleting a text.
Psamathe
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Psamathe »

thirdcrank wrote: 23 May 2022, 11:12am It's an iphone so updates are notified through settings and once launched (?) the phone goes through a verification routine then updates itself including any restarts. It then usually (possibly always) wants the PIN entering to get going again.

There was nothing in this text to click on or do anything else except for the exhortation to restart, which I have ignored. I simply deleted it through the normal process for deleting a text.
If it was a text, there used to be some vulnerabilities with receiving malformed text messages. Last I remember was ages ago but I don't keep track of Apple security bugs. Either way, it's been fixed but you can occasionally find people still sending out long fixed attacks on the chance somebody is using an old or not updated phone. The one I'm thinking of from years ago was a sequence of 75 weird Unicode characters so you'd have had somd gobbldy-gook in the message somewhere.

Ian
Psamathe
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Psamathe »

More recently are exploits sometimes knows as Megalodon or Forcedentry used by the NSO and apparently also others. I don't have detailed knowledge but I'm sure Google will provide more details.

Ian
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Recent iPhone 15.5 is to fix vulnerabilities, 25 to 28 off IIRC.
If you don't have ios 15.5 then this might be a problem if it was opened.

SMS is not regarded as safe, so all decent security advise is to not use SMS for security 2FA etc, when transmitting receiving codes for access to accounts.

Best advise delete without reading, that includes emails also.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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Mick F
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Mick F »

Unsolicited texts?

Mrs Mick F is in The Gambia, and we converse using Facebook Messenger. She's home at the weekend. :D
I needed access to one of her bank accounts and I know when you try to log in, they text you with a security code.
I know her login details, but I didn't know if she could receive texts out there, so I sent her one to test it out.

It cost HER £21 to receive it! :shock:
After that, I dropped the idea of logging into her account!

So, what happens if you are sent an unsolicited text if you're abroad?
If she got one, it would cost her another £21.
Mick F. Cornwall
thirdcrank
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by thirdcrank »

I'll probably never know what happens, but by coincidence, I've just received one telling me my purchased item has been delivered and to collect it. Totally mystified, I've deleted it, without following the link.
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Pastychomper
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Pastychomper »

Mick F wrote: 24 May 2022, 10:37am So, what happens if you are sent an unsolicited text if you're abroad?
If she got one, it would cost her another £21.
A few years ago I learned from experience that companies sending (domestic) unsolicited texts were able to charge for the privilege by reverse-billing for the messages. They are supposed to get permission first, but I'm pretty sure this one didn't. Fortunately it was easy to cancel and I didn't lose much, but it's something to be aware of.

Nowadays I avoid it by using pay-as-you-go with pre-paid bundles, so there's hardly ever anything in the account to pinch.
Everyone's ghast should get a good flabbering now and then.
--Ole Boot
Psamathe
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Psamathe »

Mick F wrote: 24 May 2022, 10:37am Unsolicited texts?

Mrs Mick F is in The Gambia, and we converse using Facebook Messenger. She's home at the weekend. :D
I needed access to one of her bank accounts and I know when you try to log in, they text you with a security code.
I know her login details, but I didn't know if she could receive texts out there, so I sent her one to test it out.

It cost HER £21 to receive it! :shock:
After that, I dropped the idea of logging into her account!

So, what happens if you are sent an unsolicited text if you're abroad?
If she got one, it would cost her another £21.
When I go travelling I set a spend cap on my mobile account (it's probably still in place as everything I do on the phone is covered by my monthly contract). In many countries I go to there is a high risk of your phone being stolen and then contacting the UK network operator, blocking the SIM, etc. will be difficult and I don't want to come home to £10k+ phone bill!

Outside any roaming countries I generally also remove my SIM card as well. You can easily contact your bank and change your mobile number to a local SIM - my bank will do this over the phone once they've done their "digits 2,5 and 8 from your code ..." and they will put in an overseas phone number.

Ian
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Mick F
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Mick F »

Good afternoon guys!
Mrs Mick F took her old iPhone with her and has a local Gambian SIM in it, as well as the new one with her Vodafone SIM.

When we use Facebook Messenger to chat or to message, I don't know which iPhone she's using - never asked. Both have Messenger on them, and both have internet and - and when it's available - WiFi too.
New iPhone is a 6s and the old one is iPhone 5c.

She has to be careful with respect to battery life/charge because there are days without lecky.
I bought her a solar panel charger last year, but she forgot to take it with her. She won't forget next time!

Good point in putting a cap on the account.
She's been away since the very end of March, and I have a long list of stuff to converse with her when she gets home on Sunday. The phone charges will be part of it.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Mick F
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Mick F »

Update, after chatting to Mrs Mick F.

She's had another text! :shock:
Not from me.
Also Vodafone have put a cap on her account due to the charges. She must be up to £40 by now just for two texts! :shock:

What she has done, is to remove her SIM so she won't get any texts, but after experimenting with a spare phone here without a SIM in it, I can still text to it via Wi-Fi.

Only way to stop texts (with and iPhone) is to go to Settings and scroll down to Messages, and turn off iMessage.
Checked, and it works. Removing the SIM does not.

Yes, I have FaceBook messaged her with my findings.
Mick F. Cornwall
Psamathe
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Re: "Unknown" text. saying restart phone

Post by Psamathe »

Mick F wrote: 25 May 2022, 3:05pm Update, after chatting to Mrs Mick F.

She's had another text! :shock:
Not from me.
Also Vodafone have put a cap on her account due to the charges. She must be up to £40 by now just for two texts! :shock:

What she has done, is to remove her SIM so she won't get any texts, but after experimenting with a spare phone here without a SIM in it, I can still text to it via Wi-Fi.

Only way to stop texts (with and iPhone) is to go to Settings and scroll down to Messages, and turn off iMessage.
Checked, and it works. Removing the SIM does not.

Yes, I have FaceBook messaged her with my findings.
Another method that might work is Wi-Fi Calling. Whether it works or not depends on network, features offered on your contract and who you ask in the network. I can only give my own situation for my contract with EE but, put the phone into Airplane mode and leave Wi-Fi on and Wi-Fi calling will still work (and it does not take much bandwidth and can work on not very good Wi-Fi links). I've not been able to find out exactly what checks Wi-Fi calling makes but asking EE Customer Services and searching their online forum and you can get different answers. Some Customer Services say you can use Wi-Fi Calling when overseas (outside roaming) and as you are not roaming through an overseas GSM provider you will be changed as though in the UK. Other agents have said differently.

Wi-Fi Calling supports both calls and texts. Use a VPN through a UK Server and more likely to not be charged.

I interpret the different answers as being that they don't know and are to a degree guessing. I periodically ask, but in reality countries where I don't have free roaming provided I tend to get a local SIM as having a local GSM data is useful (e.g. to check on hostels from the bus heading to somewhere). I'll use Facetime or Skype or Signal for calls a messages. If it was important I'd call the network Customer Services and if they said you can do it I'd get them to put a note on my "file" to that effect so if I were charged I'd have a good case that I should not be charged. I've done the same to avoid their "Fair Use" clauses on longer tours where they've texted me warning I'm going to break their "Fair Use" clauses and will soon be charged. Now there is a not on my file that my circumstances are such that the fair use clauses to not apply.

Ian
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