Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

Frnds of Frnds Text Invite Scam Messages
Frnds of Frnds Text Invite Scam Messages

The "Frnds of Frnds" or "Friends of Friends" text invite is a highly deceptive phishing scam designed to hijack your personal accounts and target your contacts.

How the Scam Works

  • The Bait: You receive a text message or email inviting you to an event like a party, wedding, or graduation.
  • The Hook: The message uses the name of a real friend, coworker, or ex-acquaintance as the host to look legitimate.
  • The Trap: Clicking the link opens a fake login screen (often a spoofed Gmail or Evite page) asking for your email username and password to "view event details" or RSVP.
  • The Takeover: If you enter your info, scammers steal your password, log into your real accounts, and blast the same scam text to all of your friends.

Key Red Flags

  • Login Demands: A real digital invitation (like Evite or Paperless Post) will never ask a guest to enter their personal email password to see event details.
  • Generic Messaging: The text has zero specific details about parking, locations, or dates until you log in.
  • Mismatched Links: Hovering over or inspecting the URL reveals it does not lead to an official site like evite.com or paperlesspost.com.

What To Do

  1. Do Not Click the Link: If you haven't clicked it, simply ignore the text and delete it.
  2. Verify Separately: Call or text your friend directly through your normal contact list to ask if they actually sent it.
  3. Change Your Password Immediately: If you already clicked and typed your password, change that account password right away to lock the scammers out.
  4. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Turn on 2FA on your email and social accounts so hackers cannot log in, even if they have your password.
  5. Report It: Forward the spam text to 7726 (the universal spam reporting number for mobile carriers) and report it to the FTC Fraud Website.
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