The Uber Spam Text Messages: How to Protect Yourself From It

The seemingly random uber code text involves unsolicited spam text messages that offer up a four-digit Uber code advising you to reply STOP to the phone number in the message.

There are slight variants out there, but they all follow a similar theme, encouraging you to interact with the message, either by texting STOP or doing something else to do with it.

At best, if you send a message containing STOP, you demonstrate to the scammer they’ve found an active number so they may increase how much they text you. At worst, you could be replying to a premium rate number, leaving you to be charged a lot for it. Premium rate numbers get expensive fast and it’s a quick and easy way for a scammer to make money out of you.

The best thing to do is to look up the number you’re sent before texting anything back. Check to see if it’s a legitimate number from Uber. If in doubt, don’t send the message. If it’s a genuine Uber message, you’ll almost certainly be able to identify it via the app or by contacting Uber support.

You may be lucky though and you’ve just demonstrated that your phone number is active. Keep an eye out for any other spam text messages and be wary in the future.

How Do I Avoid Being Targeted For The Uber Code Text Scam?

As the Uber spam text messages often randomly target people, rather than focuses on specific phone numbers, it can be tricky to avoid ever receiving such a message from a scammer. There are some key ways that reduce your chances though, including

• Don’t hand out your phone number needlessly: Many places online are keen for you to hand over your personal details in exchange for setting up various services. Don’t be too eager to hand everything over, especially where phone numbers are concerned. Oftentimes, it’s not necessary.
• Carefully read each text you receive: Smishing attempts rely on you not paying attention or blindly accepting the message you’ve received. Be aware and look out for anything that doesn’t make sense to you. Trust your instincts.
• Know how a company will contact you: Companies have different ways of contacting you. Some will send SMS messages while others don’t. Be aware of how your company responds to things from you. If the company never sends text messages, then don’t respond to any supposed texts from them. If in doubt, don’t get involved: Not sure about a message? Go to the relevant official website and check there, rather than clicking any random links, as they can lead to fake websites. Go to the Uber app and sign in to check what’s going on with your account.