Tech Pros Say To Watch Out For This 3-Word Text Message Scammers Rely On To Steal Your Info: ‘It’s A Red Flag’

“Would You Kindly”

It sounds innocent and even “kind,” but receiving a text that starts off with or includes the phrase “Would you kindly” is a sign that something is amiss on the other end of your phone.

According to Bajarin, “You’ll often hear it used in countries with British influence, perhaps once a colonial country, where English isn’t their mother tongue [such as Nigeria, India and Pakistan].” Because this word is common in other places, it could be a sign that the message is being sent from an overseas “boiler room” with the purpose of scamming you.

Any unsolicited text, robocall, or social media message should raise the flags for you, but when these messages include words not commonly used in the U.S. or that have spelling and lots of grammatical mistakes, this is a strong sign that the person or company the sender claims they are or are from is not the truth. Never click on a link sent to you via an unsolicited email or text and always delete and/or report these messages — don’t write back.