Published 2:20 pm Monday, October 20, 2025
By Christopher Keizur
Multnomah County is being warned about a new “smishing” text message scam sweeping across the region.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said the scam utilizes fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information, or providing money to cybercriminals. The phrase “smishing” is a portmanteau of “SMS” and “phishing.”
The text messages often appear innocuous at first. They look like a message sent to the wrong person. In reality they are part of a widespread campaign. Scammers send out thousands of texts to random phone numbers in the hope someone replies.
If you respond, scammers confirm the number is active and they’ve reached a real person. From there they attempt to build trust and legitimacy before ultimately seeking to steal personal or financial information.
Some recent examples the MCSO has seen:
Experts have a variety of ways to protect yourself. That includes:

source