Group Text and RCS Message Scams
Scammers add you to group texts and chat-style messages with strangers, promoting investments, jobs or fake prizes. How these scams work and how to leave and report safely.
Your phone buzzes repeatedly: you have been added to a group text with dozens of strangers. Someone is sharing "investment tips", a "job opportunity" or a prize. Others in the group reply enthusiastically. This is a group messaging scam, and the enthusiasm is often staged.
How group message scams work
- Your number is added to a group text or chat-style message with many other numbers.
- A "host" or "mentor" shares offers: stock tips, crypto signals, remote jobs, prizes.
- Accounts controlled by scammers post success stories.
- You are invited to move to WhatsApp or Telegram, install an app or deposit money. See task scams and investment scams.
Why it is risky to reply
- Replying, even "stop", shows your number is active.
- Your reply exposes your number to everyone in the group.
- It can pull you into conversations designed to persuade.
What to do
- Do not reply or click links.
- Leave the group if your app allows, and mute it if not.
- Block and report the sender using your messaging app's "report junk" or spam option.
- Report the scam through your network or national service. See how to report scam texts.
Never invest or pay fees based on tips from strangers in a group chat. The testimonials are part of the scam.
Added to a strange group? Paste a message into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check.
For more, see phishing by email, SMS and phone in our complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is RCS messaging?
Rich Communication Services, a modern form of text messaging that supports chat features like typing indicators and group chats. Scammers use it and similar chat features to send richer messages.
Should I reply 'stop' to a group text?
No. Replying confirms your number is active and exposes it to everyone in the group. Leave, block and report instead.
Why are there other people in the group?
Some are other victims whose numbers were added; some may be accounts controlled by the scammers to make the group look busy and legitimate.
Sources
- How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages, US Federal Trade Commission
- Investment Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Phishing: spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls, UK National Cyber Security Centre
