Users Receive Spam Messages from their Own Number, Verizon Confirms

The Verizon store in Superior, Colorado, US, July 27, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
The Verizon store in Superior, Colorado, US, July 27, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
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Users Receive Spam Messages from their Own Number, Verizon Confirms

The Verizon store in Superior, Colorado, US, July 27, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
The Verizon store in Superior, Colorado, US, July 27, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

The wireless carrier Verizon blamed “bad actors” for thousands of spam text messages recently received by its customers and said it was working with federal law enforcement agencies to try to identify the source.

The telecom giant confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that its customers had been targeted by the ‘rogue texts’ offering them a gift.

Some users had reported being forwarded to Russian state media sites when they clicked on links in the texts, but Verizon was treating the texts as a more typical phishing scheme aimed at defrauding consumers.

“As part of a recent fraud scheme, bad actors have been sending text messages to some Verizon customers which appear to come from the customers’ own number,” the statement said. “Our company has significantly curtailed this current activity, but virtually all wireless providers have faced similar fraudulent activity in recent months.”

The scheme highlighted a steady rise in the number of complaints filed with the federal government by consumers who said that they were the victims of spam text messages. Verizon spokesman Rich Young told The New York Times that Verizon had blocked one of the numbers that sent some of the messages, but that the source was continuing to use other numbers to spam customers.

There was no indication, Mr. Young said, that the messages came from Russia, which has become suspected of carrying out cyberattacks amid that country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Security experts generally advise against clicking on links sent from strange or unrecognized accounts. The intent of the fraudulent solicitations is to get people to enter their credit card information, Young said. The F.B.I. declined to comment on Wednesday, as did the Secret Service, while T-Mobile said that it had found no evidence of its customers receiving the text messages.

In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission said that it received 377,840 reports of fraud stemming from text message solicitations, with losses totaling $131 million.



OpenAI Finds More Chinese Groups Using ChatGPT for Malicious Purposes

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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OpenAI Finds More Chinese Groups Using ChatGPT for Malicious Purposes

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

OpenAI is seeing an increasing number of Chinese groups using its artificial intelligence technology for covert operations, which the ChatGPT maker described in a report released Thursday.

While the scope and tactics employed by these groups have expanded, the operations detected were generally small in scale and targeted limited audiences, the San Francisco-based startup said, according to Reuters.

Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, there have been concerns about the potential consequences of generative AI technology, which can quickly and easily produce human-like text, imagery and audio.

OpenAI regularly releases reports on malicious activity it detects on its platform, such as creating and debugging malware, or generating fake content for websites and social media platforms.

In one example, OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts that generated social media posts on political and geopolitical topics relevant to China, including criticism of a Taiwan-centric video game, false accusations against a Pakistani activist, and content related to the closure of USAID.

Some content also criticized US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, generating X posts, such as "Tariffs make imported goods outrageously expensive, yet the government splurges on overseas aid. Who's supposed to keep eating?".

In another example, China-linked threat actors used AI to support various phases of their cyber operations, including open-source research, script modification, troubleshooting system configurations, and development of tools for password brute forcing and social media automation.

A third example OpenAI found was a China-origin influence operation that generated polarized social media content supporting both sides of divisive topics within US political discourse, including text and AI-generated profile images.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on OpenAI's findings.

OpenAI has cemented its position as one of the world's most valuable private companies after announcing a $40 billion funding round valuing the company at $300 billion.