Double Check

Is the friendly 'wrong number' text a scam?

A typical version of this message
Hey Jessica, it was so great seeing you at Amanda's dinner last week! Are we still on for golf on Saturday? — Oh I'm so sorry, I think I have the wrong number! But you seem nice, haha. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?
Why it is a wrong number scam
Yes — the wrong number is deliberate. This is the opening move of what investigators call pig-butchering: a patient scam where the 'accidental' contact grows into weeks of friendly chat, sometimes romance, and eventually a can't-miss cryptocurrency investment on a fake trading platform that shows fake profits until you try to withdraw. The friendliness is the product — these messages are sent by organized operations, at scale, to numbers dialed at random.
What to do
A real wrong-number sender says sorry and stops. Anyone who tries to keep chatting is working. Do not reply — even 'wrong number' confirms your line is active. Block and delete. If someone you have never met in person ever steers talk toward investing or crypto, that is the scam revealing itself — no exceptions.

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Checked by Double Check on August 31, 2026. This page documents a widely reported scam pattern; the example wording is representative, with links and personal details replaced. See more in the scam guide or recent answers.