Fake texts

[Osc]

I got a text yesterday purporting to be from a friend's number, but although he is in my contacts, it did not show as being from him, just from the number. It was allegedly forwarded on from another given number which neither he nor I recognise.

Our friend is in the middle of a nasty marriage breakup and this text outlined what his ex is alleging. I know that she barely knows how to turn on a computer but I'm assuming someone is doing this for her, it's not the first time similar texts have been sent but my first time receiving one. I presume there are apps and computer programmes out there that allow you to do this but how come my phone didn't recognise the number from where it was allegedly sent? I don't suppose there is any way for me to track it back?

[debih]

I've never heard of this Osc.

I suppose you could try your phone provider and ask them if there is any way of tracing it.

[Diflower]

You can send a text from a pc, I think your phone then wouldn't 'know' who it's from even though the number is the same.

[Osc]

You can send a text from a pc, I think your phone then wouldn't 'know' who it's from even though the number is the same.

That was what I thought, Di - this is a horrible situation, we have stayed friends with the husband and feel that whatever is going on between them is none of our business. He has had some horrible texts, with threats to contact his new lady friend (nothing to do with breakup) and "tell her what a b*****d you are", and lots of other nastiness. But this is the first one I have had, set up to seem as if he forwarded on a text that his ex sent to his daughter. But the ex didn't send it to the daughter in the first place nor did he forward anything on to me. I've googled and see that there are apps and programmes that will enable you to send texts that look as if they come from a different number. He can't change his number as he uses the phone for work.

[Suff]

I send text's from Skype. I can tell Skype which number to put in as the originating phone and it does not have to be mine.

I assume that other services can do the same as the app based PC texting need an originating number to reply to. For me it's my Vodafone number. I have the interesting situation where I send a text out on the PC and receive the reply via my phone.

I guess you can complain to your phone provider. They will know the originating service and can raise the complaint for you to that provider. The provider will know who sent it and can issue a warning to not abuse the return phone number.

I don't recall Skype sending me a text to my phone when I changed the originating number....

[Diflower]

It's horrid isn't it Osc, I had something like that with best mate years ago, his longtime-ex wife was/is a bit of a loony (for want of a better word), and would 'play' with phones, pc's, etc, going through any names and numbers she could think of.

[Workingman]

Could I be a Devil's Advocate?

I know that she barely knows how to turn on a computer but I'm assuming someone is doing this for her.

There are many ways of spoofing texts, but they do require a bit of knowledge, so it could be that someone is helping her.

Another alternative is that the sender/forwarder does have that capability. Sorry Osc, but it could be that your friend is using SMS for their own ends. It does happen, I have the T shirt.