Hey, it's Kate. We're off today as part of our Thanksgiving break, but we wanted to remind you of this

episode from last year. It's about the rise of a new kind of con that starts with a text. Here it is. Our colleague Robert McMillan

covers cybersecurity and he's been reporting on a growing problem.

Texting scams.

Maybe you've gotten one.

There are these text messages that come from numbers you don't recognize,

and usually they try to strike up a conversation.

You probably ignore them.

But Bob, he doesn't.

For the last month or two, every time I get one of these obscure text messages, I respond.

And I got a text message on Friday at 4 p.m I haven't answered it but I think I should

answer it now the mess here let me read the message to you okay says good

evening I hope you had a good and productive day long time no see I have updated my number how are you doing you don't recognize the number no I don't recognize it's a 530 number.

Okay and what's your reply?

I'm going to say, I think you have the wrong number.

Do I know you? But I've been doing this for a couple of months and usually what happens is they send me back a pitcher right away.

And it's usually a young attractive looking person. then they say I don't know you but you seem interesting.

But the people texting Bob aren't actually interested in him. They're interested in his money. These texts

are part of a new crypto scam. It's sophisticated and it can go on for months. It's

called pig butchering. So the problem is if you respond to these

messages they have these scripts they use that are basically designed to entice a

certain type of person into a relationship.

...