That text is a scam

Explain It to Me

Vox Media Podcast Network

Education, Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.4 • 7.9K Ratings

🗓️ 2 November 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You know those annoying scam texts offering an easy, remote job? We find out how they work, why they're so ubiquitous and the dark world behind them. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen and Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jenny Lawton with help from Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Adriene Lilly and Brandon McFarland, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Image credit Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images. If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for this show comes from OnePassword. If you're an IT or security pro, managing devices,
0:08.3	identities, and applications can feel overwhelming and risky. Trellica by OnePassword helps
0:14.8	conquer SaaS sprawl and Shadow IT by discovering every app your team uses, managed or not.
0:20.9	Take the first step to better security for your team.
0:24.1	Learn more at OnePassword.com slash podcast offer.
0:29.1	That's OnePassword.com slash podcast offer, all lowercase.
0:37.5	Support for this show comes from Aramis fragrances.
0:41.5	Aramis is back.
0:43.1	Reintroduced for a new generation.
0:45.6	The next chapter of a legendary brand, reimagined and refreshed with modern energy.
0:50.8	Now you can discover intuition by Aramis, a bold new fragrance for men.
0:56.3	Be bold, be magnetic, be unstoppable, be like global ambassador Dwayne Wade, who captures the enduring
1:04.0	spirit of Aramis. Intuition by Aramis, available at Alta, Macy's, and department stores nationwide.
1:13.6	Ask yourself and listen. It's intuition.
1:21.2	Hex spam around job. Two or three a day. The red flag starts showing up.
1:28.5	For Alex Salmon, it was just a normal day.
1:32.3	Until he got the text.
1:35.6	I've been getting these texts basically every day, maybe every couple hours.
1:40.5	And yeah, I got one.
1:42.4	It was a group text, actually.
1:43.9	It was a handful of numbers with Filipino country codes.
1:48.7	And it was a, you know, a wonderful job offer.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 7 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.