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Slate Technology

What Next: TBD | Down the Text-Scam Rabbit Hole

Slate Technology

Slate

Society & Culture, Technology, History

4.6636 Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The scam du jour arrives via a text message, offering you a job. What happens when you accept? Guest: Alex Sammon, Slate features writer.  Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I've ruled out uni because I want to live at home.

0:02.0

I've ruled out uni because I want to earn money.

0:05.0

I've ruled out uni because of my grades.

0:10.0

Study with the Open University and there's no need to rule out anything.

0:13.0

With our respected degrees, you can learn from home and work alongside study.

0:17.0

We're open to all. Plus, you'll have the support of expert tutors. So rethink your

0:23.6

future with the degree you didn't think was possible. The Open University. The future is open.

0:29.6

There are some things you should always check, like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway,

0:35.6

the setting on your razor, and whether the party actually

0:39.2

is fancy dress. The other thing you should check is your Experian credit report, especially

0:45.3

if you're looking to borrow money. It lets you understand what lenders see so you can increase

0:50.2

your chances of getting the best deals. It's dead easy to check it and completely free.

0:56.6

See it in seconds. Download the Experian app today.

1:05.0

A few months ago, my slate colleague Alex Salmon got a text. You've probably gotten something

1:10.4

similar. I feel like I get one of these a week. The random number job recruiter text. It said, hi there, sorry to interrupt. I'm from Indeed. We're currently recruiting remote product testers, U.S. based.

1:24.7

The number that the text came from, by the way, had a 6-3 country code, which is the Philippines.

1:30.9

This role lets you earn $50 to $400 per day by spending just 60 to 120 minutes, daily

1:37.3

testing and reviewing new products or services online, all from the comfort of your home.

1:42.4

Same-day payment is available after each task is completed.

1:45.7

To be clear, this text did not actually come from Indeed,

1:48.9

which is a legit job search company.

1:51.5

This text was a scam.

...

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