A few months ago, my slate colleague Alex Salmon got a text.

You've probably gotten something 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.

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

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

daily testing and reviewing new products or services

online, all from the comfort of your home. Same day payment is available after each task is

completed. To be clear, this text did not actually come from Indeed, which is a legit job search

company. This text was a scam. And according to a CBS report, these scams are up 118%

in the last two years. Requirements must be 25 years or older, must be able to provide basic

feedback in English, no prior experience needed, and training will be provided. If you're

interested and meet the age requirement,

please reply yes to receive more details.

I would have deleted this text. You might have deleted this text, but Alex did not.

You know the old journalist Credo, right? You run towards danger, not away from it.

So when a fishing scam hits your inbox,

...