Podcast Summary: Today, Explained – "That text is a scam"

Date: November 2, 2025
Host: Jonathan Hill (for Vox)
Guests: Alex Salmon (Slate), Matt Burgess (Wired), Erin West (Operation Shamrock)

Episode Overview

This episode of "Today, Explained" dives deep into the world of text message scams—why they’re everywhere, how they work, who’s behind them, and why victims too often don’t see justice. The show starts with first-hand stories of being targeted, explores the technical infrastructure and global criminal groups behind the scams, and unearths the tragic reality: many of the people sending scam texts are trafficking victims themselves, coerced into digital crime syndicates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Anatomy of a Scam Text

• Personal stories open the episode: Alex Salmon, reporter for Slate, shares his experience with frequent unsolicited job offer texts from overseas numbers, often promising high pay for minimal work ([00:44], [00:55]).
• Common job scam pitch:

  "Hi there. Sorry to interrupt. I'm from Indeed. We're currently recruiting remote product testers, US based. This role lets you earn $50 to $400 per day."
  — Scam Text Voice ([01:11])

• Victims’ curiosity and gradual involvement: Even skeptics may get drawn in, especially when instructions appear simple ([01:21]–[01:36]).
• The scam’s escalation:
  • Victims are praised for their ‘work,’ then told to maintain a crypto wallet with a minimum balance to receive pay ([05:35]).
  • Special fabricated events (“bun bull”) trigger additional ‘fees’ or deposits ([06:06], [06:27]).
  • Cashing out proves impossible; excuses pile up, requiring more deposits ([08:28]).

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "I did this job for a while, and then I was like, okay, time to cash out. But then every time I tried to cash out, there was always a problem."
  — Alex Salmon ([08:28])
• “If you have a job, you’re probably not sending money to the job.”
  — Alex Salmon ([09:10])

2. The Scale and Modus Operandi of Scam Operations

• Stats: FTC got almost 250,000 text scam reports last year; Americans lost about $500 million ([02:49]).
• Who’s behind the scams?
  • Introduction of the "Smishing Triad," a prolific scam group behind nearly 100,000 texts a day and 200,000+ scam websites ([13:30]–[14:14]).
  • These groups often impersonate trusted institutions like USPS, banks, and cryptocurrency platforms to phish for personal info ([14:24]–[15:26]).

Key Explanation:

• Smishing: The SMS version of phishing—scams sent via text ([15:34]–[16:11]).
• Distribution:
  • Criminals buy phone numbers from underground markets, leaks, or brokers.
  • Automated systems blast thousands of texts at once ([16:19]).

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "There's a good chance of it. The Smishing Triad has been linked to scam messages in more than 120 different countries."
  — Matt Burgess ([14:24])
• “With smishing... there’s that direct sense of urgency with a text message that you don’t get with an email.”
  — Matt Burgess ([15:34])

3. Tech and Government Response

• What tech companies do:
  • Use on-device machine learning to spot scam language, block malicious links, and report scam websites ([18:11]).
  • Progress is being made, but not fast enough—scams still reach everyone frequently ([18:52]).
• Law enforcement struggles:
  • Budget cuts have reduced capacity to chase scammers effectively. FTC can take reports, but rarely gets victims’ money back ([09:42]).

4. The Dark Side – Scammers as Victims

• Human trafficking inside scamming operations:
  • Erin West (Operation Shamrock) shares the story of “Small Q,” a Ugandan lured by a fake job in Thailand, only to be trafficked and forced to run scams in a guarded compound ([22:16]–[23:26]).
  • Massive compounds in Southeast Asia—Cambodia, Myanmar—house hundreds of thousands, run by organized crime ([24:08], [24:41]).

Corporate structure & abuse:

• Workers operate in teams with quotas and incentives (fireworks, karaoke rooms for “wins”), but failure brings brutal punishments—starvation, physical torture, “the dark room” ([26:16]–[27:40]).
• Escape is rare; sometimes possible only if families can pay ransom ([27:55]–[28:50]).

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• “On the other side of that text is likely a victim who has been human trafficked to be there.”
  — Erin West ([23:35])
• “We’re talking about war, crime level, torture that is happening to people... all of that because you didn’t scam enough.”
  — Erin West ([27:40])

5. What Can Individuals Do?

• Personal vigilance:
  • “Stay vigilant. Don’t reply and don’t click.” — Jonathan Hill ([29:46])
• Raising Awareness:
  • Erin West urges listeners to inform everyone they know—not just about scams, but the human trafficking behind them ([29:06]).
• Wider problem:
  • The digital economy and global inequality make it easy for crime rings to exploit both senders and receivers ([29:46]).

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:44–05:32]: Alex Salmon’s firsthand experience with a job offer scam
• [05:35–08:51]: The scam’s mechanism—crypto wallets, fake work, impossible cashouts
• [13:30–16:11]: Wired’s Matt Burgess on “Smishing Triad” and global scam networks
• [16:19–18:52]: Technical how-to: sending the scam texts, and what tech companies are doing
• [22:16–28:50]: Erin West on the trafficking and torture in scam compounds, the story of “Small Q”
• [29:06–29:46]: What listeners can and should do

Memorable Quotes

• Alex Salmon:
  • “If you have a job, you’re probably not sending money to the job.” ([09:10])
  • "Not wanting to believe that you've fallen for it actually makes you go deeper." ([09:10])
• Matt Burgess:
  • “With smishing... there’s that direct sense of urgency with a text message that you don’t get with an email.” ([15:34])
• Erin West:
  • "On the other side of that text is likely a victim who has been human trafficked to be there." ([23:35])
  • “We're talking about war, crime level, torture that is happening to people... all of that because you didn't scam enough.” ([27:40])

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Text scams are rampant, well-organized, and incredibly profitable for global crime syndicates—especially those like the Smishing Triad based in Asia.
• Many “scam workers” are in fact trafficking victims, forced into crime on pain of starvation or worse.
• Law enforcement and tech are making incremental improvements but can’t keep up with evolving tactics.
• The power of awareness and personal vigilance is more critical than ever: Never send money to a “job,” don’t reply to unknown texts, and educate others about the human cost behind digital scams.