Is this text really from BT?

Teapot55

‘Great news! We've updated some of your network settings - please restart your phone to make sure it's up to date - BT’ - this is a text message on my mobile today. There’s no phone number given. There’s no link in the text & obviously it won’t harm to restart my phone, but why do some text messages arrive without a sender phone number?

marcia_

 I have just received a txt from BT about my broadband going down. No phone number just says BT 

flaneurs_lobster

One reason not to include a sender phone number is that any reply to this number may not be monitored, it's the SMS equivalent of a do-not-reply email address. 

As you say, restarting your mobile is a pretty low-risk activity (and even more so if you are actually a customer of BT Mobile).

Brie

Plus the last thing any company wants when it sends out thousands of texts is to have a lot of people phoning them up to ask if it's real.  Or blocking the number when it's legit because it looks like it might be a scam.  

Teapot55

Those answers make total sense, thanks. 

I did though have a similar text a few weeks ago (probably why I was suspicious today) purporting to be from Wickes about my delivery. I haven’t purchased anything from Wickes for a couple of years. 

MalMonroe

Hi, just to say that when I was speaking to a BT adviser about my BT bill a couple of weeks ago, he said he would send me a text to verify some information I'd given him while we were on the phone. He did so and when the text came through it said 'EE' and not BT. There was no number on it. 

So I'd now be more wary than I usually am of any text professing to be from BT since they have announced plans to allow EE to be their 'flagship' apparently, so most of them would say EE rather than BT
 
I don't respond to text messages I don't recognise anyway and my phone usually detects spam and I'd never click on anything either. 

You can always check with BT if they've sent you a text. Or just delete the text without clicking on anything. If they really want you they'll let you know. 

MalMonroe

Teapot55 said:

Those answers make total sense, thanks. 

I did though have a similar text a few weeks ago (probably why I was suspicious today) purporting to be from Wickes about my delivery. I haven’t purchased anything from Wickes for a couple of years. 

Yes, scammers do usually send out a mass mailing of scam messages. I expect quite a few people who receive one of the scam messages like that one will be expecting a Wickes delivery at some point. It's just a game to the scammers. Like those texts that are supposed to be from Royal Mail about a delivery charge. Loads of people will have used Royal Mail to send parcels and once they click on the link in the text, the scammers are able to access all their financial details. It's horrendous.

ballyblack

on the link in the text, the scammers are able to access all their financial details.

Only if you put in the financial details..............simply clicking on link is not enough

diystarter7

Hi
A bit laborious and it applies to our mobile phone provider, banlks, amazon, ebay etc.
If we get a link, I've never connected through the mobile but check it through a secure laptop I have. 
So far, the links have been good and those that were not, I could easily tell.

TBH, I don't feel comfy using mobiles, especially apps and messages like this.

Good luck