A stranger texted me by mistake and keeps chatting — is it a scam?
Yes — the “wrong number” text is the standard opener for pig butchering, the longest con running. The friendly stranger (“sorry, wrong person — but you seem nice”) builds a friendship or romance over weeks, then introduces a “great investment opportunity” — a polished fake crypto platform where your deposits grow on screen and never come back. No real person who misdials invests weeks in your small talk. Stop replying, don't click anything they send, and never move money onto a platform a new online friend recommends.
Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.
From the research desk — this pattern is one of those documented in This Week's Scam Wave, in Numbers — July 30, 2026 →