AT&T Free Msg: You know you shouldn’t click … so we did it for you!

This article has been indexed from CyberCrime & Doing Time

 If you live in the United States and have an AT&T phone, you are almost certainly receiving SMS messages that look something like this:

AT&T Free Msg: August bill is paid. Thanks, MARY! Here’s a little gift for you: n9cxr[.]info/dhmxmcmBTQ (from +1 (718) 710-0863) 

or 

AT&T Free Msg: August bill processed. Thanks, Mary! Here’s a little something for you: l4bsn[.]info/C2Lx3oggFi (from +1 (332) 220-7291) 

or 

AT&T Free Msg: Latest bill is paid. Thanks, Fedencia!  Here’s a little freebie for you: k5amw[.]info/VloTBdytEl  (from +1 (870) 663-5472) 

AT&T has sort of trained us that it’s cool to get messages from them with links in them.  Every time your bill is available, or paid, or has a new charge, you get a text message from them that starts with “AT&T Free Msg:” and ends with a link such as “att.com/myattapp” or “att.com/myViewBill.”

This is where some independent amateur researchers make a mistake.  If you visit the URL in the first message from your Windows computer, you are automagically forwarded to Google.

That’s what’s happening in the background. My web browser (in red) tells the server, hey look! I want this page dhmxmcmBTQ and btw, here’s my user agent.  n9cxr[.]info replies,
“Never heard of it – why don’t you go to Google instead.” by sending a “302 redirect.”