Akashma Online News

By Akashma News

An Unwanted Message

On April 12, 2025, I received an intrusive spam message through my Google Messages app, impersonating a legitimate company—Rakuten. The text promised an unbelievable remote job opportunity:

>“Become a member of Rakuten America! Work remotely 60–90 minutes a day and earn over $10,000/month. Contact us via WhatsApp!”

This message was disturbing for two reasons: first, its obviously fraudulent nature, and second, the unsettling realization that my personal phone number may have been sold or leaked—possibly by T-Mobile, Google LLC, or a third-party affiliate.

Breakdown of the Scam Message

Too-Good-To-Be-True Offers: $10,000/month for under 2 hours a day is a classic scam bait.

Recruitment via WhatsApp: No reputable company recruits this way.

False Identity: Rakuten is not an employer. It’s a cashback affiliate platform.

Fake Perks: Paid maternity/paternity leave in a scam offer is just manipulative fluff.

The link provided in the message was a WhatsApp contact link:
wa.me/16186360555?bYd=wr3Lb
Researching this number independently (without clicking) revealed no legitimate business.

What Rakuten Actually Does

Rakuten is a cashback rewards platform, not a job provider. It partners with over 3,500 retail websites and gives a portion of affiliate commissions back to shoppers. Unlike Amazon or Temu, Rakuten does not sell products or operate storefronts. It does not hire through WhatsApp or text messages.

Bigger Picture: My Data Was Breached

Using the website haveibeenpwned.com, I discovered that my email was part of a data breach.

But emails are not the only vulnerable data. Your phone number can also be compromised, sold, or flagged as spam—and there are tools to help track this.

How to Check If Your Phone Number Is Compromised

TruecallerI – See if your number is marked as spam by others.

BeenVerified – Deep lookup reports including breaches and public data (paid).

Spokeo – Traces your number’s digital footprint and associations.

PhoneValidator.com – Validates if your number is active, VOIP, or flagged.

Google’s Spam Protection – A False Sense of Security?

When I attempted to activate Google Messages’ spam protection, I found it was already on. Yet the Rakuten scam still reached me.

> “Spam protection is already on. Google detects real-time spam and harmful content like scams and phishing attempts.”

This exposes a dangerous flaw: Google’s spam detection depends on previously flagged data. If a scammer’s number is new or mimics known brands like Rakuten, it may bypass filters.

Meanwhile, Google plays both sides—claiming to protect us while enabling data sharing across its massive ad ecosystem, apps, and partner APIs.

T-Mobile’s Complicity?

T-Mobile has experienced multiple breaches. Though they deny selling user data, third-party affiliates and data brokers often have access to customer information.

> “We do not sell your number,” they claim.
But what about the data brokers they do business with?

Twitter/X’s Role in Breach Culture

Twitter (X Corp) holds sensitive data—photos, emails, phone numbers. Twice in 2023, over 600 million accounts were exposed in a breach.

This massive leak raises serious questions about negligence and user privacy, especially when 2FA-linked phone numbers were among the data stolen.

> Was it carelessness? Or something worse?

Where to Report and Seek Protection

If your data has been compromised, report it here:

FTC (Federal Trade Commission): reportfraud.ftc.gov

FCC (Federal Communications Commission): consumercomplaints.fcc.gov

IdentityTheft.gov: Resources and recovery plans

Your State Attorney General’s Office: Most have online forms

Your carrier: Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM)