How to Politely Ask Who Is Texting You (Find out Who, Avoid Scams, More)

I’m sure we’ve all had texts from time to time and the sender acts like we know exactly who they are – yet you have no idea.

You have to be on your guard in case it’s a scam, and I can also appreciate you wanting to ask who it is texting you without coming across as rude.

After all, it might be someone special from the past or a business opportunity that you don’t want to blow by coming across as rude or disinterested.

I’m going to explain how to politely ask who is texting you in a way that you can find out who it is and they might not even know you were unaware!

How to Politely Ask Who Is Texting You

If you’ve received a text from an unknown number and have no idea who it could be from, the first thing you need to do is take a moment to let the message sink in.

Does the message mean anything to you? Does it mention anything that relates to you, such as your name, where you live, your job, etc?

If you think the message is intended for you, you might want to reply in a different manner from one that makes no sense at all.

For example:

How to Politely Ask Who Is Texting You When It’s Someone Who Knows You

• “Hey, I have to be completely honest, I don’t have you saved in my contacts, who is this please?”
• “Hi, this is the first time I’ve received a message from this number, who is this please?”
• “Hello, am I supposed to know who this is? I don’t have you saved in my contacts.”
• “I wish I knew who you are so I could reply with something that makes more sense!”
• “Argh, I don’t have your number saved, remind me whose number this is please?”
• “Hello, I apologize but I don’t have you saved as a contact, who is this please?”
• “Sorry, if you know me you’ll know what a scatterbrain I am, who is this please?”
• “Hey, I need to save your number as a contact, who is this please?”
• “Hi, how well do we know each other? I don’t have you saved in my contacts!”
• “It sounds like you have the right number, but I have to be honest here and admit I don’t know who this is!”

Related – How to tell if someone secretly hates you over text.

How to Politely Ask Who Is Texting You When You Don’t Think They Know You

• “Are you sure you have the right number? Who are you looking for?”
• “Sorry, I think you have the wrong number.”
• “Who is this?”
• “I think you’ve sent that to the wrong person.”
• “Sorry I don’t have your number saved in my phone, who is this?”
• “I don’t have this number saved, who is this?”
• “I think you’ve texted the wrong person!”
• “Sorry, I don’t know who this is and I think you’ve got the wrong number.”
• “Who is this, please, I don’t have you as a contact.”
• “I can’t think who this is, maybe you have the wrong number!”
• [Just don’t reply at all]

Some Do’s and Don’ts When Replying to Unknown Numbers

I’m sure the person who texts you either knows you or has innocently texted the wrong person by accident.

But that said, you need to be aware of potential scams and protect yourself when communicating with anyone you don’t know via text.

Here are some of the things that are OK to do:

• Ask who is texting you and why they have your number.
• Find out if the sender knows you or has your contact details.
• Ask them to explain why they are texting you, or what the message relates to.

Here are some of the things that are NOT OK to do:

• Give out any personal information or financial details.
• Arrange to meet up with someone you don’t know.
• Reply in an aggressive manner as this may cause them to annoy you more – or it might end up being someone you know!

Believe it or not, text scams are fairly common and no matter how hard you think it is to scam you, there is always a chance it’ll happen.

Related – How to handle someone who dry texts and how to tell if your partner is texting behind your back.

Some Examples of The Common Text Scams

I thought I’d share some of the most common text scams. I’ve had all of these texts sent to me at some point, so they’re not that uncommon!

Here are some of the things unknown numbers will text you in an attempt to gain personal information and eventually try and scam you out of money:

• “You’ve won a prize! To claim it, you need to provide your bank details.”
• “We have noticed suspicious activity on your account – please confirm your details so we can help you.”
• “This is from a debt collection agency, if you don’t pay up now you’ll be taken to court.”
• “You’ve been selected for a free trial but you need to pay for shipping and handling.”
• “There is a parcel waiting for you at our depot, please settle the unpaid shipping fees to [website link] and we’ll release it.”

As you can probably see, the common link between these scams is that the sender wants to get their hands on financial details or make you send them money.

Never, ever provide personal details over text unless you’re 100% sure you know who you’re talking to.

Even then, I tend to still not send super important information like my bank details over text, just in case someone is able to intercept them.

That makes me sound a bit paranoid, I know, but guess what – I’ve never been scammed.

Wrapping Up

There you go, there are many ways you can respond to an unknown texter to find out who they are and even make them think you knew all along!

As long as you’re polite, on the lookout for potential scams, and don’t get stressed over not knowing who’s texting you, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them, please drop a comment below to help others.

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Image credits – depositphotos.com/stock-photo-puzzled-woman-spectacles-provide-eyes