It starts with a strange request from an unknown number appearing in your SMS list. They tell you this is the number they have for a different named person. They seem friendly. They offer a reliable corporate name and/or photo of a pretty girl very quickly in the conversation. It seems like an innocuous chance encounter, but in reality, you are a pig being fattened up for slaughter.
This is the (now well known) Pig Butchering Scam. It's a slow process to build trust and friendship with a stranger in hopes of someday asking for a favor that will eventually mean the loss of your privacy, or more often, your money. Follow the Wikipedia link for the full 411, but they have become commonplace lately. They work due to the disconnectedness we all experience due to the internet, and fulfills the companionship the lonely desire without intrusion or time restraints.
My simple response to all unknown SMS:
It lets them know you're already onto their scam, and that their time is better used elsewhere. It won't magically stop all unwanted messages, but it'll certainly kill any conversation in it's tracks.
Don't dare type the bad curse words?
Use my single-click copy to paste-respond to any text!