India, June 24 -- The FBI has issued a nationwide warning to over 150 million Apple and Samsung users, urging them to delete suspicious text messages immediately, even if unopened. According to a statement published in June and reported by Forbes, the messages are part of a growing wave of phishing scams known as 'smishing,' in which malicious actors use text messages to deceive victims into providing sensitive financial information.

The fraudulent messages often claim to be from senior U.S. officials, banks like Bank of America or Capital One, or state agencies such as the DMV. These scams are being orchestrated by Chinese criminal groups that have harvested phone numbers from various countries and mobile networks, the FBI stated.

A co...