--- title: "No, the Army isn’t drafting you via text message" description: "Nothing trolls harder than a fake text telling you you've been conscripted into the United States military. According to U.S. Army Recruiting Command, texts like those have been fluttering around the country, telling individuals they should report for duty immediately. USAREC assured citizens in a statement on Tuesday that the texts are not real." date: "2020-01-07" modified: "2020-01-07" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-fake-text-message-draft/" categories: - "Analysis" - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # No, the Army isn’t drafting you via text message ![]() There may be no bigger troll than a fake text telling you you've been conscripted into the United States military, and according to U.S. Army Recruiting Command, texts saying exactly that have been fluttering around the country. "We tried contacting you through mail several times and have had no response," read one of the text messages. "You've been marked eligible and must come to the nearest branch in Jacksonville Florida area for immediate departure to Iran … you'll be fined and sent to jail for minimum 6 years if no reply." But fear not, citizen: You don't actually have to report for duty immediately or risk possible jail time. USAREC assured citizens in a statement on Tuesday that the texts are fraudulent. The U.S. hasn't had a draft since 1973, and even if it did, the Selective Service system would initiate the draft, not the Army, the command explained. "The Selective Service System is conducting business as usual," USAREC said, citing the Selective Service's Facebook page. "In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the President would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft." Still, with all this talk about war with Iran going on, Americans are worried that a draft might spring into place at any moment. In fact, the Selective Service tweeted on Friday that its website crashed from high traffic volume "due to the spread of misinformation." Even if there were a draft (and if the Selective Service didn't exist), the military wouldn't need to send texts in order to draft some poor 18-year-old desperate for love and validation. They could [just use Tinder]() for that. ## Author David Roza is a senior reporter at Task & Purpose with extensive experience covering aviation, technology, military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and a range of other personnel matters.David previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025 before returning to Task & Purpose as a scriptwriter for the team's YouTube channel. Share tips and story ideas with David at david.roza@recurrent.io. ## More - [It only took 2 weeks for the Iran war to cause a draft scare]() - [The Army esports team doesn’t feel bad about banning you for asking about war crimes]() - [Congress is weighing automatic registration for wartime draft]() - [Women Deserve The Same Opportunities As Men, Including Registering For The Draft]() - [The United States Still Needs Draft Registration]() - [Should women be drafted? Congress weighs the question yet again]() - [No, the military isn’t recruiting illegal immigrants]() - [Women Should Burn Their Draft Cards]()