Scam or Fraudulent Phone Calls

We’ve all received countless spam calls and texts to our mobile phone, but as technology advances and criminals develop new tactics to steal information, it can be difficult to tell legitimate communications from fraudulent ones.

Read on to find out how to spot these types of calls and texts, as well as how to protect yourself and your sensitive information.

What is Spoofing?

Spoofing is when a caller intentionally falsifies their caller ID. The caller can make their phone call look like it coming from anywhere, from simply a different telephone number to government agencies or known companies. Some people may receive calls looking like they are coming from a person they know, emergency services, or even their bank.

While spoofing in and of itself is not illegal, it is if the intent is to defraud or scam someone.

Fraudsters may also engage in something called ‘neighbor spoofing’, where they change their phone number to look extremely similar to your own, in the hopes that it will increase the odds that you’ll pick up the call.

How to tell if a call/text is fraudulent | Signs of a Spam Phone Call

Like other phishing/smishing scams, there are similar tell-tale signs that you may be engaging with a fraudster.

• Requests for personal information- As always, the ultimate goal of many of these kinds of calls is to glean important and sensitive information from their targets. Legitimate companies and agencies typically never ask for passwords/usernames, Social Security Numbers, or other sensitive information over the phone.
•  Pressure-An urgent, pushy tone is a sure sign it is spam communication. This type of pressure can range from threats of arrest or frozen funds to a claim that a prize or award needs to be ‘claimed’ immediately. Be extremely wary of calls that urge you take immediate action,whether that be sending personal information, clicking on links, or sending payment.
•  Payment-Immediate requests for payment is a definite red flag, but the payment method can also be a dead giveaway.Scammers typically request payment via gift card, wire transfer,cryptocurrency, or a payment app like Venmo or Cashapp. That is because these types of payments offer little to no protection for the consumer.
• They start by asking yes or no questions-This can be something seemingly harmless like “Can you hear me?”. Answering yes or no questions can be dangerous as criminals can record the audio of you rvoice and use it to try and impersonate you in later scams.

How to Handle Spam Calls

The easiest way to avoid spam calls? Just don’t pick up! You can always check your voicemail to see if the call was from someone you know.

If you suspect the call is legitimate and answer, keep an eye out for any of the suspicious signs listed above. Trust your gut; if the call seems suspicious, you can always just hang up. Do not give out any sensitive or personal information, click any buttons on your phone, and avoid answering any yes or no questions.

If you’re worried the call may have been real, call back using a verified, official contact channel. Do not hit redial on your phone.

Avoiding Spam Calls

Aside from being potentially dangerous, spam phone calls can also be pretty annoying! You can block your phone from getting a majority of these types of calls and texts to help protect yourself and stop getting tons of calls.

Protect Your Voicemail

Since scammers can spoof your own phone number, there have been reports of criminals being able to hack into your voicemail remotely. Make sure to go into your phone settings to set up a password for your voicemail.

Filter out Unwanted Calls

Majority of phones also have a setting that helps filter out unwanted spam calls. You can also set this up for spam texts as well.

Contact your carrier or look into security apps from them that help block calls. If you’d like to stop receiving even legitimate telemarketing calls, you can always register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. You may still receive texts or calls from debt collectors, political groups, charities or surveys, but by law they are not allowed to conduct a sales pitch.

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