The phone is a great invention that has made our life easier in many ways. It helps us improve communication and connection, providing a path to access information and assisting us in emergencies to call for help.
Unfortunately, it has also introduced us to some vulnerabilities such as phone scams. Due to phone scams, people have their private information stolen and misused, and their hard-earned money lost.
Scammers have invented various methods to rob people over phone calls. For instance, acting friendly without a reason or any acquaintance and trying to be helpful. Moreover, they can use threatening techniques to commit identity theft.
Here, in this article, we will speak about the techniques that will help you make yourself safe and secure from phone scammers.
Robocalls
When you receive a call and hear a recorded message instead of a real person, be aware that it’s a robocall. If you receive robocalls that want to sell you something, you’d better hang up immediately. Very likely, this is a scam whose aim is to lure you into revealing your personal details or identify you as the next target of scammers’ tricks.
You can block these unwanted calls by downloading and activating robocall-blocking apps, such as YouMail or Truecaller. They are able to automatically block any unwanted caller and add them to your phone’s block list. With these apps at hand, you can filter and control incoming calls and have your peace of mind knowing that you will not be endlessly disturbed by unsolicited communications.
Fake Customer Service
Trying to be a customer service provider, scammers call victims and offer various assistance, including technical support.
Scammers frequently pretend to be calling from well-known IT giants. They notify you of an issue with your accounts or your device. They may even spend money on Google Ads to direct you to contact their phone number. Then they offer aid in overcoming the problem being faced.
They could say they need your password to assist you. But in no case should you disclose your passwords to anybody. Even someone you believe.
Here is the time to use your cognitive ability to judge whether the person on another side of the phone is trying to scam you or not. Do not make impulsive decisions; rather, take time and think twice before taking any further step forward.
If you become successful in doing so, you have covered yourself under a shield of not becoming the next target of phone scammers.
Fake Charity
At times scammers may call you and ask for charity. Giving charity is a good thing to do. Still, many fake people try to take your money out of your pocket, having no aim of serving the betterment of society.
They use spoofing and try to behave as a member of a well-reputed non-profit organization to deceive you. Remember that trustworthy charities do not use cheap methods to collect money; rather, they have well-managed websites along with potential donors. Â
Scams Related To Mobile Phone Payments
Using mobile payment apps on your smartphone to transfer and receive money might be practical. Due to the growing popularity of these applications, fraudsters may attempt to utilize these options to steal your money.
Take into account the points mentioned below before making any payment through a mobile phone. We hope that reading these pieces of advice will help you protect yourself from falling prey to phone scams.
- Never send money to claim any prize.
- Never reveal the information related to your accounts on a mobile phone to any person.
- Always use a multi-factor authenticator to protect your accounts.
- Check the recipient’s details twice before submitting any payment to confirm you are giving money to the correct individual.
- If you receive an unexpected request for money from someone you know, confirm that it is from them and not a hacker who has gained access to their account.
Advance Fee Fraud
While people suffer from economic fallout worldwide, scammers are trying to benefit from such conditions of the victimized people.
They generate attractive offers and ask you to transfer money to them in return for getting goods, services, money, and rewards that they will never supply, and your hard-earned money can get lost and forgotten. Such scammers will try to convince you to make payment beforehand by saying they must cover fees or taxes on your behalf. You should understand it is a blatant lie and never commit to sending money in advance.
Impostor Scams
Impostor scams are scams in which an unknown person asks you to send money while pretending to be someone else. Impostor scammers are dishonest persons who aim nothing but to rob you or steal your personal information by simply calling you.
Moreover, according to Federal Trade Commission, who had 985,000 complaints about imposter scams in 2021, this is the most common form of scamming the public.
Not to become an easy target of impostor scams, you should verify whether the entity contacting you is legal before revealing any personal information. If you have received a call from an unknown number, you can get information about the contact through PhoneHistory. Make sure the number is associated with a business you seem to be dealing with.
Conclusion
It is an obvious fact that almost everyone in this world uses a smartphone or just a simple phone to conveniently communicate with their family and friends, solve routine issues, maintain working relationships, ask for help in emergencies, and much more. However, as discussed, it is also considered a curse by those who have faced this problem.
To ensure that you are not the next target of phone scams, you should take precautionary measures. Never try to be greedy for money, sometimes it can be a trap, and by falling into it, you can easily part with your finances or unintentionally be involved in fraud committed by dishonest people who use your sensitive data for their malicious purposes. Â
