How to Recognize and Avoid Phone Scams
Phone scams are among the most common types of scams that unscrupulous characters from around the world are now using. Whether it’s a phishing scam built around text messages or an identity theft-based scam that involves the scammer pretending to be from a government agency, these scams are constantly evolving, and they’re always dangerous. Every day, millions of people are the target of these scams, and some fall prey to them. Learn more about how you can recognize and avoid phone scams today.
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Protecting Yourself from Phone Scams
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans lost more than $8 billion to scammers in 2022. That staggering amount only covers what was reported, which means that actual numbers were likely much higher. Unfortunately, many people are so embarrassed after discovering that they’ve been scammed, that they hide the information and suffer the financial loss associated with them.
Whether you’ve been targeted by a phone-based scam and evaded it or you’ve fallen prey to a fraudulent text message or phone call, it’s imperative to know what methods scammers are using to defraud people around the world. When it comes to battling against phone scams, knowledge is power. Understanding the signs of a scam can help you respond quickly and correctly the next time you’re contacted by a scammer.
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Types of Mobile Phone Scams
While the details surrounding phone scales may vary, most of these fraudulent events can be placed into one of four categories:
• SMS phishing (Smishing) • Voicemail scams (Vishing) • Mobile phone virus scams • One-ring scams
SMS phishing involves a scammer sending you a text message. In most cases, these text messages will have a link. Unfortunately, this link allows your phone to become infected with spyware or malware. It’s important to note that all text-based scams don’t involve links. In other types of SMS scams, the scammer may try to get you to take some sort of action such as subscribing to a fraudulent service, calling a pay-per-minute number, or something else designed to get your money.
Vishing, which often refers to voicemail scams, is any type of phone scam in which the scammer calls your phone. Most people don’t answer phone calls from numbers they don’t recognize, so the scammer leaves a voicemail. Whether you take the chance and answer the call or let it go to voicemail, the scammer pretends to be someone calling in an official capacity, often from a government office. In recent years, some of the most common scam calls have involved fraudsters pretending to be from the IRS and intimidating people into providing private information. When people get a voicemail from someone claiming to be a federal agent or employee, they often call back and fall into the trap set by the scammer. The general premise of these calls involves the scammer getting you to do something while you’re on the phone with them, such as giving them credit or debit card information.
One-ring phone scams utilize the same sort of curiosity that vishing scams rely on. However, they routinely come from international numbers and involve the scammer hanging up after one ring. In many instances, the scammer doesn’t even bother leaving a voicemail. Instead, they simply hope that your curiosity will overrule your good judgment and you’ll call the number back. By calling from an international number, the scammer starts running up fees as soon as you call the number back.
Finally, some scammers utilize fake pop-ups that make you think that your phone has picked up some sort of virus. When using the web browser on your phone, you may run across a page that includes some sort of an alert about a virus that’s been detected on your device. As is the case with some of the other types of phone scams, this page will try to get you to “act quickly” to download some type of anti-virus protection. Once downloaded, this software will give the scammer access to your phone and the payment information that you’ve saved in it.
Now that you know more about the general premise of most phone scams, let’s look at how you can protect yourself from them.
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How to Avoid Phone Scams
Perhaps the most effective way of avoiding phone scams is to trust your instincts. If you see a phone number pop up on your mobile phone that you don’t recognize, don’t answer it. Scamming technology has evolved so much that now scammers can generate fake numbers, so they can make it look like a local number is calling you. Make sure that the people who should be contacting you are saved in your cell phone so you’ll see their names when they call. If you don’t recognize a number, let the call go to voicemail. Once you’ve listened to the voicemail, you can make a more informed decision about how valid it is.
Use the same sort of discretion when it comes to text messages. You’re probably already seeing some questionable text messages come through on your phone, as some scammers are creating fake accounts and sending out mass texts that make it look like you have a package waiting at your local post office. They want you to click on a link, but this link only gives them access to your private information. Other scam texts involve everything from job offers to fake messages from the government. If you don’t recognize the number, don’t respond to the text or click on any links the message contains.
Whether it’s through text or by phone call, don’t fall into the trap of responding to urgent deadlines. Many scammers, especially those who are claiming to be from the IRS or another government agency, will tell you that you have until the end of the day to pay them the full amount that they claim you owe. First of all, the IRS will never contact you by text message or ask for payment by phone. If you do owe back taxes, you will receive certified, official letters from the IRS in the mail. Don’t ever respond in haste to someone who calls you claiming that you owe them money.
Another good rule of thumb involves avoiding the word “yes.” While not every scammer utilizes this tactic, there are plenty of stories out there about scammers who edit the audio of a phone call and use a voice recording of you saying the word yes to access your private information. If you suspect a call is fraudulent, hang up as quickly as possible. If the scammer says your name and asks if that’s correct, don’t say “yes.” If you don’t hang up immediately, you can use terms like “that’s correct.”
Additionally, don’t respond to unsolicited offers. As nice as it would be, no one is calling you to wipe out your student loan debt. No one is calling to tell you that you won a million dollars in a sweepstakes that you didn’t enter. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t respond to these unsolicited offers with personal information.
Finally, you can reach out to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to have your number placed on the “Do Not Call List.” Depending on the state that you live in, you can also call a state-specific number to be placed on another list. Finally, you can download call blocker apps that will filter out most telemarketers and scam calls.
Ultimately, scam calls and the fraudsters who hide behind them are going to be a problem as long as we’re as dependent on our cell phones as we are. However, knowing how they operate and the steps that you can take to protect yourself from these unscrupulous characters can help you protect yourself and experience greater peace of mind.