Today, most people use smartphones on a daily basis. Not only that, but their devices are connected to various other platforms like social media, email, various apps and so on and so forth. Since privacy isn’t really a thing these days, most of the information people have on their mobile devices is collected and distributed to third parties for advertising purposes under the guise of personalization.
For those who know where to look, your information can be easily found, used and misused. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people to receive spam and scam messages, phone calls and emails on their smartphones. More often than not, people are also stalked and abused by some weirdo who somehow managed to get hold of their personal information.
This can be a serious problem and a direct attack on your privacy, so the best thing to do is to use one free phone number lookup to determine who or what is behind unusual or suspicious calls, messages and other means of communication.
If you don’t know who is trying to contact you and for what purpose, you can simply block the number and move on with your life. In the case of scammers, it usually just holds them back for a while because they tend to continue to be as relentless as they are. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can deal with phone scams.
The different types of phone scams and how to spot them
Phone scams are becoming more and more common, and it’s important to be aware of the different types so you can protect yourself. Chances are you’ll come across a variety of scams, from the obvious, where someone claims to be the IRS and you have to pay them with Walmart gift cards to avoid jail time, to the socially engineered ones that are very hard to spot .
That said, one type of phone scam is a “phishing” call, where someone calls pretending to be from a legitimate business or organization and tries to get you to give them personal information such as your credit card number or social security number. Another type of phone scam is a “robocall,” which is an automated call that tries to sell you something or get you to sign up for a service.
In any case, it’s important to remember that legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information over the phone, so if someone does, hang up immediately. You should also be wary of any caller who pressures you to make a decision quickly or offers too-good-to-be-true offers.
If in doubt, do not provide any personal information and contact the company directly using their official website or customer service. As mentioned before, some scams are overly obvious and plain silly, while others tend to be quite sophisticated, so you’d better always be on your guard.
Understand the tactics used by phone scammers
Phone scammers often use a variety of tactics to try to get people to give away their personal information or money. Some are downright stupid, with scammers hoping they have a naive enough victim to fall for it, while others are socially engineered to be very difficult to identify as a scam.
Socially engineered scams utilize tactics to learn as much as possible about the victim so they can convince someone to fall for the trap. A common tactic called “spoofing” also involves the scammer disguising their phone number to make it look like they are calling from a legitimate business or organization.
This can be done by using an app or software program that allows them to change the caller ID on their phone. Another tactic used by fraudsters is “phishing”, where they send emails or text messages with links that lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal information. Therefore, scammers will use different tactics based on how savvy their victims are to increase their chances of success.
How to protect yourself from phone scammers
Phone scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tactics, so it’s important to be vigilant and protect yourself from them. The first step is to be aware of the different types of phone scams that exist. If someone asks for any kind of personal or sensitive information, chances are they are trying to scam you. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up immediately and do not provide any personal information.
Unfortunately, simply hanging up doesn’t always solve the problem. That being said, the best way to protect yourself is to be proactive. In other words, don’t use shady apps and don’t reveal any personal information anywhere unless you know you’re revealing it to a legitimate source for a legitimate reason. If all else fails, continue to block unknown numbers for as long as you have to.
It is important to always be aware and cautious of phone calls from unknown numbers. Therefore, never provide personal information such as credit card numbers or bank account information. If everything you’ve tried doesn’t help you get rid of persistent scammers, don’t hesitate to get the authorities involved.
Source: The Nordic Page
