How to Protect Yourself from the Latest Phone Scams

Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay

While the digital age is blooming in all its glory, the possibility of a telephone scam still remains a valid issue. A telephone scam refers to when cyber-criminals try to get access to your personal information and, in many cases, your money. Scammers usually carry it out using phone calls to deceive people into giving sensitive information.

However, apart from phone calls, it can also be practiced through text messages or robocalls. In a nutshell, a scammer can pose as a government representative and even as someone from a tech, financial or retail company who supposedly has some crucial information. In other words, they use social engineering tactics to invade your privacy. Before you think about how to protect yourself from scam calls, it’s important to learn what exactly they are and how they are often carried out.

Latest Phone Scams

IRS Scams

The toughest season for many people is undoubtedly the tax season, and fraudsters can’t wait to take advantage of it. In a scam of this nature, someone will most likely pretend to be an IRS official preying on people who are struggling with debt. They may start by demanding a certain amount of money, and if the victim doesn’t comply, they may threaten to arrest as well.

The season that witnesses the highest number of IRS scams is the summer season. This is when several taxpayers anticipate a response after filing a return.

Unlock Your Prize

Economic recession can get to the best of us. People who struggle to make ends meet are the easiest targets for this kind of scam. Through this, scammers may request you to provide your confidential credit card details so you can avail of the offer.

They can also request you to pay a small amount before any more details are revealed. Even though it is possible to win a product, you may want to recheck if you have even applied to be a part of a contest.

Jury Duty Scams

Among one of the most unique and interesting latest phone scams, jury duty fraud surprisingly tops the list. For many scammers, it is quite easy to alter numbers or make them appear as if a neighbor is calling you.

However, as they take a step ahead, disguising themselves and the numbers as someone from a legitimate agency has also become pretty common. In a scam of this nature, the fraudster will call you claiming that you need to pay a certain amount of penalty for not appearing on jury duty. Only three years ago, it appeared to be one of the worst scams. Since it is difficult to decipher whether a call of this nature is genuine or fake, many people tend to fall for it.

Tech Support Scams

Tech support scammers are not exactly new and have often been in the news. However, they fall under the category of latest phone scams because just like technology has upgraded over the years, scammers too have modified their ways to trick people.

A tech support con artist is likely to call and inform you of a possible virus attack in your system. They will somehow find their way to access your computer’s remote network and put a virus in it themselves before selling you a solution for it.

Charity Scams

These have considerably increased due to a growing number of natural disasters all over the world. Have you ever wondered where the amount you gave for damages caused by a recent natural disaster went?

The do-gooders are usually the main target for these scammers to exploit. They often disguise themselves as NGOs or charities that will use a person’s money to help the disaster victims. More often than not, they disappear after taking your money. They do this through a number of methods, such as asking for your social security number or bank details in the name of philanthropy.

How to Protect Yourself From Scam Calls

Although phone scams are pretty common, they are not entirely unavoidable. By following these easy steps, you can rid yourself of spam calls in no time.

Remove Any Confidential Information From People-Search Sites

These sites are a gateway for scammers to reach you by having easy access to your personal details. You can have them removed by manually requesting the people-search sites. However, manual requests may prove to be time-consuming when you question how to protect yourself from scam calls.

An easy way out is to try OneRep, which provides you with a privacy protection tool to scan 103 sites. By doing so, you can remove your data from unwanted sites while monitoring the web for additional information to avoid checking it regularly.

Check If the Call Is Genuine

To find out if a call from a company is fake, always let the caller know that you will call them back. In the meanwhile, you can check the company’s website and call back on the number provided there. If you still have a suspicion about the authenticity of the number, check their social media pages or double-check with someone who may know about the company.

Register for the Do Not Call List

The National Do Not Call Registry comes under the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). It largely attempts to reduce unsolicited calls from within the United States but does not do so for any calls made outside of the country. Therefore, if you getting calls even after being on the registry, it should be reason enough to be suspicious.

Final Remarks

Even though it is quite obvious by now, avoid giving out any potential information that may expose your financial or personal details to a scammer. In addition, avoid relying on caller ID and never click on a website that unsolicited callers direct you to. In conclusion, remember to keep all the information mentioned above at the tip of your fingers at all times.