Hang Up on These Phone Scams

Phone calls, voicemails and texts are usually the starting point of most scams. You shouldn’t believe everything you are told over the phone, especially from a caller whose number is strange to you.

Common Phone Scams

Always verify callers who claim to be government employees, lottery officials or even insurance agents. Check their phone numbers against the official numbers of the company. They could be scammers who are cleverly pulling a phone scam on you.

COVID -19 Opportunists

Would you believe scammers didn’t take a break during this global pandemic? Actually, there was a surge in all kinds of scams. Some scam artists focused their energies on tricking people with a fake government registration for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Calls from people claiming to be from the local government asking for your personal details are most likely scammers whose goal is identity theft. The government usually has your data from the census and medical records which is adequate for their planning.

Family Member Imitation

The next time you get a call from a number you don’t recognize, be sure to treat it as a possible scam. Any little information that scammers may have on you, like your first name, is simply a tool in their chest. They will use it to trick into thinking they are a long-lost relative.

Scammers have ripped off unsuspecting people by making distress calls claiming they have been arrested, have had a car accident or are in any other trouble and need cash urgently.

Call any relative through their real phone number first. You could also call the relative closest to them to find out. Don’t fall for the urgency to send money, it’s the thing that makes this scam work.

Fake Tech Support Calls

What’s interesting about this scam is that it targets the elderly. Scammers normally do their homework. They know that older people are less tech savvy and will blindly follow instructions without detecting any trickery. So, that’s exactly how this scam works!

A scammer calls pretending to be from Apple or Microsoft. The scammers may also create malicious websites containing fake virus warnings with the instruction to call a number to resolve this problem.

Once on call, the scammer will say they have detected an issue with the client’s computer. They need to rectify it and will offer to resolve the problem. However, this leads to them installing software that gives the scammer remote access to that computer.

After gaining access, they will try to scare the victim into believing their computer has a number of security issues. The scammer’s goal is to sell the victim an expensive solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

Jim Browning’s YouTube channel is one of the best resources to learn about this scam by watching it in action.

International Number Beep (Single-Ring Callers)

We all hate it when some unknown caller beeps our phone. Why can’t they just call? But what if it’s an international number? Then your attention is piqued. You may wonder what it’s about and try to call back. Please don’t. It could instantly rob you of $100. This could be charged to your phone bill in ways that are still unclear.

Check the area code of the number first if you are not sure which country the call originated from.

Fake IRS or CRA Call

At any one point of your normal business, you have had a period where your taxes were not in order. Imagine getting a phone call from the government tax officer about a penalty. That could shake you up but it’s just a common scam tactic. No need to panic.

Government agencies such as USA’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) do not call in such cases. Emails and letters are the preferred official communication channels by governments.

Don’t fall for scare tactics like bigger penalties. Instead, ask for the caller’s information. If they are indeed calling for the government, they have nothing to hide.

Avoid engaging scammers in a conversation. They have voice recording software and can trick you into revealing useful details.

Bank Fraud Calls

Calls from bank customer support come with an air of seriousness. Scammers can call pretending to be bank account representatives calling you about problems with your account or unauthorized transactions. Never reveal sensitive details over the phone. What if a scammer uses them to get into your bank account? It could be catastrophic. They could clean out your cash in a couple of hours.

Better to hang up immediately, then call your bank using their known number. Notify them of the incident, so they can appropriate security measures regarding your account.

Password Requests

Your passwords are private and confidential. Tech Support for websites that you have accounts in, do not need your passwords to “verify your identity or carry out routine maintenance”. Yet that is the line that scammers use. Never give out your passwords over the phone, no matter what the issue may be.

Use the genuine site contacts and report the scam caller.

Lotteries and Free Prizes

It’s a wonder how much this scam keeps getting people hooked. There is no free prize, vacation or any other free giveaway that is truly free. Scammers use this as a ploy to get your personal details.

In the lottery call scam, you get a voicemail that you’ve won! Followed by “No need to worry about your retirement, your kids’ education” and other such things that play to your emotions. All you need to do is make a small payment to process your winnings!

Scammers always recommend paying via gift cards or other untraceable means. That's your warning sign. Legit lottery winnings do not need you to pay anything. This is a scam!

How To Avoid Phone Scams

• Do not engage a suspicious caller. Hang up and report the issue to the authorities.
• Avoid returning calls from numbers you don’t recognize. You can look up the numbers using sites such as TrueCaller.
• Always verify callers who claim to be from service providers.
• Be familiar with the official communication from your government. It is usually through letters and emails, not phone calls.

 

Report Phone Scams

In case you get a suspicious call, report the number to:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - USA
• Action Fraud - UK
• Report to the bank, website, organization using their known contacts.