How to fight against scam and spam calls
Answering the phone seems to be one of the simplest tasks of everyday life. However, it is important to take certain precautions against scams, extortion attempts, and abusive telemarketing.
Here we will share the best tips to fight against scams and spam calls
- Don’t identify the number? Then don’t answer:
One of the quickest ways to avoid phone scams is to answer only those numbers that you know who is there on the other side. It can be tempting to want to learn who’s on the other line, but it can cost you dearly. In the USA, it is not very common for people to leave messages via voicemail. But if the person who called you really needs to speak to you, they will inevitably end up leaving a message or calling again.
This attitude is important because many scammers practice “spoofing”. This criminal act makes it possible to spoof the number that appears on your cell phone screen. Also, they can use the contacts of people close to you to ask for money via WhatsApp.
Who has never received a message from their best friend asking for something at an absurd amount, saying they will pay as soon as they receive it? This has become increasingly common and, if you are not prepared for this moment, you can end up losing money for nothing. Scary, isn’t it?
Another popular mobile scam is a clerk imitating to be your bank employee. Usually, he says he requires your personal bank account details right away because your details might have been leaked and they just want to protect your money. Once again, it is clearly a scam – Beware!
- Never share your personal information:
Never share your personal details with anyone on the phone. Credit card data, bank details, or anything that, in any way, gives access to your banking identity or accounts – do not share it with anyone on the other line. This is something only you should know – don’t give those details to anyone else.
When you are in such a situation where someone on the other side is enquiring about your sensitive data, think about who they are. If it’s your bank, why do they need your personal information? Because they probably do not. If this is the case, hang up the call immediately and don’t answer again.
- Do a short survey:
The phone rang and you answered it. Don’t worry! Sometimes, in your work, it can be quite common to receive calls from strangers and that’s okay. But we recommend doing a short survey.
You can start this survey by asking who it is, why they are calling you and how it links to you. If you’re still not sure of credibility, you can search on Google quickly for that person. Search by company name. If it is a scam, you will certainly find other people complaining about the situation.
Another useful resource would be PhoneHistory. On this site, you can obtain complete information about that person including their personal information, home address, city, state, area code, etc. You just need to look up the telephone number.
- Block unwanted calls:
With a large number of frauds and scams via the phone, installing an app that blocks unwanted calls is an effective solution to deal with this problem. After all, it’s a way of putting power in your hands.
Unfortunately, most apps cannot unmask the person responsible for these calls. But if you want this kind of service, you will have to invest in a tool with such features. Anyway, just blocking a spam or scam call so that you have more peace of mind in your day-to-day life is excellent, isn’t it?
- Use two-factor authentication on WhatsApp:
Two-factor authentication on WhatsApp works for the app to verify that the request really comes from you. For this, the platform confirms your login through a separate additional code.
Even before WhatsApp implemented this feature, you might have already used this solution. When your bank sends a numeric code to your phone for you to enter and gain access, for example, you complete two-factor authentication.
This feature is essential for your security because it immediately neutralizes any risk. So, if your password is hacked or simply discovered, that is no longer enough to give a scammer access. After all, without second-factor approval, a password alone is useless.
The 3 most common scams to watch out for:
Online sales, social networks, banking apps – all this came to make our lives easier. But since not everything is rosy, scammers have also evolved with technology, compromising our security. Here are some of the most popular scams:
- Cloned WhatsApp:
This is one of the most common virtual scams by criminals. Criminals clone WhatsApp and send messages to family and friends, usually asking for money.
Many people, desperate to help, forget to check if the message comes from the person and end up making money transfers. To protect yourself, go to your app’s settings and set up 2-step verification, this will make cloning difficult.
Another important thing: when receiving a message, make a video call with a person to make sure it is not a scam. Sometimes it can just be a friend in a tough situation.
- Phishing scam:
If you receive a call or message on your cell phone, claiming to be from your bank and you need to take a test, don’t do it. They use this to confirm data that will be used against you in the future.
A valuable tip is to limit your online banking transactions or use a random key. And remember, your bank never asks for passwords or sensitive information over the phone or email.
- False Registrations:
Who doesn’t like to receive discount coupons and promotions, right? This is one of the scams that many fall for because they think it’s something innocent.
Fake messages are sent on cell phones, the person thinks that it is really the real company and ends up providing important information when falsely registering for these promotions.
Whenever you receive these messages, whether by text message or email, go to the official website and check if the company is running this promotion. Official sites have security certificates, including the padlock on the site’s tab.
Conclusion:
Now that you know how to avoid and fight against scams and spam calls, you can further improve the usability of your device.
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