How to Avoid Telephone Scams
Scams work best when a fraudster has real-time contact with a target. People find it far more difficult to say no to a live pitch than an email or mail scam. That’s exactly why telephone scams are highly effective, and why you should learn how to avoid them. How to avoid telephone scammers
Scammers convince their targets to fall for their pitches by controlling a person’s emotions. Most scammers hone their pitches well before they contact you. They’ve learned what works to convince people to hand over their money, and they’ll use those skills to target you. Can you pierce through the veil of a scammer’s lies to avoid becoming a victim? Let’s find out.
Someone calls to tell you that you’ve been selected by the U.S. Government Treasury Claims Department in Washington, D.C., to receive $8,600. According to government records, you pay your bills on time, have no criminal record, haven’t filed for bankruptcy in the last six months, and are a loyal U.S. citizen. Because of this good record, you are among 1,000 citizens selected by the government to receive this money. All you have to do when you receive it is to use it for a good purpose such as paying your bills or taxes, fund your education, or start a business. In order to claim the money, you must first provide proof of your identity by telling the caller your name, address, employment status, marriage status, and age. Once you offer this information, the caller asks for your account information for the bank in which you would like the funds transferred. Do you provide it?
In this example, a scammer I preying on the emotion of hope to sucker a target into coughing up personal information. With it, the scammer can not only clean out someone’s bank account, the fraudster can also steal the victim’s identity.
The best way to avoid telephone scams is to refrain from answering the phone when you don’t know who is calling. When the phone rings, unless you recognize the number, don’t answer it. If the call is important, the caller will leave a message and you can return the call if it’s someone you want or need to talk to. If the caller doesn’t leave a message, then it’s unlikely you would have wanted to talk to that person anyway.
Though a caller may not leave a message, you might still be able to find out who dialed your telephone number. Many people who receive calls from scammers report that contact to various websites. All you have to do find out if the caller is a scammer is to type his or her telephone number into your favorite search engine. Based on the results of your search, if you find out that the number is from a scammer, add that number to your contact list as a Do Not Answer. The next time that phone number calls your phone, you’ll know immediately it’s from a scammer.
Remember, to avoid telephone scammers, never answer the phone unless you know who is calling. If you pick up the phone anyway, never give your personal information to an unsolicited caller. The safety of your personal information is in your hands, so choose your telephone conversations wisely.
Author Rod Spurgeon at http://www.ownyourdefense.net
