At one point or another, we have all received unsolicited scam calls. Until recently, however, most of us were not aware that we were being scammed. It is the same case with scam emails; unless you know what to look for, there is a good chance that you may fall for the false information being relayed through these calls and emails. The consequences are usually quite dire:
- Identity theft
- Loss of money
- Compromised passwords
The consequences listed above are just a few of the terrible things that could happen to you if you do not get the right protection from scam callers who are always phishing for your personal info and ways through which they can take advantage of you.
How can you tell if it is a scam call?
The truth is, trying to tell whether or not you are the victim of a scam call is rather difficult. Mostly because these callers often sound like genuine telemarketers just trying to make a living. The difference, however, is that these scammers are always trying to get your info or get you to buy into something that you probably hadn’t even heard of before you received the call.
A good way to ensure that you do not get scammed is to run a quick check of the number online. Thanks to easy to use websites such as Checkup Tel, you can now see what other people are saying about the numbers that call you. If the number calling is a scammer, you will find reports and comments on such websites.
Examples of scam calls
Additionally, you could always keep an eye (ear) out for calls that sound a little fishy. Here are good examples of common scam calls:
- Callers who offer you free vacations without you even having to apply in any way.
- Callers telling you that you have won $100 on some competition that you hadn’t even taken part in.
- Callers telling you that you are a prime customer and as such you have been rewarded with a free, all expenses paid trip to Vegas (they don’t usually answer when you ask them “prime customer“ of which company?).
- Callers trying to tell you that they can help you get a lower percentage of your student loan repayments all the while trying to get information from you.
- Callers claiming to be debt collectors. Although debt collectors do call, the best way to protect yourself from false debt collectors is to ask for their name, their number, company information and the debtor on whose behalf they are calling.
In all cases, hang up and then verify the information given independently.
As you can see, the number of scam calls can be overwhelming. For many of us, finding out just who is who has become a challenge because scammers get more creative with the day. So, how can you protect yourself from falling victim to scam callers?
How to protect yourself from scam callers
The very first thing you should know is that you should never give out sensitive information over the telephone. If someone asks for your social security number, bank account numbers or home address, always verify that you are talking to a genuine company first. Even then, giving out this kind of information over the phone is very unsafe.
The only way to fully protect yourself against scam calls is to be vigilant. Always ask for their information first and then verify that via Checkup Tel to see whether or not it is a genuine call. Even then, do not give out sensitive information over the phone.