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The Dangers of Robocalls and Most Efficient Protection Methods

Robocalls are one of the biggest problems that phone users in the US face.

By Anna ThompsonPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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The Dangers of Robocalls and Most Efficient Protection Methods
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

Robocalls are one of the biggest problems that phone users in the US face. They are relentless, often after your money and your data. Different techniques are used for this and they are very much efficient. No one is above reproach, no matter how smart or quick you are, the scams keep getting more elaborate, and they can end up costing you a lot more than just a few moments of your time.

So, in order to help you understand better the dangers of answering and interacting with robocalls, we have created an article that will provide you with some of the essential information regarding robocalls along with the best tactics on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from potential phone scams.

By Quino Al on Unsplash

It can cost you money and personal information

Responding to a robocall or a telephone scam cand end up costing you a lot more than just a few minutes of your time. This is a fact. We all think that we can quite easily recognize when it is a spam caller or a robocall that will end up taking our money. But the fact of the matter is that these criminals keep getting more and more sophisticated and it is simply hard to keep up.

The current health epidemic is a source of new types of phone scams and frauds. The fact of the matter is that most of the phone scammers use our fear to manipulate us. And a health pandemic is ideal for that. So more and more you get the fake CDC and IRS calls meant to scare you and than take your data or your money. the fact of the matter is that downloadable apps and some free websites now make it simple for anyone to “spoof” a phone call and make it appear to come from any phone number. This is usually done by unscrupulous salespeople, in hopes that people are more likely to pick up the phone if the caller has a number similar to theirs.

The best option is to simply hang up, use a dependable reverse phone lookup search, and check the number. Then call one of the official numbers of these government agencies and check if they are indeed calling people.

Both the CDC and the IRS have issued statements saying that they never request funds or sensitive data via phone, only through authorized channels. That means you can be far more comfortable hanging up and then deciding what to do next.

Another currently present danger is fake charities asking for money to help the most endangered members of society. The second you feel someone is pressuring you for data or money you can be sure that something is wrong. That is why it is safer to hang up, check the number, or look up the charity and in case you really want to donate directly to that charity. That way you can be sure that the money you are willing to donate goes into the right hands.

By Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Protection methods that actually work

You can read hundreds of articles on how to protect yourself from robocalls and phone scams. Most of them will tell you which apps to use and how much you’ll have to pay. Now, there is nothing wrong with using all the tools that are at your disposal. And yes there are a lot of apps available, but what you don’t know is that a majority of those free options request to use your data freely, which is in no way a safe way to deal with the situation.

There is the best and safest way of dealing with the situation, either don’t answer if it is an unknown number and first run the number through a reverse phone lookup so that you have the information you need regarding your next step. When you know who the caller really is you can easily decide to block, report, or, if you deem it safe answer the call.

The second option is just hanging up once you feel uncomfortable, and you realize that the call might be a scam. It is always better to verify the information provided to you via a phone call than to give out your personal information or payment data.

Hopefully, this article has been informative and you will be able to protect yourself and your loved ones better from robocalls and phone scams that will be coming your way.

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