Even though they may sound outdated, phone scams still run rampant.
The US Treasury inspector generalreceives between 9,000-12,000 complaints per week.
According toPrinceton Research Survey Associates, “People over 50 are disproportionately victimized by telephone fraud.”
verify you and your loved ones know how to identify and avoid the most common telephone scamslike these.
Beware: this could be a scam.
Once they obtain your financial information, the fraudster will take your funds and keep it all for themselves.
For example, recently in New Jersey, fraudsters disguised themselves as the local police department.
There’s a simple solution to this.
It’s a bit clumsier, but it minimizes your chances of getting scammed.
And by the way: if you want to stop receiving calls with computerized voices,hang up immediately.
Whenever possible, contribute by check, credit card, or another method that provides documentation of the gift.
Don’t Get Intimidated by Fake IRS Calls
Con artists are masters of emotional manipulation.
They push buttonsadding fear, or a sense of urgencyto get you to take action without thinking about it.
And what do many people fear most?
The tax man, of course.
For an unsuspecting person, this threat could overwhelm any skepticism they might have had about the call.
That fear leads straight to the impulsive action that the fraudster wanted.
The first IRS contact with taxpayers is usually through the mail.
Taxpayers have rights, and this is not how we do business.
You canlisten to an automated scam call hereto get an idea of how one of these calls sound.
Even though it sounds official, you have to remind yourself that it’s fake.
Don’t let them catch you off guard.
If you want to confirm that you don’t owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
Their workers can help you with a payment issue.
Fraudsters can easily impersonate technology support staff and sound official.
(Here’s anexample of how a callwould look, andhere are the steps fraudsters usually take.)
These con artists are capable ofspoofing official caller ID numbers, so you have to ignore that fake legitimacy.
Never follow the phone numbers or URLs that they share with you.
Unfortunately, there’s no one app or technique to keep you safe.
Never share control of your rig.
Never provide financial information to someone claiming to be from tech support.
On a related note, fraudsters don’t just restrict themselves to technology support staff.
They could also easily impersonate someone else, like a financial services representative.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled, and be suspicious of incoming calls from services.
Start by not picking up calls from unknown numbers.
Don’t feel obligated to call strange numbers back, especially if they hang up after one ring.
Only law-abiding organizations follow the DNC listand scammers don’t play by the rules.
Unfortunately, the service does not work with landlines yet.
Although Trapcall can unmask blocked numbers, it can’t provide the real number behind fake caller ID spoofs.
We’d previouslylooked at five steps to immediately takeonce you’ve been scammed.
Prepare yourself to have an unpleasant call.
Don’t let their intimidation bother you.
These emotions can blind you to the warning signs that you otherwise may have noticed.
Photos byStudioZ,Zelfit,401(K) 2012,MoneyBlogNewz, andState Farm.
