PHONE SCAMS

Huma

Hey, viewers before we learned about technology so let's learn about phone scams.

Mobile phone scams are aimed at deceiving you into voluntarily infecting your device or handing over private information. Common types of mobile scams include Mobile phone virus scams. SMS phishing. The “do not answer” advice is best practice for a reason. However, it seems that simply answering a call is not a catastrophic blunder. What answering a call does, according to experts, is verify your number is real, and therefore you are of value for future potential scams. 

Scammers use auto-dialers and spoofed area codes to trick people into picking up the phone. From there, it's a numbers game. The scammers want to get as much personal information from the call recipient as possible. That can include anything from names and birth dates to credit card numbers. If someone steals your phone number, they become you — for all intents and purposes. With your phone number, a hacker can start hijacking your accounts one by one by having a password reset sent to your phone. 

They can trick automated systems — like your bank — into thinking they're you when you call customer service. If you get calls from people saying your number is showing up on their caller ID, it's likely that your number has been spoofed. We suggest first that you do not answer any calls from unknown numbers, but if you do, explain that your telephone number is being spoofed and that you did not actually make any calls. 

Phone spoofing is when someone disguises the number they are calling or texting from by changing their caller ID. Some businesses do this legally and for legitimate reasons. But phone scammers around the world have also cottoned onto it. The surest sign that someone is using your number to make spoofed calls is if you start getting multiple calls or SMS responding to communication you never initiated.

 If you find apps you haven't downloaded, or calls, texts, and emails that you didn't send, that's a red flag. A hacker may have hijacked your phone to send premium-rate calls or messages or to spread malware to your contacts. Similarly, if you see spikes in your data usage, that could be a sign of a hack as well. You might get texts asking who you are, or get calls from people demanding that you stop bothering them.

Scammers can steal your identity by obtaining your personal financial information online, at the door, or over the phone. What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards. If you hear pulsating static, high-pitched humming, or other strange background noises when on voice calls, it may be a sign that your phone is being tapped. If you hear unusual sounds like beeping, clicking, or static when you're not on a call, that's another sign that your phone is tapped

The newest ph. scams are:-

1. Online dating hoaxes.
2. Suspicious retailers.
3. Bogus tech support.
4. Government imposters.
5. Fraudulent email solicitations

What to do if your identity is stolen:-

1. Contact the companies and banks where you know identity fraud occurred.
2. Contact the credit reporting agencies and place fraud alerts. ...
3. Ask for copies of your credit reports. ...
4. Place a security freeze on your credit report.

 *Telephone scammers often try to hook you with enticing offers, appeals for charitable causes, or claims of being associated with the government. They won’t allow time for you to think through their pitch. They will pressure you to make a decision. 

• A claim that you have been specially selected
• Use of high-pressure sales tactics and “limited-time” offers
• Reluctance to answer questions about the business or the offer 
• Request that you “confirm your personal information”
• Request payment by means other than a credit card –including cash, gift card, 
• wire transfer, or private courier 
• Request your credit card or another payment mechanism for “shipping and handling”
• Use of threats if you don’t comply – even the threat of arrest 
• The call starts with a prerecorded message – called a “robocall”
• Claims you have a virus on your computer or requests to log in to your computer
• Claims to be a friend or relative in need of money – but they don’t give you any time to think or contact others.

 *Source:-     How to Spot and Report Phone Scams