Phone scammers are a new way of the extortion of money using a mobile or residential telephone. The main advantage of this method is the possibility of obtaining significant profits as a result of committing a wrongful act, which almost always goes unpunished. With the help of mobile phone users, scammers try to find out their personal data, get access to the banking services of potential victims, or force them to give money voluntarily. Today we are going to tell you how to report scam phone calls and protect yourself from scammers.
Phone fraudsters are people, whose actions are aimed at making a profit by illegal means, using the tools of communication. For extortion of money, scammers most often use the following schemes:
- scam calls. A fraudster reports that a relative or a friend of the victim is at the police department and demand a bribe or a ransom for his release;
sending an SMS asking for help. Scammers refer to the victim using the words “mother”, “son”, “friend” with the requirement to transfer a certain amount of money to the specified number;
- an offer to use a suspicious phone number. For example, scammers report a lottery prize and ask the victim to call a certain phone number to transfer a large sum of money to his account. If the victim makes a call to the specified phone number, a certain amount of money is immediately withdrawn from his account;
- an SMS with the offer of some profitable service from a mobile operator. In fact, after the introduction of the required code, the funds are withdrawn from the telephone bill of the victim;
- the imposition of punitive damages and the threat to disable the phone number of a victim for violation of the terms of the contract with the communications service provider;
- erroneous money transfer. The scammer asks for a refund of money that was credited to the victim’s account by mistake;
- provision of service due to which it is allegedly possible to gain access to the calls and SMS of another person.
Have you ever wondered “How do I report a phone scam?”If you become a victim of phone fraud, you should contact:
The service center immediately after the transfer of funds within the network of the same mobile operator. To return a sum of money, you need to file a corresponding application. If the money is transferred to the telephone number of the criminal who uses the services of another mobile operator, then the money cannot be returned.
The police department. If you become a victim of a phone scam, you should quickly contact the police department and file a complaint with police over the incident. In such a complaint, you should detail the following information:
- time of receiving the message (call receipt) and the number from which it was sent;
- information about the person who called you by phone (last name, first name, place of work), if the caller wished to introduce himself and report such data;
- the content of the message or conversation and the requirements regarding the information provided by the phone scammer.
If scam concerns your bank account, you should immediately freeze your bank card. To block a card, call the bank (the number is on the card or on the official website of the bank). Also, report a phone scam by filing an application to the bank. After the first call with a complaint about phone fraudsters and a request to block your card, the bank must freeze it within a few minutes. An application to the bank confirms the instance of fraud and will be required for the further case investigation. It is the best way to report scam phone calls concerning your bank accounts.
Contact businesses and agencies that were named by a phone scammer during the call. If the scammer talks about a particular company, you should call the customer service of this company and tell them that their name is being used fraudulently for the purpose of the extortion of money.
Call the Internal Security Directorate of your area. Also, you can contact the Organized Crime Control Bureau or the National Security Agency.
You can protect yourself from the phone scams by the means of vigilance and adequate assessment of information obtained from an unknown number. If you received a suspicious call to your phone number or a message, you should take the following steps:
do not panic. Scammers are counting on hasty and thoughtless actions, their goal is to prevent the victim from mending his ways;
listen to the caller calmly and tell him nothing about your decision. It is better to ask for some time to think about his proposal or requirements;
do not disclose the confidential information and your personal data (account number, pin-code of the bank card, and your login and password on the Internet sites);
ask the interlocutor more questions to get as much information about him as possible (name, surname, place of work, the position held, contact details of his manager, the official website of their organization on the Internet, etc.). If the caller is actually an employee of any organization or institution, then these questions will not confuse him, but a fraudster will become nervous;
do not immediately respond to a received alarm call or message from your friends or relatives, but try to call them or their loved ones who may be near them to clarify the information received;
stretch the time. You will not be late in any case: even if the situation is real and the fate of your relative is threatened, it will take much longer to “resolve the issue” than the attackers say;
put on a performance. Inform the fraudster that you are actively seeking funds and are going to your friends to borrow money. It will not allow the scammer to “be off the hook” and explain the changes in background noise during a telephone conversation when you leave your apartment;
browse the Internet for the information on holding contests and drawing of the lottery when receiving an SMS mailing that encourages to participate in them. For example, you can often find some reviews left by deceived participants on various forums;
check the authenticity of the person. You can hear a person whose voice is really similar to the voice of your relative or friend. In this case, ask him questions of a personal nature: mother's maiden name, the location of your summer house, and so on;
do not give or transfer money immediately after receiving a suspicious call or SMS with a request to deposit a certain amount of money (for example, to replenish the controlling bank account or as an insurance in case of gaining a prize);
learn more about the various fraud schemes. Be considerate towards the warnings about phone scams made by mobile phone operators, law enforcement, and the media.
Now you know more information about phone scam is and its types. The actions of phone fraudsters can cause not only significant material but also great moral damage. Therefore, it is very important to know how to protect yourself from phone scammers and report a phone scam. You should always take into account our advice and tell these tips on how to report phone scam to your friends and relatives to protect them from deception.