We’ve all gotten those bothersome phone calls before. But some are worse than others. There are two main types of unwanted calls: phone spam and phone scams. Phone scams are the more dangerous ones.
Let’s talk about the main differences between phone spam and phone scams, and what you can do if you get either one.
What Is Phone Spam?
Phone spam usually means telemarketing or other unwanted calls from companies trying to sell you things or get you to answer questions. These calls can be annoying, but they’re usually not harmful. However, they can waste your time, and sometimes people end up buying things they don’t really need.
These kinds of calls have been around for a long time, and everyone has their own way of dealing with them. Some people hang up right away, others tell the caller they’re not interested, and some actually listen to what the caller has to say. Cold calling, where companies call people without them asking, still seems to work, so these calls probably won’t stop anytime soon.
So What Are Scam Calls?
Scam calls are much more serious. They involve people trying to trick you into giving them money or sharing private information. Sometimes, you talk to the scammer directly, or you might hear a recorded message telling you to call a certain number right away.
Common Types of Scam Calls
While there are a plethora of scam calls doing the rounds, here are some of the more common types:
Government Scams
In these scams, the callers pretend to be from government agencies like the IRS or SSA. They might say you’re in trouble with the law, like owing taxes. They often threaten to arrest you or give you big fines if you don’t do what they say, which usually involves sending money or sharing personal information.
Grandparent Scams
The grandparent scam may sound harmless, but it’s actually tricking many seniors into giving away millions of dollars every year. It usually begins with a phone call to an elderly person. The caller pretends to be their grandchild or another relative who’s in trouble. They might say they’ve been in an accident or have some urgent problem that needs money right away.
Medicare Scams
In a Medicare scam, the scammer pretends to work for Medicare to get someone’s Medicare number. They might say Medicare is giving out new cards as a reason for needing the number. Because anyone over 65 in the US can get Medicare, scammers have a clear group to focus on.
Tech Support Scams
These scams are about saying there’s a problem with your computer. The scammer might pretend to work for a big company like Microsoft or Apple and offer to fix the fake issue. But really, they’re trying to steal money or information, either by tricking you or by taking control of your computer remotely.
How to Spot and Avoid Scam Calls
To avoid getting tricked by a phone scam, it’s important to learn about the main signs that something might be wrong and to check the details. Also, it’s smart to know what to do if you do get fooled by a caller.
Don’t Rely on Caller ID
It used to be easy to tell if a call was a scam because you could see the caller ID showing it was from a different country (lots of scams come from places like China, India, and some African countries).
But now, scammers are smarter with technology. They can make it look like the call is coming from a local number. One sign of a scam call is when the number looks a lot like yours, especially the first six digits (the area code and the next three numbers).
Check with the Real Organization
Remember, a trustworthy organization won’t call you to ask for your password, personal details, or access to your computer. If you’re not sure if a call is real, hang up and call back using a number you find on the company’s official website.
Add Yourself to the Do Not Call List
Even though it’s not perfect, putting your name on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Do Not Call list can lessen the amount of spam calls you get. This can make it easier to spot scam calls.
Use a Monitoring Service
Signing up for an identity theft monitoring service such as Identity Defense can help you feel more secure if you accidentally become a scam victim. Identity Defense keeps an eye on your accounts and credit score and notifies you if anything seems suspicious. It also offers advice on how to deal with fraud and identity theft, and it even provides insurance that covers up to $1 million in eligible losses*.
Report Scam Calls
Tell the right people if you think you’ve been a victim of a phone scam. For instance, if you’re in the US, report it to the local police (if you lost money) and your state and federal governments.
