How to Identify a Scammer on the Phone
Answering unwanted phone calls can be a nuisance and inconvenient. Even worse, they can go from invading your privacy to costing you thousands of dollars. Fraudsters use countless schemes to rip unexpecting people off, with the common channels being emails and calls.
Although there is a long list of phone scams, there are common red flags to look out for when talking with a suspicious caller. While you cannot control who calls you, you can protect yourself from being defrauded by identifying these criminals and taking appropriate action before it is too late.
That said, here are some surefire ways to spot a phone scammer:
They Use Odd Phone Numbers
Most scammers conceal their true identity by impersonating authority figures in big organizations or the government. To pose as people with authority for intimidation, they use odd phone numbers to help them sell that lie. When you receive a call with unfamiliar country or state area codes, be highly suspicious and don’t reveal any personal information.
Their Offers are Too Good to Be True
The old golden rule that if something is too good to be true, then it probably is, definitely applies to phone scammers. Fraudsters present irresistible offers to get you to sign up for their deals. It could be anything, like 50% discounts on sales, a higher-than-average salary, or a full scholarship offer in a prestigious school.
When presented with any of such offers, don’t just take their word for it. Do some due diligence and verify the facts before signing up for anything or disclosing your credit card details.
They Apply a Sense of Urgency
One of the phishing tricks scammers love to use is creating urgency to force their targets to take action, especially if they are seemingly hesitant about it. They also do this to squeeze out information before you can second guess their intention.
If a caller starts asking for sensitive data right off the bat during a call, think critically before revealing anything. Be prepared that the criminals might use your fear of missing out on a good deal to get you to respond quickly and fall for their tricks.
They Request Sensitive Information
The only way a scammer can get into your accounts is by bypassing your passwords and PINs. A stranger asking you for such personal information should be an immediate red flag. Reputable companies, banks, and organizations will never ask you for confidential info, especially if you didn’t start the conversation.
Reverse search the number of anyone who asks for such details to find out who you are dealing with. It will help you avoid identity theft, spam, and, most importantly, will give you peace of mind.
They Use Intimidation
Phone scammers might threaten you with dire consequences for not acting promptly. The most common case where it happens is financial scams, where fraudsters may threaten to close your bank account or give you a fine for some reason. They may claim to have flagged some weird activity in your accounts and ask for your personal information to try and fix it before it is too late. If you give in to this gimmick, they will access your account and siphon as much money as they can get.
They Get Annoyed if You Ask Questions
At first, the caller might seem calm and confident with what they are saying. However, when you begin to suspect the nature of the call, they may start getting irritable and belligerent. They will even raise their voice as an intimidation tactic to get you to quit asking questions and start complying with what they are telling you. When an unknown caller starts getting hostile and aggressive, hang up and block the number.
They Request Upfront Payments
When a genuine organization calls to present you with an offer, there is usually some grace period for you to consider the offer before you decide to pay any money. Scammers, however, want the opposite. They request payments urgently, promising to save you a front seat on the opportunity presented. Large deposits or sometimes the complete payment is required upfront before you can access the promised deal. These payments are non-refundable, irreversible, and hard to track.
They Take Advantage of Your Problems
The key to a successful scam is getting you to drop your guard. Scammers will do anything to make you feel like they are salvaging you from a serious situation, including describing your problem in detail. It could be anything you relate with, using any information they might have dug out about you on different platforms. When you follow their made-up stories, you will soon catch some inconsistencies.
They Propose Complex Payment Options
In most scam cases, fraudsters claim that you should make a payment to facilitate the processing of something or for you to access an opportunity. To make the payments hard to track or reverse, they will propose peer-to-peer payment options such as gift cards, personal cheques, or cryptocurrency. Usually, it is never a good idea to use such payment methods when you barely know who you are dealing with.
Their Responses are Vague
When you are on a normal call, you expect a conversation to flow naturally, and everything seems more intuitive and random than managed. However, a scammer’s phone call is quite different and will feel like talking to a robot or listening to a recording. So, be keen during the phone call and look for any anomalies in sentence structure, questions, and reactions to your responses.
Conclusion
Being cautious and aware of unknown phone numbers is never too much. The reason why scammers are successful in their endeavors is the continuous improvement of their tactics. They want you to always act on their requests without putting much thought.
To reduce calls from fraudsters, consider signing up your phone number with the state and federal do-not-call lists. Also, avoid answering calls from unknown numbers. If you must answer, be keen and on the lookout for the red flags discussed in this article.
