Tech Talk with Jeff - My Phone is Ringing Again!!??
We all have a love/hate relationship with our phones. Love the convenience and usability of the devices but hate the unwanted calls and messages.
Through many methods our phone numbers end up receiving scam calls. Whether it is a random run down through the list of available numbers or your number being on a list the scammer purchased. The flow of unwanted calls can be disruptive and annoying. For my number, the previous owner of the number still hands out the number when dealing with companies. I get calls from insurance people, car dealerships, etc. Why? Who knows? The guy just keeps doing it - annoying.
So, in my case, I just block the calls to make them go away or I just ignore them. Other than being an annoyance, these calls are not a threat. There are many calls that come in that are a threat. Scammers trying to get through to me to try and get personal information, scam me on something or trying to get me to say “yes” so they can record it and use that statement to prove I said yes to purchasing whatever scam they are selling. It is all a very slippery slope that is very easy to fall for.
So how to deal with it all? Everyone has their own approach, but my view is you are better off not talking to these types of people. It is not likely to have a positive outcome for you. You need to use your judgement on the incoming calls. I don’t answer calls I don’t recognize or are not in my contacts. If I’m dealing with someone new, I always put them in my contacts so I will know who it is when they call.
“Oh, but I have a missed call. It could be important! I should call them back?” If someone is trying to reach you that is valid, they will leave you a voicemail and you can call them back. If they did not leave you a voicemail, then it can’t be that important. It is a bad idea to call back a number you don’t recognize, particularly if they did not leave a voicemail. Scammers scam for a living. They are good at this. Don’t put yourself in the position of getting pulled in by them.
Also keep in mind that caller ID cannot always be trusted. It is child’s play to alter the outgoing caller ID that is displayed on the other end. Have you ever received a call that had the caller ID show your own name? Yep, that is someone on the other end trying to get you to answer a scam call.
Keep in mind, as I said earlier, scamming is their job, and they are good at it. You don’t want to talk to them. Talking to a scammer gives the scammer the chance to pull you in. Certainly, don’t play with them. Some people like to mess with the scam callers. Don’t do it. First, it tells them you exist, second, they may get some information from you that they can use against you later. Don’t play games with them.
Scammers often use fake numbers in the same exchange as your phone number. It makes it seem more familiar increasing the likelihood of getting you to answer. If you don’t know the number, be cautious about answering it.
As always, use your best judgement and work to protect yourself from the threats out there in this very wild world we live in.
Be aware and be safe!
