Robocallers – we all hate them. But even those of us who hate them have been known to use automated “cold-calling” methods for businesses in the Arizona area and the United States. Since COVID-19 has picked up, though, robocalls have been picking up in intensity, and amount of robocallers attempting to scam you have gone up as well! Grrrrr!
So how do you stop it? We’ll cover that one later, but first, you need to know that they’re not just doing the standard old methods but actually using NEW methods. Of course, you’re not going to get a break, and now they have something new to use to get you – the pandemic itself.
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What Are the Most Popular COVID Scams?
Here are a few COVID scams to look out for, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Right now, COVID-19 text messages, multimedia, and even robocalls are much higher, but they’re even breaking them down. There have been actual studies that have been done across the country – many have the same general list of what the messages or calls have been regarding:
- COVID-19 Treatment
- Financial Disaster Relief, Gift Cards, and More
- Free Testing for COVID
- Warnings that The Person Was Exposed to COVID
- Begging for Donations
- Health Insurance Options
- The Other Category (mostly free stuff, the “I’ve Got Something for You,” etc.)
What About Other Robocalls?
Robocallers are extremely annoying, but here are some tips to keep them at bay.
These annoying people think that they can get you by getting ahold of you. Another thing to think about is that they don’t know you. They may not even know your name (some people even get messages and robocalls that are trying to say a different name – it’s when you give them YOUR name that they’ve got you, and they can start with the data mining).
If you get a call for someone else, and it sounds like someone or something you didn’t sign up for, or they sound like they’re not from around here, you may want to be leery and keep your guard up. If you ask questions and they can’t answer them for you, then you may want to keep your guard up. Of course, not all call centers are performing scams – telemarketing is still a real career. Market research is still a real thing (customer satisfaction surveys, etc.), but there should be a bit of transparency and credibility involved.
Cell Phones are a Target
Your spidey senses should perk up if you receive an unsolicited call from a robocaller pretending to be from the FBI, IRS, NSA, or any other 3 letter government agency.
Cell phones are one thing that people are using to try to get you. They’ll even call from a spoofed government agency and with empty numbers from your prefixes in your local area to see if they can get your information. What do they do with it? They steal your identity and can even learn about you enough to hack accounts, and ultimately – they know you exist.
When they call you, they’re calling completely blind. That means they don’t know anything about you (other than sometimes your first name or first and last name). Any information you give them can, and will, be used against you.
How Can I Stop Robocallers?
You’re probably not going to like this, but stopping robocallers is no easy task and may, in fact, be impossible once they have you in their database.
The truth of the matter is that, unfortunately, you can’t. However, some security solutions can provide you the means to do things properly. The federal government has been cracking down on them because many robocallers are using your phone for additional information without you realizing it.
A robocaller can call you, and if you answer, they have your number. The next thing you know, you’re getting bombarded with messages with links on them, trying to trick you into clicking it. This almost ALWAYS results in malware being installed into your systems or phone.
The Solution: How VoIP Helps
Having a voice over IP service provider can greatly help lower the number of robocalls you receive. We know what you think – how does this help? And aren’t they often using VoIP to mask their phone numbers? Yes. So, you can fight fire with fire and have an IT team install professional high-quality systems that will give you the best security possible. Then the attackers don’t have to know who you really are!