5 common phone call scams and how to avoid them
Remember those times when owning a cellphone was a matter of pride? The convenience of being able to make and answer calls from anywhere at any time was just… amazing.
Ah, such simple times!
Phones are now so technologically advanced that we use them for everything from setting reminders, group calling, and making business deals to using social media and of course, making calls. The downside of this convenience is the shortest horror story today - SCAM.
India ranks 4th in the world in scam calls. Every Indian, on average, receives 16.8 scam calls per month. These calls have become so frequent and believable that almost all of us know someone who has fallen prey to them.
What a misuse of technology!
But, hey, we come bearing good news. This article will enlighten you about the most common phone call scams in India so that you steer clear of them. Let’s get started!
5 common phone call scams and how to avoid them
We are all familiar with the Nigerian prince who needs money to run his country/city and the lucky draws that reward us with hundreds of thousands of imaginary dollars. Most of us know not to fall for these rip-offs.
The spread of awareness, however, challenged scammers who in turn started looking for new ways to extort money and data out of innocent consumers. (Talk about using creativity and intelligence for the wrong reasons!) Some of them are as follows:
Those helpful bank calls
Repeat after us: No bank executive will ever call you asking for personal and card details.
Scam calls from pretend bankers have become quite common, especially targeting the naïve elderly population. We didn’t believe this to be true until one of our own colleague’s parent received the call. Under the pretense of updating card details, they made purchases worth 25,000 INR after coaxing the parent to reveal not just the CVV but also the OTP.
How to stay protected: A bank official will only call you to confirm identity especially after a big purchase. This confirmation requires a mere “yes” or “no” from you. If anyone asks for more details, feel free to refuse and hang up.
The upgraded lottery scam
Since most of us are now sensitized to the lottery and “you’ve won” scams, income scams have taken over. It is easy to fall for them because they speak of ways to earn money through tutorials, workshops, coaching, etc. If you pursue it, they may ask for your personal details or have you pay some money to get started.
How to stay protected: The easiest way is to hang up and forget about the call. If the caller seems genuine, run a Google search with the name of the company and the keywords “fraud” or “scam.” The search results will tell you whether to go ahead.
The booster dose trap
“Turn every difficulty into an opportunity,” they say. Our spammers have taken this too seriously. That is why they have started making phone calls promising booster COVID-19 vaccine doses in exchange for money. They usually pose as government officials and induce the fear of a new wave and shortage.
How to stay protected: Hang up if they are asking for money because the government has set up multiple free vaccination camps. Also, as of this moment, there is no shortage in India. So, please do not let them scare you into making hasty decisions.
The mysterious single ring
Returning a missed call is considered polite but it can also be risky, especially if you received only one ring. This is usually a robocall waiting to identify you as a real person. The fact that you called back confirms that you aren’t just real but are also vulnerable enough to return all missed calls. Another point to note here is that you might end up calling chargeable lines that are extremely expensive minute could cost you a lot of money.
How to stay protected: It’s okay if you miss a call. A genuine caller will call back. We also suggest that you use voicemail services so that genuine callers leave a message and you weed out those who don’t.
Those barely audible calls
This scam is relatively new and we haven’t heard of many cases but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Any call that starts with, “Can you hear me?” or “Am I audible?” needs to be treated with suspicion. (Of course, different rules apply for company calls on Zoom!) These callers usually look at the “yes” reply and record it to use it against you. They can always claim that you consented to some outrageous scheme to take advantage of you.
How to stay protected: Avoid affirmative answers and instead say, “I can hear you,” or “Please repeat.”
Conclusion
Everyone’s advancing these days - fraudsters included - and to stay on top of their tricks, we must take adequate measures. Learning about the common phone calls scams and having your guards up is one way. Getting a secondary phone number from Doosra and putting an end to all these issues at once is another.
We prefer nipping the problem in the bud. Do you, too?