Scam phone calls are on the rise … again

During lockdown, many people fell victim to fraudsters who stole their money by phone scams.

There are ways to combat it.

Everyone knows the fear that seeing an unknown number can cause. If you’ve found yourself wondering who called me from 08007613362, then you might have done a quick online search only to find that the number seems to belong to Sky.

However, you need to be wary because lots of fraudsters can now hide their numbers and make them look like trusted companies. Instead of redialing the number, type in the number from Sky’s website to ring them back and find out whether they really did ring you.

Criminals might be cunning, but it’s easy enough to outsmart them once you know what to look for. If you’ve been worrying about being targeted recently, then reading this blog should help you to regain some confidence when answering the phone. Here are some ways to tell if you’re being scammed on the phone:

You’re being asked for personal information

While a legitimate call from the bank might ask you to confirm your name or date of birth, they’ll never ask you for passwords or credit card numbers. Always be suspicious of callers who want you to reveal private details.

Some scammers will already know some things about you, which can lure you into a false sense of security. But just because someone knows your name and account number doesn’t mean they’re genuine. If the caller is pressuring you to reveal more than you’re comfortable with, hang up the phone and contact the company directly.

The caller is issuing threats

Some scammers will call people threatening to send them to prison or take them to court unless they pay fines for supposed tax evasion or a visa that’s about to expire. While it can be frightening to be on the receiving end of one of these calls, it’s important to stay calm. Threats and pressure to make a decision quickly and pay over the phone are huge red flags and aren’t how the police would behave. In these cases, it’s best to end the call quickly and get in touch with the authorities as soon as you can.

Money transfer requests

Criminals have been known to pose as someone from the bank, asking people to transfer money due to a breach on their account. Banks will never ask you to transfer your money to another account and complying with these demands will only mean losing your money for good.

They can’t answer your questions

When you start questioning criminals about where they got your details they often try to steer you back to their demands. If they’re acting evasive or not giving you the information you want, then it’s likely they’re pretending to be someone they’re not. Real representatives of an organization will be more than happy to comply with your requests.

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