How To Stop Robocall Scams In The USA?

But scammers are very much advance and smarter now, many people receiving calls from a real person who is saying that there is an emergency or saying that he/she is calling from an orphanage and seek some help for needy kids. Even during the recent global coronavirus pandemic, millions of trapped under such scams.

In this type circumstances, you need to know how to stop these unwanted nuisance, annoying calls. But many among us trapped and to let emotion win out over logic.

Know more about coronavirus scam alert

Robocalls – A big threat for all of us

During a robocall scam calling, a scammer uses social engineering to get you to share personal information and financial details, such as account numbers and passwords. The scammer might say your account has been compromised, claim to represent your bank or law enforcement, or offer to help you install software. Warning: It’s probably malware.

This is just one form of phishing that is known as ‘vishing‘, which is any type of message — such as an email, text, phone call or direct-chat message — that appears to be from a trusted source, but isn’t. The goal is to steal someone’s identity or money.

It’s getting easier to contact more people, too. Scammers can place hundreds of calls at a time using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology and can spoof the caller ID to make the call appear to come from a trusted source, such as your bank.

Some examples of robocall scams

About three-quarters of the fraud complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission involve contact with consumers by telephone. Here are some of the common themes:

Compromised bank or credit card account

Whether it’s a person or a prerecorded message on the other end, you’ll be told there’s an issue with your account or a payment you made. You may be asked for your login credentials to fix the problem or asked to make a new payment. Instead of giving out your info, hang up and call your financial institution on their publicly available number.

Unsolicited loan or investment offers

Scammers will call with offers that are too good to be true. They’ll say, for example, that you can earn millions of dollars on one small investment, pay off all your debt with one quick fix, or get all your student loans forgiven in one fell swoop. Typically, you must “act now” and will need to pay a small fee. Don’t fall for it. Legitimate lenders and investors won’t make these types of offers and won’t initiate contact out of the blue.

Medicare or Social Security scam

Phone calls are the No. 1 method scammers use to reach older adults, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Crooks pose as Medicare reps — often during Medicare open enrollment season — and try to glean financial information from the victim, such as their Medicare number or bank account details. Then the scammer will either fraudulently use the victim’s Medicare benefits or steal their money. Scammers may also claim to be from the Social Security Administration and threaten to suspend or cancel the victim’s Social Security number.

IRS tax scam

There are many variations of this type of scam, but typically, you’ll receive a prerecorded message. It tells you something’s wrong with your tax return and if you don’t call back, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. Scammers usually pair this with a spoofed caller ID made to look like the call is coming from the IRS. Before you proceed, it pays to understand what the IRS can and can’t do when they need to contact you.

How to spot robocall scams

Here are some of the tell-tale signs of robocall scams:

• The caller claims to represent the IRS, Medicare, or the Social Security Administration. Unless you’ve requested contact, none of these federal agencies will ever initiate contact with you by email, text messages, or social media channels to request personal or financial information. In fact, be skeptical of anyone who calls you with an offer.
• There’s a frantic sense of urgency. Scammers will try to tap into your sense of fear, using threats of arrest warrants and problems with your account. If you get one of these phone calls, remain calm and never give out your own information. Hang up and do your own investigation.
• The caller asks for your information. They may ask you to confirm your name, address, birth date, Social Security number, bank account info, and other identifying details. To trick you into thinking they’re legit, they may even have some of this info on hand. The goal is to get the remaining info that they don’t have yet.

If you’re irritated and feeling interrupted of robocalls and want to enjoy your peace of mind, here are seven ways you can tell these scammers to take a hike. You can take on your own steps and few with the assistance from your cellphone carrier to stop them calling. Let’s discuss all those steps on how to stop robocalls.

1. Stop Robocalls by Refusing unwanted calls automatically on your landline/mobile

Many robocalls appears “blocked,” “unknown” or “private” on your caller ID, while most businesses and real person come up as identifiable phone numbers. Chances are, you can stop robocalls without missing anything important.

If you use a landline telephone, you may have access to Anonymous Call Rejection. To activate it, dial *77 and you will hear three beeps. Hang up and any marketing or scam caller that hides its number will be rejected.

This service varies by carrier and some charge extra. But it’s a helpful tool to stop scammers or legitimate robocallers who slip through the Do Not Call Registry.

NOTE: *77 works only for landline phones in the USA. Dialing *77 on your mobile phone might connect you with emergency services, depending on your location.

2. Check out your provider’s tool’s and services:

The major wireless providers offer various tools and solutions that you can engage or may be built into your device to block or flag calls.

3. Register to National Do Not Call Registry

FTC National Do Not Call Registry helps millions stopping marketing and scammers calling just by joining the  — and in a perfect world, signing up would stop telemarketers from calling you. Technically speaking, putting your name on the list makes it illegal for telemarketers to call you.

But scammers don’t exactly follow the rules, nor do they care about this list. That said, it’s still smart to register your number as an added layer of protection against unwanted calls coming from within the U.S.

Joining the National Do Not Call Registry is simple. Go to the website donotcall.gov and enter the landline or cellphone number you want on the list. Note that different regulations govern fax numbers, so don’t waste your time. Add your wireless devices and/or landline numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry, which prohibits telemarketers from calling your registered numbers.

You can also call 1-888-382-1222 from any phone you want to put on the list. That’s all it takes; your number stays on the list until you ask for it to be removed or you give up the number.

Tip: Before giving your phone number to any business, read their privacy policy ahead of time. Some policies may imply that by giving your phone number or agreeing to a business’s terms and conditions, you gave them permission to contact you and possibly to share your contact information with others.

4. Access device features to stop robocalls:

Use features built into your phone to block unwanted calls. To learn more, check out guides for iOS and Android or visit your device manufacturer’s website.

5. Download and activate apps to block and stop robocalls:

Third parties offer additional apps to help you identify and stop robocalls and other unwanted callers. Media outlets regularly recommend and review various apps that may be helpful you in many ways to keep yourself out of reach of scammer calling.

6. Take extra precautions with unknown callers:

Don’t engage with robocallers. Don’t give out personally identifiable information or send money to a third party without verifying the authenticity of the caller. You can double check the authenticity of caller by looking up their phone number on their website, or in a phone book and calling them directly. Another thing you can do to stop robocalls is to hang up as soon as you get a robocall, and make sure you block the number on the screen.

7. Report to stop robocalls and spam text messages:

• File a complaint online with the FTC or FCC. Alternatively, call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP or the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC.
• Forward SPAM text messages to 7726 (or SPAM). This free text exchange with your wireless provider will report the SPAM number, and you will receive a response thanking you for reporting it.