PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM SCAMS

If there has been any upside to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that robocalls practically stopped for a time. Unfortunately, the ringing has returned.

On average, the American public fields about 5 billion spam calls per month, according to call-blocker app Robokiller. However, the company noticed a 40% drop in April compared with January.

The reason: empty call centers. “Sophisticated criminals can push out billions of automated calls, but they need a human being to answer and get your personal information if you fall for the scam. Call centers around the world closed in April and May during the height of COVID-19,” says Aaron Foss, founder of Nomorobo, which tracks calls to its users.

Now that shutdowns have been lifted or these operations have transitioned to at-home workers, calls have returned to January levels. And we’re not only being bombarded by phone calls, but also by bogus emails and text messages.

“We’ve seen a large increase in spam text messages since April 2020,” says Giulia Porter, vice president of marketing for Robokiller. “This tells us that Americans are avoiding answering unknown phone calls, making it harder for scammers to reach people.”

The Federal Trade Commission has seen a rise in complaints about text messages this year, according to Shameka Walker, manager of the Identity Theft Program. The most common ploy: a text saying you’ve received a package from Fedex, UPS or similar, and you should click on a link for more information. If you do, your phone and all of the personal information on it could be compromised.

Here are a few reminders for keeping your personal information quarantined:

1. DON’T TRUST CALLER ID.

Just because it says Internal Revenue Service doesn’t mean that’s who’s calling. And the IRS and Social Security Administration don’t call you.“if you owe money or there’s an issue, they mail you something in writing,”walker says. If you do answer, say:“i can’t talk now. I’ll call back.”hang up, and then ...

2. BE THE CALL INITIATOR.

Should you be contacted about an issue with your credit card or other account, find the institution’s phone number either online or on the back of your credit or debit card. (Sophisticated scammers may give you a phone number to call. Don’t use it.) The only time you should verify personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account, is if you initiate the call to a phone number you know is legitimately connected to the institution, Walker says.

3. DIG DEEPER.

Search online for a company or product name with words such as “review ,”“complaint” or “scam .” or search for a phrase that describes your situation, such AS“IRS call.” you can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them as scams, says Ron Culler, senior director of technology and solutions for ADT Cybersecurity.

4. RESIST THE CLICK.

Be it an email or text, don’t click on any link, even if it looks legitimate. Clicking could send you to a scam site, download malware or result in your phone number being added to lists that are sold to other bad actors.

5. KEEP SYSTEMS UPDATED.

Make sure your software and apps for computers, tablets and phones are up to date, Culler says. Ensure that your anti-virus/antimalware software is set to both automatically update and detect.

6. BEWARE OF QUIZZES.

They appear innocent, but they can be used by scammers to add specifics to your profile, Culler says. Once they have enough data, they can target you and sound legitimate, because they know where you bank, the model of your first car, the first street you lived on.

7. REPORT IT.

If you find yourself part of a scam or have lost money, report it to ftc.gov/complaint. The agency tracks scam trends and scammers through self-reported data.