Show We’ve all been there—going about our daily lives and then all of a sudden we get that dreaded call from an unknown number. Many of us have a multitude of saved numbers in our phones, so when an unknown call comes through it looks very suspicious. You’d be smart to assume it’s a scammer or robocaller. As a result, answering unknown calls and putting your security at risk is not the best move. With so many spammers and bad actors out there to steal your information, it’s important to always be vigilant and alert. Scam calls are rampant and will continue to annoy you until you take the proper precautions. In this article, we cover:
YouMail’s Robocall Index shows that over 4 billion robocalls were made in June of 2022, which is more than 144 million per day. This number has been increasing each month, which shows the steady increase from the beginning of the year. While there are a number of phone scams to be aware of, there is a short list of scams that are most common. Komando.com notes that “the top five subjects that these calls regularly relate to are auto warranty, social security number, credit card, IRS, and student loans.” Ultimately, scammers are trying to get you to reveal personal and private information. Thus, it’s important to protect your identity from those who are trying to steal it. Why phone scam calls happenWhile there are many different types of scam calls, they’re all trying to achieve a similar goal: steal your personal and private information. AARP notes that “illegal robocalls include telemarketing spam (automated sales calls from companies you haven’t authorized to contact you) and attempts at outright theft. Prerecorded messages dangle goodies like all-expenses-paid travel or demand payment for nonexistent debts to get you to send money or give up sensitive personal data.” In addition, some scam calls may tell you you’re getting a refund and need to log into your online bank in order to receive it. According to an article from the New York Times, “the guy who is trying to convince you to sign into your online banking is after one thing alone, and that is he wants to steal your money.” Thus, it’s important to always be aware that scammers and robocalls are trying to steal your information. How to protect yourself from scam callsFCC’s consumer tips include not answering calls from unknown numbers, not responding to questions including ones that require a “yes”, using caution when being pressured for information, and more. In addition, YouMail’s free app blocks spam calls and voicemail instantly. Not only that, illegal spam calls will help law enforcement track and shut down the bad guys. In doing so, you’ll be protecting both yourself and others. To protect yourself from scams and robocallers, download YouMail today. You might also like:
I've only had two cell phone numbers in my life. My current number I've had for about 8 years. I've NEVER experienced anything like this before. At most, I might receive 1-2 spam calls per week. All of a sudden starting this past Saturday, I've been bombarded with them. Between Saturday and today (so far) I've received 23 of these calls. For some reason, I received only 1 on Sunday.
And they're almost always a number that hasn't called me before, so blocking doesn't help. I finally had to go in to the Phone settings to silence all unknown callers, as this was disrupting my daily life.
Your number was somehow high jacked/sold, and being passed around to multiple scam centers likely in Jakarta or the Philippines. Spam waves will fluctuate, but they usually die off. The most important thing you don’t do, is answer any of them, because they have an algorithm that actually can determine if you answer these calls, and said calls continue to persist.
Yeah, I got this a few months ago.
Your number was somehow high jacked/sold, and being passed around to multiple scam centers likely in Jakarta or the Philippines. Spam waves will fluctuate, but they usually die off. The most important thing you don’t do, is answer any of them, because they have an algorithm
that actually can determine if you answer these calls, and said calls continue to persist. Yeah, I don't answer them . . . except for one because I went to press the stem of my AirPod to pause a music track this morning at the exact same
second a call came in and thus I inadvertently answered it 🙄 Of course I hung up immediately once I realized what happened.
Why you would falsely post this, is beyond me.
Yeah, I don't answer them . . . except for one because I went to press the stem of my AirPod to pause a music track this morning at the exact same second a call came in and thus I inadvertently answered it 🙄 Of course I hung up immediately once I realized what happened. When you say silenced, do you mean blocked?
When you say silenced, do you mean blocked? In a sense, yes, but the calls will still show up in your recent calls list and they can leave a voicemail:
Your number was somehow high jacked/sold, and being passed around to multiple scam centers likely in Jakarta or the Philippines. Spam waves will fluctuate, but they usually die off. The most important thing you don’t do, is answer any of them, because they have an
algorithm that actually can determine if you answer these calls, and said calls continue to persist. This... or you put your phone number somewhere and it was sold off... Once it is out there good luck. I just end up blocking them... and
yes I block them all.
I've not signed up for anything recently requiring my phone number. I have no idea why this is happening all of a sudden Unfortunately, now that SMS and extremely cheap phone calls are pretty much universal, scammers may not have bought or acquired your
contact info because war dialing (using a computer or bot to sequentially call every number in an area code or prefix) can get enough marks to respond to make an attack profitable.
Settings, Phone, Silence unknown callers.
Settings, Phone, Silence unknown callers. Yes, as mentioned, I did that. Very thankful for that feature.
Settings, Phone, Silence unknown callers. I had forgotten about this... thank you! For some
reason I feel the donotcall.gov was a scam. Signed up for it and what do you know, it felt like I received more phone calls.
I hate websites that ask for phone numbers. If it is something I must have, my go to phone number is 555-1212. If they don't like that, then I usually don't buy it or register with the site. You could also just use a Google Voice number.
You could also just use a Google Voice number. You are right... I could... but I really don't like giving out any phone numbers. Feels odd and I am now noticing a big trend of everyone wants your phone numbers so they can send you notices via text too!
Ugh.
Yup, same boat a month ago. I just starting adding all those numbers into my blocked list and calls started to die out.
Yup, same boat a month ago. I just starting adding all those numbers into my blocked list and calls started to die out. The problem is they are mostly unique numbers, not calls from the same group of numbers over and over (though a few are).
This... or you put your phone number somewhere and it was sold off... Once it is out there good luck. I just end up blocking them... and yes I block them all. Unfortunately, spam calls have reached a point of being such a nuisance, Apple and a cellular carriers had to step in with some form of mitigation. The ‘Silence unknown callers’ works excellent. More importantly, not answering these scam calls is key, being these call centers use algorithms that know if you answer, which result in even more calls, which can be shared
amongst other centers. The best combat against these fraudulent calls, is to never answer them.
I get around 3 a day. It's maddening. You could also just use a Google Voice number. That's what I do. I never give out my "real" number to businesses, doctors, etc.
The problem is they are mostly unique numbers, not calls from the same group of numbers over and over (though a few are). However, future state if you do answer one by mistake, it’ll prevent those old numbers from redialing.
+1 for Google Voice.
I hate websites that ask for phone numbers. If it is something I must have, my go to phone number is 555-1212. If they don't like that, then I usually don't buy it or register with the site. For sites like this, I provide a number that is an automated
information service number. Sorry, won't provide that as don't want them getting overrun with spammers (yeah, I see the hypocrisy, but occasional vs potential tons for them is a less evil option), but has a real number (not 555, 800-ish area code, etc) that seems to sneak past what filters they have. Why am I getting so many spam calls and how can I stop it?You can register your numbers on the national Do Not Call list at no cost by calling 1-888-382-1222 (voice) or 1-866-290-4236 (TTY). You must call from the phone number you wish to register.
How do I stop spam phone calls?Block Numbers on Android
You should be able to open the Phone app and select recent calls or call history. Tap the number you want to block and find the command that says block and/or report as spam. Confirm the request to block the number. Some Android devices also allow you to block all unknown callers.
Why are we getting so many spam calls?Why do I keep getting spam calls? Experts credit the ascendance of spam phone calls to fundamental problems with caller ID, a phone system where anyone can operate as a carrier, the inability to detect bad callers, and a number of bad actors exploiting those flaws to drive billions of calls to American phones.
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