Phone scams are quite common these days. We’ll talk about prevention, but let’s start with a story.
Saturday Morning Coffee
This event took place quite a few years ago. My wife and I were having a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning when my blackberry (see how old the story is) started ringing. It was not uncommon for my work phone to ring on the weekend and I didn’t recognize the number calling. That wasn’t unusual either.
I picked up the phone and said “This is Brian”. Mistake #1 for those keeping score at home. Be ready. More mistakes to come.
The caller said “Hello Brian” and proceeded to describe a scene where his brother, who was just out of prison had gotten into a car accident with my brother. Shocked and worried, I immediately asked “was it Ross or Kevin?” Mistake #2
He went on to say that his brother was now holding Kevin hostage and the brother had a gun and was demanding money. Remembering some good advice a boss told me years ago, I started talking and hung up on myself. Maureen had always told me that if you’re angry and want to hang up on someone, wait until you’re talking, because no one hangs up on themselves. Go Maureen!
As soon as I’d hung up, I called to my wife and asked her to get in touch with Kevin.
The whole thing seemed a little far fetched, but my heart was pounding. It could be legit.
It Was a Hoax
We got in touch with Kevin. He was home and fine.
I contacted the local police. They came to my house and said the number was probably a burner and that these calls happened all the time and there wasn’t much that could be done.
My Mistakes
Before we move on, I want to touch briefly on my mistakes.
#1. I no longer give my name out when I answer the phone. I say hello and that’s it. Why give anyone that info? Someone calling you likely knows your name, and even if they don’t, you can deal with that after the initial hello, if you so choose. But giving it out without knowing who’s on the other end gives them a weapon they can use against you. The first thing he did was use my name. “Hello Brian”. This made it more familiar and more real. Maybe Kevin told him to call?
#2. I gave him another gift. I gave him 2 names to choose from. Looking back I should have said is it Harold or Raymond. that would have ended it quickly.
We’ll cover some more suggestions a little later.
Why Would Someone Do This?
Money. This is a lucrative business. Check out this article from CNBC. Americans lost $29.8 billion to phone scams in 2020.
Who Would Do This?
This could be a lone operator who came across my number and thought he’d try this out, but it’s more likely that this is a large foreign business that has been established for the sole purpose of scamming unsuspecting victims. Imagine hundreds of phone operators in a call center somewhere outside the US. There are countless articles out there about these scam-centers. Here is just one.
The person who calls you likely works in an office building in a corporate technology park. He or she has been through rigorous training on how to handle these calls. Picture them having learn-at-lunch sessions where they share best practices to trick you.
The scam-center has a computer that dials numbers constantly. The computers have software that can fake the number and the caller ID so you may see the call coming from a legitimate business or from someone you know. Many people won’t answer or will let calls go to voicemail, but as soon as the computer hears a human voice on the other end, the call is routed to a waiting call center scammer. See the post on email scams for an example where the caller ID said “Massachusetts State Police”.
Quick Tip: When you hear a pause after answering the phone, be suspicious. This could be the computer transferring you to a live operator. Whether it is a legit-ish marketing firm or a scammer, it is not someone you want to talk with. Hang up.
In summary, who would do this? Companies who make this their profession. They are quite good at this.
Other Versions
My daughter told me about a friend whose grandmother was scammed out of $5,000. The grandmother was told that the granddaughter was out of state and had been arrested. The nice officer on the phone said if she provided her credit card info, he could arrange bail for the granddaughter.
My mom has been targeted for medical and insurance scams. In these, someone calls and asks to confirm billing information. They have the basics. Her name address and phone number, but they need her medicare number or credit card number to complete the payment. On one of these, the caller ID showed her doctor’s name. Now this is fabulous technology.
We have blocked all callers to my mom’s phone except for her family, friends and doctors. If the calling number isn’t in her phone’s contact list, the call goes to voicemail. This particular call came in with my mom’s doctor’s number so it was sent to her phone and not voicemail. How did it find the link between my mom and her doctor? Pretty amazing.
What Can We Do?
- Add your number to the Do Not Call Registry. This is a national registry. When you add your number, telemarketers are forbidden from calling you. Granted, scammers will not be adhering to these rules but telemarketers can be pretty aggressive. Block them.
- Send unknown calls to voicemail. Most cell phones, many landlines, and phone service provided by cable companies allow you to maintain a list of contacts. You can then specify that calls from numbers not in your contact list should go directly to voicemail. You can then screen them and call back if necessary.
- Don’t return a call by redialing the number that called you. If you get a voicemail from citibank about your account, don’t call the number on the message or redial the number that called you. Go to an account statement or check online for the customer service number and call that number. This ensures you are talking to the real business.
- Don’t announce your name when you pick up the phone. The person on the other end can use this to make t seem as if they know you.
- Don’t leave any info on your voicemail greeting. Not your name, not your phone number. Come to think of it, you probably don’t need to say leave a message after the beep. Most people know this by now. This is all information that could be used to scam you. They can find this other ways, and if they dialed your number, in theory they know your number, but why confirm it for them? “Hi, leave a message”
- If you do get on the phone with someone and they need information, have them confirm, not you. “And what is the account number you’re calling about?”
- Don’t be afraid to hang up. When the guy called pretending to be calling from my mom’s doctor’s office, I told him politely that I would call the doctor back directly. He started making some threats that made no sense so I knew I was onto something. Be polite but firm.
Summary
Scam calls, like scam emails, are big business. It is a multi-billion dollar per year industry so some big players in less-regulated countries control the market. Their skill, experience and technology make them a formidable adversary. They know how to manipulate us with their use of data and psychology. They’ll pressure us, make us feel vulnerable, all the while sharing enough personal data about us to make us feel as if this may be legit.
I hope this helps. Please share stories or tips.
Update 2/29/24: Read here for The Daily Upside‘s article on Biden Wants to Stop Foreign Spies Buying Americans’ Data.
It is important for anyone who uses the internet (that’s you) to understand what a data broker is and what they do. Companies are out there gathering up each of our personal and behavioral (who are we, where do we live, what do we shop for, what do we read…) information and selling it to anyone with a checkbook. Hurray that we are looking to block the selling of our data to foreign spies, but what about the data that is sold locally in the US, what about 3rd party sellers who may find loopholes to sell this data.
We need to be aware that the ability to harvest our data exists. What we do on the internet is not private and can be linked together to get a pretty comprehensive profile about us. Scary. Be safe.