The robo-call is something with which you’re likely all-too-familiar. They’re automated calls that use similar tricks to phishing emails and texts: they will claim to be a corporation, financial institution, or government agency, reaching
out to contact you about either a special offer or an urgent warning.
If you stay on the line or follow the pre-recorded instructions, you will be transferred to a call center where an agent will try to scam you in one of a number of ways, such as taking your personal information, collecting your login and passwords, or
even convincing you to install software onto your computer that will let them run scams and hijack your system.
Currently, the best way to handle a robocall is either to not answer unfamiliar numbers, or to hang up on the robot without taking any action. If the robocall claims to be from a specific company and you think that they legitimately want to reach you,
you can always hang up and call the company directly to be certain.
Vishing: non-robo scam calls
While robo-calls are currently the most common type of scam call, there are bad actors who call in themselves to run specific scams. Vishing (or “Voice phishing”) has been using the telephone to take advantage of victims since long before
robo-calls existed.
One example of a “vishing” scam is the “Grandparent scam”, where a scammer will call an elderly person and say “Grandma/Grandpa, do you know who this is?” If the victim says “yes”, the scammer will claim
to be in trouble and need money.
Scam calls that don’t involve robocallers are known to be more targeted, meaning they may already know details about you, and may even be using a “spoof” to make it look like the call is coming from a familiar number.
The rules of thumb for non-robo scam calls are largely the same as other scam prevention: never give out personal information if you’re not certain, and always be cautious about anyone who calls asking for money.
If you receive a call asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you’re worried that it may be a legitimate call, hang up and directly call the person or institution they’re claiming to be.