How to behave when answering calls from unknown phone numbers so that not to fall victim to scammers?

Phone scams are becoming more and more frequent recently. How should you act in order not to fall victim to phone scammers if you receive a call from an unknown phone number?

Bots

In order not to fall victim to fraudsters, it is recommended to answer calls from unknown numbers only if you receive the call a second time. Security specialist Pavel Korostelev gives such advice.

According to him, if you answer the call only a second time, it will help to make sure that you are not answering a bot, but human being. If the call from an unknown number was received only once, then it is most likely that the bot called you.

According to the expert, fraudsters regularly launch such bots in order to check which phone numbers are valid from the database of phone numbers at their disposal. This technology allows active phone numbers to then be used to find new victims.

These bots usually don't call a second time, and if you don't answer, they just register your phone number on the list of "dead" phone numbers.

When the bot calls, it says some phrase and disconnects. The specialist advises not to call this number back. On the contrary, it is necessary to block the phone number from which such a call was received.

Humans

If you receive a call not from a bot, but from a stranger, NEWS.am Tech advises you to be careful when talking to them. Try to confirm the identity of the caller first. Ask them to name themselves and their organization, and tell them you'll call them back on their official number (you can probably find it online).

Do not under any circumstances give personal or financial information (social security number, bank account information or passwords) to the caller, regardless of how the callers introduces themselves. Neither the employees of banks, nor other financial organizations, nor the police, nor anyone has the right to request personal and especially financial information from you over the phone.

Urgent or threatening requests should be treated with skepticism: scammers often use high-pressure tactics to create a sense of urgency or fear. Beware of calls that demand immediate action, or offer unsolicited prizes or services, or calls that threaten legal consequences. It should also be remembered that legitimate organizations usually communicate important information through written correspondence.

It would also be a good idea to get more information about what types of scams are common in the area where you live. Of course, scammers are constantly updating and improving their tactics, but if you have a good idea of how they usually operate, it will be more difficult to scam you.