{"id":15938,"date":"2024-09-23T17:52:13","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T17:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastccu1dev.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=15938"},"modified":"2024-09-24T22:41:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T22:41:09","slug":"how-to-report-phone-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coastccu.org\/how-to-report-phone-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Know How to Report Phone Scams?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know how to report phone scams? Even more importantly, do you know how to avoid them?<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts on scammers agree: If you don\u2019t recognize the caller ID, don\u2019t answer the phone. If you do answer and something sounds suspicious, hang up immediately. Phone scammers use social engineering tactics\u2014forms of psychological manipulation\u2014to steal your information and your money. Your best defense is not to engage with scammers in any way.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are scam numbers?<\/b><\/p>\n

People who want to cheat you use scam numbers\u2014also termed caller ID spoofing. A spoofed call displays the number and name of a legitimate government agency, company, or charity in order to trick you! Neighbor spoofing is when the caller ID has the same area code you do, so it appears that the caller is part of your community. These calls could be coming from anywhere in the world! Scammers can even spoof your own phone number to get into your voicemail, so be sure to protect it with a password.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you know how to stop scam calls?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are in doubt about a caller\u2019s number or name, let the call go to voicemail. It\u2019s worth waiting a couple of minutes to find out who it is and what they want. You can set up your smartphone to automatically send all calls that are not on your contact list to voicemail. Remember, voicemail messages can also be scams, so stay alert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact your phone company to see what spam call blocking and labeling options they have. Also, look for smartphone apps that will do the same thing. Check out a <\/span>variety of resources for blocking and labeling spam calls<\/span><\/a> on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To block telemarketing calls, add your number to the <\/span>FTC\u2019s Do Not Call Registry<\/span><\/a>. Legitimate telemarketers do not call numbers on the list.<\/span><\/p>\n

What calls should you hang up on?<\/b><\/p>\n

End a call any time you suspect that it could be a scam\u2014whether it\u2019s a robo-caller or a real person. Be alert to the following scam tactics! A scammer may:<\/span><\/p>\n