Auditel cares about Robocalls, and we care about you! Robocalls are annoying but can be dangerous. With no one there when you answer, 800 number calls offering a lower interest
rate on your credit cards, holiday charity scams and especially Medicare
scams. These are just a few of the types of scam calls you might have received
or will receive, sometimes multiple times per day. They are all designed to
steal your personal or banking information or your identity and a great many of
them come from outside the U.S.
So, what is
spoofing? A common ruse is for scammers to “spoof” the number on your caller
ID. Your caller ID might show anything,
from the IRS, your banking institution, a number from your area code and prefix
to imitate being a local business or anything they can think of to get you to
answer your phone.
What’s a
simple and effective way to prevent these criminals from ripping you off? Just don’t answer the phone
unless it’s from a number you know is legitimate. The calls with no one there
when you answer? They’re looking for live lines to target at a future date. If
you miss a call from a legitimate caller that wanted to speak with you, they’ll
leave a message. However, if you do by chance answer a scam caller, hang up as
soon as you can. DON’T press any
numbers, don’t answer by saying “yes” and don’t stay on the phone with them. Just hang up, don’t worry about being rude if you cut them off in mid-sentence. They
deserve it, they’re thieves.
If you are
like a growing number of Americans who no longer have a land-line and use
wireless only, block the number and make sure to put your number on the FTC’s do not call list.
For more
information, the Federal Communications Commission has a page with lots of good information, with
articles on scams and Q&A’s for commonly asked questions.