Everyone seems to have their own way of dealing with robocalls. Most of us hang up while some will try to scam the scammer. If this greedy vermin would put their brain power to good use, imagine the diseases that could be cured. To help keep you and your money safe, here are five of this year’s scams.
1. Caller ID Spoofing – You think the call is coming from Amarillo or Floydada, or somewhere in your own area code, I even got one from my own number! It was the most common type of robocall this year.
2. Health Insurance Scam – You get a robocall offering a better plan with a deep discount. You call back, and they ask for your bank information. Keep an ear out for this one, because the scammers love to use it around Christmas.
3. Search Engine Optimization Scams – Small business owners are getting this one a lot. You get a call saying you’re about to be dropped from Googles inde, unless you pay.
4. IRS Scams – An oldie but a goodie. Robocalls claims they are the IRS and you have a massive tax bill, you didn’t know about. Pay NOW, or go to jail.
5. Chinese Consulate Scam – You’ll only know this one of you speak Mandarin, and a billion people in the world do. Your robocall says you have a package at the consulate and you have to give your credit card number, to receive the package.
Police say the best way to handle a robocall, is not to answer it. At all. If you do, your number is marked as answerable and you’ll get MORE calls. If you do answer, and a live person is there, don’t argue or threaten them. You don’t know, who they know. If you get a threatening call, notify the police.
Remember, the IRS doesn’t call people. If the police have a warrant for your arrest, they won’t call you..they’ll come to get you. Never never, give out personal information like credit card or Social Security numbers. Never!
Again, the best way to deal with robocalls is, not to. Don’t answer the call. Hopefully, they’ll get tired of that and move on to someone else.