OK, raise your hand if you think you’ve received a scam phone call or text this past week. If you raised your hand, you’re probably right. YouMail, a company specializing in blocking those messages, estimates Americans will receive 52 billion (with a B) robocalls this year, which breaks down to 1 billion every week. If you think the number of scam phone calls you get on your cell phone is bad, nearly half of all phone calls to landlines are deemed to be bogus.
Robocalls warn you of your imminent arrest by the IRS, your car’s extended warranty’s expiration or an unfortunate hold that has been put on a bank account with a bank you don’t even have an account with. You are often told you’ve won a contest you didn’t enter or that Amazon wants you to verify a purchase you never made. You are instructed to learn more by simply clicking a link or calling the phone number provided.
Two simple facts of life are that robocalls seem to interrupt you at the most inconvenient times, and robocallers are never going to stop trying to reach you.
Technology has enabled scammers to call or text anyone anywhere in the world easily and cheaply. The calls are nearly impossible to trace, and bogus caller ID numbers make the call appear legitimate.
Even though scam robocalls and texts will likely never stop, there are a few steps to take to reduce the number you get:
• For those with landlines, tech guru and radio host Kim Komando suggests you dial *77, a number phone carriers have adopted to help block unwanted robocalls. Before dialing the number make sure your caller ID is activated. Then dial *77. You will hear three beeps, which means calls that come through as Private, Blocked or Anonymous will no longer be allowed.
• Don’t answer calls or click links in texts from numbers you don’t recognize.
• If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from company X, hang up, search the web for the company’s official number and call the company yourself.
• Don’t assume the call is local. Spammers know you are more likely to answer a call from a local number so they “spoof” the number with a local area code, hoping to fool you.
• If you have an Apple iPhone, use the Silence Unknown Callers option, which routes calls from numbers not found in your contacts straight to voicemail. Legitimate callers can leave a message.
• Google’s Pixel phone has a feature named Call Screen which can detect robocalls and spam calls and blocks them before they reach you. Google Assistant determines if the call is legit and will route it to your phone if it is.
• Check with your wireless provider. All four major carriers offer some sort of call blocking feature. All have a free option as well as a premium level.
• Consider a third-party app for your wireless phone to minimize scam robocalls. Hiya, Nomorobo, YouMail, and Robokiller are some that can be helpful.
As I said earlier, scam robocalls are here to stay. There are no perfect solutions available, but by being vigilant about not answering unknown numbers and utilizing the features your phone, carrier or third-party apps may offer, you will be able to dramatically lower the chance you’ll be hit with a scam phone call.
