Sometimes they’re legit, but you have to take time to question it. These are not always scam but if you get one, do not be rushed. Great, explain that you will call the company back. For your own security, do not engage with them and please block this number.” For example, over the past few years, scammers have been calling unsuspecting members of the public pretending to be from the IRS and claiming they owe money. “If you don’t do something now, you’ll miss out. Cold Calls. What to do if you… You can say you’re a nurse or an executive but don’t mention where or how much you make. You can say something like, “If you got a call from this number, please understand that telemarketers or scammers are using my number without my permission. However, this can be difficult to do – especially if you’re waiting to hear back from a job offer, an update on a loved one in a nursing home, or any other important business call. Report all robocalls and unwanted telemarketing calls to the Do Not Call Registry. You can also call 1-877-382-4357. Red flags: Scammers will refuse, and offer you a plethora of excuses. If you sense you’re being scammed, hang up the phone. Some cold calls are not illegal but even such companies try to sell something. Community Alert: What To Do If a Phone Scammer Calls You: The Boston Police Department recently received several reports relative to a phone extortion scam targeting community members and is issuing a community alert in hopes of protecting, educating and informing community members on the appropriate steps to take if a phone scammer targets or calls them. Mail you a box of dog poop? If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be with the IRS, and you owe tax or think you may owe tax, do not give out any information. To ensure you don’t fall prey to this type of phone scam, remember that in no circumstances would your bank or the police ask you to take such actions. Scammers feed off specific clues you put in your profile Don’t mention your income or where you work. Everyone makes a mistake once in a while, so let's assume you fell for one of the scammer's cons, and gave him your social security number, a fax of your passport, a credit card number, etc. Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be … Report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission. It uses answer bots with realistic recorded conversational lines to engage the scammer and presumably tie up and waste scammers’ time. Many victims of internet-based scams and fraud attempts don't report it because they're either ashamed of falling for a scam or they think there's so much of it going on that it's pointless to do anything about it. They’ll range from being busy, too insecure, to not having a good enough connection, having no equipment to do so… the list goes on, but in the end, they never are able to do so. She was told that they have been trying to reach her and they needed to access the computer to clean it up. If you have replied a letter, email or phone call regarding a lottery or sweepstakes winning, a loan, debt consolidation, a money transfer, inheritance from some dead leader in Africa or an unexpected cashiers check, then you may have already lost money or had your identity stolen. If the scammer really wants to up the ante, they may call you several times with the same process, hoping you will eventually call the number back just to get the calls to stop. Call the police! Get as much information from the scammer as you can, such as their name, physical address, telephone number and website. HERE’S WHAT TO DO IF A PHONE SCAMMER CALLS YOU: You control the call. Some of the calls claim to be from banks and some may use number spoofing where one can be tricked into believing that the caller is from a legal organization. HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW: There are a couple scenarios to be aware of. You should not worry about people far away having your address, what are they going to do with it? Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets. Our guide helps you if you think you may have given a fraudster your bank details. They've called you on multiple occasions pitching you the same message after you've repeatedly asked to be put on the do-not-call list. You show them that you ARE capable of managing your affairs because you are now taking the proper steps to mitigate the situation. The police track and are aware of the big scammers and your information may help. You won’t be asked for any other personal details or payment information in this kind of call or message. 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