(LEX 18) – If you feel like your phone keeps ringing with scammers trying all new methods, you’re not alone. The Better Business Bureau tells LEX 18 there’s a push on the federal level to work with phone companies to try to combat the influx of calls.
One of the best strategies is to not answer a number you don’t recognize. It’s also better not to call an unknown caller back to see what they wanted.
“If you are answering calls that are spam calls, scam calls, or you’re calling them back, to see what they want. Because now they have a number in their files that is a good, active number to keep pestering and share with their con-artist friends,” Heather Clary of the Better Business Bureau told LEX 18.
Another popular scam is “neighbor spoofing.”
“You see on your caller ID the same area code and the first three digits of your phone number. The con-artists believe you might be more likely to answer that call because it looks like it’s coming from someone local. They can make it look like anything they want with the computer equipment they have,” explains Clary.
Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated. There’s even a scam circulating that pops up as “Apple” as the contact name with the Apple logo as the contact photo.
The best advice? Don’t answer. If it’s someone important to you, they’ll leave a message.
Apps like “Hiya” help identify unknown callers’ numbers as suspected scams.
