Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for
independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban
Survival Resources
By Francis Navarro, Komando.com
Editors Note: I had two Robo-callers dial one of my phones on
average six to eight times every day attempting to sell me a health insurance
plan. I tried calling them back only to
find the number was supposedly “disconnected.” I registered each with the
appropriate FCC ‘do-not-call’ agencies to no avail. I was getting other annoying callers ALL DAY
long too. I finally disconnected my
number! In my case it wasn’t much of
a bother as we have several other active lines in use; others aren’t so
fortunate. Below you’ll find some ideas
on how to tackle this increasing annoying issue in America!
[I have gone so far as to answer the phone,
when I knew it was a telemarketer, as a police officer asking the telemarketer
“and how did you know the deceased?”
That usually throws them off every time…Or, you can outright tell them
to stop call your “official law enforcement phone line.”
Do you still answer unknown phone calls? If you're
anything like me, I typically ignore any call that's coming from an
unrecognized number. Why? Well, it's most likely just another robocall or a
telemarketing call. That's unfortunate since there's a chance that some of
these calls are legitimate.
You are familiar with robocalls are, right?
These are the annoying prerecorded telemarketing calls to landlines and
wireless phones that seem to come from nowhere.
Telemarketing calls have been around forever, annoying
us for decades, but now, robocalls are mostly downright deceptive and
malicious. Quite a few robocall scams are even trying to rip you off or steal
your identity.
This is why the explosion of robocall complaints is
alarming. It's a scourge that everyone can do without. But is there any
relief on the horizon? Stick with me and I'll tell you what you can do to
protect yourself.
2018's
most notorious robocalls
Had enough yet? Here are the most common robocall spam calls of
2018:
Neighborhood spoofing
One of the robocall techniques that's increasingly getting more
popular is a scam called "neighborhood
spoofing."
With this scam, fraudsters will disguise their numbers with
local numbers that appear to match your area code and 3-digit prefix.
By spoofing a local number, these spammers are hoping that
there's a better chance that their targets will pick up the call.
And neighborhood spoof calls don't just harm the intended
targets, they are also a big hassle to the owner of the spoofed number. Sometimes,
you will even get a call that's coming from your own number!
If your number was ever used as a spoof call disguise, expect
unexpected return calls from the spam victims. These return calls are annoying
since the owner of the spoofed number is not aware that a spam call was ever
made from their number.
Another problem with neighborhood spoofing? Third-party spam
call blocking apps are mostly ineffective against spoofed numbers since they
only tend to blacklist known robocall numbers and not legitimate numbers.
Remember, legitimate phone numbers can be hijacked and used for
neighborhood spoofing.
Government grants scam
Another popular robocall scam involves some sort of government
grant.
What's happening is, scammers are calling
random people across the U.S. and offering them free government money.
The fraudsters claim that the person who answers the phone is
eligible for a free government grant. Many of the incoming phone numbers have a
Washington, D.C., area code, so many people are falling for it.
There's one catch. Before they receive the grant, victims are
required to pay a processing fee. Typically, the victim is instructed to pay
the fee using a prepaid debit card, an iTunes gift card, or a wire transfer.
It doesn't end there. The fraudster then asks the victim to
verify their name, address, employer and banking information, which will then
be used for identity and credit card fraud.
Google SEO scam
With these fraudulent phone calls, scammers are pretending to be
from Google and they're warning business owners that their Google listing will
disappear if they don't pay for search optimization services.
Google specifically states that they "do not place
robocalls" so if you receive a robocall announcing they are from the
search giant, most likely it is a scam. Scammers also try to charge money for
"inclusion in Google Search or Google My Business."
IRS scam
The most common tax scam for years has been conducted over the
telephone via a robocall.
A victim will receive a
call from someone claiming to be with the IRS. The
fake IRS agent acts very aggressive and tells the victim they owe past taxes
and fees that are due immediately.
Many times the victim is told an arrest warrant is going to be
issued if they don't pay ASAP. They are told to send money via wire transfer or
prepaid debit card.
However, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages
or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue.
If you get a dubious IRS call of this sort, you can file a
complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant:
choose "Other" and then "Impostor Scams." If the complaint
involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words "IRS Telephone
Scam" in the notes.
Chinese consulate scam
Here's one strange robocall that's going around. It has spread
so quickly that the Federal Trade Commission warned everyone about it.
What's happening is, fraudsters
are calling people and claiming to be from the Chinese Consulate.
Those who answer the call are told they have a package at the local Chinese
Consulate office. Or, they need to give them sensitive information to avoid
being in trouble with the Chinese Consulate.
The scammer then asks for your credit card or banking
information. Sometimes they say that you need to make a bank transfer to them.
No matter which version of the story you're told, don't fall for
it. It's a scam!
Here are other popular robocall scams you need to keep an eye
on:
- Reducing
your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
- Dropped
call or no message
- Vacation
& timeshares
- Warranties
& protection plans
- Calls
pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
- Medical
& prescriptions (including health insurance offers)
Ways to
stop robocalls
With scams and robocalls on the rise, you need to know how to
deal with them. Here are some suggestions:
Use call blockers
Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking
service. If not, encourage your provider to offer one. You can also visit
the FCC's website for information and resources on available
robocall blocking tools to help reduce unwanted calls.
You can also try call blocking apps like Nomorobo or Truecaller. Click
here for the best robocall busting apps available.
Block unknown callers
Many phone companies allow you to block calls that don't show a
number on caller ID. Check with your provider to find out how to turn this
feature on. Note: If someone you actually know calls you and blocks
their outgoing number, their call won't make it through if you've turned this
feature on.
Don't answer
This is actually the easiest solution to eliminating robocalls.
If you receive a call from an unknown number or one that doesn't show up on
caller ID, don't answer. If it's an important call, the person will leave a
message and you can get back to them.
Subscribe to the Do Not Call Registry
This move will stop many robocalls before they begin. If you're
on the registry, it's illegal for many robocallers to call you. Click here to get your number into the National Do Not Call
Registry. After your number is on the registry for 31 days, you can report
unwanted sales calls.
Hang up
If you answer the phone and the caller (often a recording) asks
you to hit a button to stop receiving calls, just hang up. Scammers
often use these tricks to identify and target live respondents. Once they know
the number is active, you will receive more calls in the future.
Taking the steps in this article will help cut back the number
of robocalls that you receive. It could save you from falling victim to a
scammer. Remember to share this article with your friends and family so they
can block those annoying calls too. Simply click the share button along the
left side of this article to post it on Facebook.
Are
you being watched? Creepy apps allow your partner to spy on you
Relationships can be difficult, and we have all known someone
who has had the jealous partner in their lives. With the rise of technology,
some relationships can take on an even darker tone. Recently it was discovered
that an app that was designed to help parents keep track of their children was
being used by people to spy on their significant other. You won't believe how
they did it.
Yours for a brighter
year,
Bruce ‘the Poor Man!’
Final Notes…
Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.
Starting with your 2018 tax year, the laws have
changed substantially. Tax accountant Vinay Navani offers ideas you can share
with your tax professional to potentially reduce your tax liability.
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2 comments:
I think I had the same jerks calling me about some stupid health insurance plan as each time I called to ask them to stop calling me, the number was "disconnected." I hear this is the number one complaint among Americans especially after these calls spilled over to cell phones which I thought was illegal. Good info and I liked the one about masquerading as a police department-I'm going to try that one.
Some of the most annoying elements of our times & your methods of fighting back are priceless! Thanks!
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