Have you ever received a call and felt something was off? Then you're not alone. The good thing is that we're going to pull back the curtain on how scam calls work to help you identify them and avoid being victimized.
We will look into the anatomy of a scam call, analyzing the patterns and tricks employed by scammers to fool people into falling for their scams. With that, you can learn to recognize a scam likely call and avoid getting scammed.
What Is a Scam Call?
A scam call is a type of phone scam in which scammers use voice communication to gain access to sensitive information, deceive, and defraud victims.
It could be IRS or Microsoft customer support imposters reaching out to subscribers to gain access to their devices. Then trick them into transferring money or buying and sending them gift cards, which legitimate businesses would never request.
Or, it could be a call from an investment enterprise promising zero risks and enormous returns on money invested through their companies in cryptocurrency, real estate, and other types of investment schemes. Legitimate companies will disclaim that investments are liable to volatility, which means there are risks involved. Therefore, you should invest wisely and trade with caution.
Other Examples of Scam Calls
Back taxes scam calls.
Summit Recovery Services (SRS) scam calls.
IRS scam calls.
Publishers Clearing House (PCH) scam calls.
Social security scam calls.
Walmart PlayStation scam calls.
Toll road scam calls.
Investment scheme scam calls.
A Personal Experience
Some years ago, while looking for legitimate ways to make money, I was prone to receiving phone calls, especially ones about investments. Why? I must have signed up on platforms that either sold my personal information or were affiliated with these programs.
I recall an occasion where I received a call from a particular company about an investment plan that could double my money within a short time and change my life, and I was willing to give it a try.
The representative told me about the company he works with and the benefits of having him as my account manager. By the time I realized it, I had disavowed every physical contact with people I knew, as I listened to the caller on the line talk me into first sending a sum of $200 into the platform to kickstart my journey to financial prosperity. So, what did I do?
I believed he was honestly going to help me break through in life, and so I returned that honesty by letting him know I didn't have such an amount of money with me. Yes, I didn't. If I did, I would have sent it. Here comes the problem, but what is it?
At the time, I knew little to nothing about scam calls and was convinced it was genuine until I learned about scam calls and was able to see the patterns and parallels with my past experiences. The only thing that saved me was that I couldn't afford the loss. But it could have gotten worse if I knew how to get loans worth the amount.
The reality is that these kinds of scams are still active today, and it's important that people are aware of the tricks and tactics employed by scammers to stay safe and avoid losing money and leaving their personal information in the wrong hands. So let's talk about the anatomy of a call scam.
Anatomy of a Scam Call
Anatomy is a scientific terminology in biology. It refers to the study of the structure and parts of living things. In this case, where we apply the term to scam calls, we explore the structure and patterns present in a scam call.
With that said, what we're looking at are the indicators to look out for in case you happen to answer a scam likely call. They are as follows:
A Dodgy Phone Call
Usually, the first thing that happens is that you receive an unusual or dodgy phone call. You could be going about your daily activities, taking a nap, or surfing the Internet. Then this unexpected call comes through, and the thing you hear is the caller identifying as a customer representative in a company that would normally not give you a phone call. You should be skeptical here.
Company Impersonation
There are situations where a legitimate company would call you to confirm a purchase or transaction, and while that is a rare case, they don't ask for sensitive information. Personal information such as your password, personal identification numbers, or social security numbers, and other sensitive information like your credit card numbers, etc., are what would likely be requested by a scam caller trying to impersonate a company.
A commanding tone
Scam callers try to be professional, but often, they come off as very instructive and commanding when trying to get people to follow their scripts. They'd ask that you download, install, and accept invitations from specific applications like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, and the like to gain access to your personal computers and steal information.
They may even request that you send them a verification code you received by email or text message—codes that should not be shared with anyone. Do not send them.
The storytelling
We all tell stories, and that's inclusive of scammers calling to scam their targets. Depending on the type of call scam, a story is told with an emotional undertone to stir guilt or fuel the feeling of fear. This is where the scammer gets you hooked on the call and makes a critical move to the finishing line.
Basically, what happens is that you receive a phone call with an introduction from the caller, with a name such as John Jason. He tells you how you've been specially chosen by the company for a prized reward for being a valuable customer. Then, he goes on to ask for sensitive information, like your social security number, which you should not share with him. The moment you share your personal information with him, it becomes public information. That would enable their scam activities. You shouldn't allow that to happen.
The threat
Scam callers know that their victims could become suspicious and ask questions that they can't answer in the way a legitimate representative would. So what do they do? They use their advancement as an advantage to threaten their victims. They could say if you don't send them money or the code requested, you won't be able to access your accounts again, or your account balance will be frozen.
In other cases, they'd threaten their victims with limited-time offers and charge them to act fast or lose out—this can be seen as an enticement, yet it's a threat tactic in disguise.
Anything that appears to be too good to be true is probably that. Try not to give in to pressure. Take your time, and avoid sensitive conversations with people you don't know and calls you did not initiate, especially from unknown numbers.
Remember these five indicators and avoid attending to any calls that meet them. Block and report the scam phone number to relevant authorities.
