According to our latest survey, the scammers are working smarter – not harder – in 2020. While the volume of scam calls reported stayed on par with previous years, we saw the number of people falling for those calls skyrocket. Compared to 2019, scammers were 270% more successful in getting personal information from their victims in 2020.
If the scammers are getting more effective at deceiving their targets – you’re probably wondering what you can do to increase your guard against these tricky calls.
- Ensure you’re taking advantage of all of the protections offered by your mobile carrier. Talk to them if you’re unsure – there could be services to activate or even applications to install that could provide protection against scam calls. T-Mobile, for example, offers Scam Shield as free protection for their subscribers.
- Do not answer calls you don’t recognize whenever possible. Scammers benefit significantly from your inability to know who they are or when they are calling. If you’re a business that’s worried about getting your anonymous calls answered, let’s chat.
- If you do answer a call you believe to be suspicious, don’t provide any personal information to the caller unless you’re confident they’re legitimate. If you have any doubt – visit the company website to get the official number and call to speak with someone directly from that organization.
- If you experienced a call you suspect came from a scammer and may have provided personal information to, there are verified non-profit organizations designed to help you after the fact. The Identity Theft Resource Center has a number of resources, including phone support, to assist you. We’ve also written a few blogs on the subject.