Have you ever experienced getting a call that comes from an unknown contact number for instance 646-327-6197? If so, you’re not alone. For some unknown number calls have become a constant feature in their lives while some have potential risks of them being fraudsters or scammers. But do not despair this guide will explain you why you may be receiving these calls, how to identify the scammers and what to do if you are unsure that the call is legitimate.
Why You’re Receiving Calls from Unknown Numbers
Telemarketing calls can come from different organizations and companies. Here are some of the main reasons why unknown numbers might be reaching out:
1. Telemarketing and Sales: Auto-dialers are the order of the day among business and marketing companies to contact as many targets as possible, selling their products or services.
2. Scam Attempts: SPOOFING is the act by scammers erasing their digits to make it look like they are calling from a local or a trustworthy number. Crooks may use the pretense of calling from the genuine IRS, your bank or any other established firm.
3. Wrong Number: At other times, it is probably just a matter of some one getting the wrong number simply, say, in the call code , or the number is in some way slightly similar to yours.
4. Survey or Polling Calls: At some point in particular seasons, you are likely to receive some calls from organizations conducting surveys or polls and they would like to hear from you regarding number of issues.
5. Debt Collectors: Some person or someone related to your phone number may owe a debt and debt collection agencies may try to reach you.
Common Signs of Scam Calls
Suppose you recently got a call from a number like 646-327-6197, and you think the call is a scam, there are some guidelines you should follow. Scammers are constantly developing new tactics, but these signs are often present in fraudulent calls:
1. Urgent Tone: They may ask pertinently that the recipient owes them some amount of money or that their account has being hacked or any other deterrent that will press a button to make the person attend to their mail all haste.
2. Requests for Personal Information: Real businesses do not telephone people and request from them their social security numbers, their bank numbers, and the like. This is the kind of information that if someone is pressuring you to get out of them, it’s a sign that the person is not very good for you.
3. Suspicious Payment Requests: Do not pay the caller if the payment is required in some form of cashier’s check, money order, gifts cards, cryptocurrencies, or wire transfer. These are standard in con plans since they aren’t easy to follow.
4. Too-Good-to-Be-True Offers: A call that tells you that you are the lucky winner of a lottery, prize or a contest you did not participate in is most probably a con.
5. Unsolicited Tech Support Calls: A familiar trick is when a stranger calls and says to be a representative of Microsoft or Apple, and that your computer or iPhone has been infected. Professional companies should not be calling their customers out of the blue because there is a problem with their technologies.
What to Do When You Receive a Suspicious Call
If you receive a call from an unknown number that makes you feel uncomfortable or suspicious here are some steps you can take to protect yourself:
1. Don’t Answer If You Don’t Recognize the Number
If the number is unknown allow the call to go to the voicemail. The scammers and robocallers do not like recording their messages and so if it was a real call they would leave you a message explaining their presence.
2. Don’t Share Personal Information
God forbid, never provide your identification details or any other account Singing details such as your Social Security number, Bank details or password to a stranger.
3. Hang Up if You’re Pressured
This therefore means that if you do answer a call and the person on the other end is asking you to make a certain decision or answering certain questions, you should hang up. Even at that, there’s always the option of calling back the institute they are claiming to be calling from at an official number to check their authenticity of the call.
4. Verify the Caller’s Identity
Next time when a call is made under the pretext that the caller is from a familiar organization, the recipient should ask the caller to recite his/her name and the department they are from, after which, the call should be terminated and the verified Contact number of the said organization should be dialed. This verification step may help to protect you from being a victim of a fraudster with a fake number.
5. Use Call-Blocking Apps
One of the recommended apps could be the filtering or the blocking of unwanted calls. Nomorobo and Truecaller, or Hiya, are especially helpful in giving a heads-up on whether a number is likely that of a spam or otherwise a scam.
How to Report Scam Calls
Always report any scam that you may feel you have encountered so that it may not happen to other people. Here’s where you can report unwanted or fraudulent calls:
1. Federal Trade Commission (FTC): In the United States of America, complain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It assists the government in keeping record of and dealing with phone related scams.
2. Federal Communications Commission (FCC): The FCC controls common phone calls and also hears cases of phone calls one does not want to receive as well as fake phone calls.
3. Your Phone Carrier: Most telephone companies let you log spam number, but some of them can actually have integrated features which can be used to block such numbers.
4. Caller ID Apps: Thus, there are applications such as Truecaller where users can mark certain numbers as spam, and other people will not get scammed as well.
How Scammers Fake Their Phone Numbers (Spoofing)
This is because the common scammers have since learnt secrets of concealing their original telephone numbers. Also dubbed as spoofing, the scammers are able to make their calls to seem like they are originating from a local line or even a reputable organization. For instance, they might use a number like “646-327-6197” thinking it will surely make you pick the call. Again spoofing is unlawful though because the scammers work globally it becomes hard to arrest them.
The best way to safeguard yourself against spoofing call is to never disclose any of your personal information to any unidentified caller and to rely on call filtering apps to identify any suspicious call number.
How to Protect Your Number from Scammers
Here are some tips to reduce the chances of your number being targeted by scammers:
1. Limit Sharing Your Phone Number: Do not provide your phone number on websites that are related to the public, on face books, twitter and other dubious companies.
2. Opt Out of Marketing Calls: In the USA the National Do Not Call Registry enables people to opt out of receiving such calls. It may not avoid all the unwanted calls, but it sure will help in minimizing the number of genuine sales call you are subjected to.
3. Beware of Phishing Attempts: Fraudsters want to obtain your personal details and that is why they may call, text or email you with such messages. This is especially important when dealing with a phishing message or an email, to not click on any links, and to avoid extending any info.
4. Use a Second Number: Also think of using a different phone number for anything that has to do with online registration, signing up or listing. Most people prefer to avoid revealing their personal numbers and this is why they come across services such as Google Voice.
What to Do If You Fall for a Scam Call
If you’ve accidentally shared personal information with a scammer take action quickly to protect yourself:
1. Contact Your Bank: If you provided any of your account numbers or other financial pursuant to any of those requests, then you should notify your bank or credit card company.
2. Change Passwords and Security Questions: Change any passwords or identity questions that the hacker may be using at the moment in case you disclosed them in the call.
3. Monitor Your Credit: If you think your identity has been stolen you should monitor your credit report for fraudulent transactions. They even offer the services of placing a fraud alert or freezing of the credit for better protection.
4. Report the Scam: It should be noted that you should report the scam to the authorities for example, the FTC or a local consumer protection authority.
Conclusion
Getting hold of your phone and having unknown numbers such as “646-327-6197” or even any other sequence that might seem unfamiliar might be irritating and sometimes you might even lose your self-confidence. But if you keep yourself updated and careful, you will be able to avoid scams at all costs. As a reminder, there is never any organization that will call you and demand your personal detail or request an immediate action. Listen to your guts, and do not be afraid to put the phone down if the conversation looks questionable. If arming yourself with the correct tools and information, there is a way to protect oneself from the increasing issue of phone scams and have a little less to worry about.