SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal assistance for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

April 5, 2010

ROBOCALL SCAMS

Robocalls calls have become epidemic.

Illegal robocalls include telemarketing spam (automated sales calls from companies you haven’t authorized to contact you) and attempts at outright theft by scammers. Prerecorded messages dangle goodies like all-expenses-paid travel or demand payment for nonexistent debts to get you to send money or give up sensitive personal information.

Scammers often use caller ID spoofing to mask their true location, making it appear that they’re calling from a legitimate or local number to raise the odds that you’ll pick up your phone.

If you do, the robotic voice on the other end might claim to represent a utility, a name-brand company or a government agency (Social Security and the Internal Revenue Service are popular poses). It might offer you a free cruise, cheap health insurance or a low-interest loan. It might claim you’ve won a lottery. It might tell you to press a certain key to learn more, or to get off a call list.

Whatever the message, don’t engage. Doing so can lead you to a real live scammer, who’ll pressure you to make a purchase or pump you for personal information, like a credit card or Social Security number. Even just pressing a key or answering a question will alert scammers that they’ve hit on a “live” number, and they’ll call it again and again.

It’s important to note that many robocalls are legal. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC.Gov) allows them for some informational or noncommercial purposes, such as polling, political campaigning and outreach by nonprofit groups (including AARP). For example, your dentist’s office can robocall you with an appointment reminder, or an airline with news about a flight change.

Warning Signs:

You receive an automated sales call from a company you have not given consent to contact you.
A prerecorded message tells you to press “1” or some other key to be taken off a call list.
The message offers you goods or services for free or at a suspiciously deep discount.
The message says you owe back taxes or unpaid bills and face legal or financial consequences if you don’t pay immediately.
The message says you’ve won a big lottery or sweepstakes prize and tells you to press a key or call a number to claim it.

Do’s

Do hang up on illegal robocalls.
Do add all your numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry operated by the Federal Trade Commission (www.FTC.gov). It won’t stop fraudulent calls, but it will make them easier to spot because most legitimate telemarketers won’t call numbers on the registry.

Do explore free and low-cost call-blocking options, such as apps and services that screen calls and weed out spam and scams. Ask your phone service provider if it offers any such tools.

Do verify the caller. If the robocall claims to be from, say, Social Security or your bank, hang up and look up the real number for that entity. Call and ask if they contacted you.

Do report scam calls to the proper authorities. Every report helps authorities frame together a fuller picture of what scammers are doing.

Do review a company’s privacy policies before you give it permission to call you. You might be authorizing them to share your contact information with others.

Don’ts

Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. The Federal Communications Commission recommends letting them go to voicemail.

Don’t press any keys or say anything in response to a prerecorded message. If you do, this lets scammers know yours is a working number and will lead to more spam calls.

Don’t follow instructions to “speak to a live operator.” This will likely transfer you to a call center for an aggressive sales pitch or a phishing expedition.

Don’t judge a call by caller ID alone. Scammers mask their location by tricking your phone into displaying a legitimate government or corporate number, or one similar to your own (a practice called “neighbor spoofing”).

For guidance, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360.
Attribution: AARP.

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

April 3, 2020

GRANDPARENT CORONAVIRUS SCAMS

“Grandma: I’m in the hospital, sick, please wire money right away.”

Grandparent scams can take a new twist – and a new sense of urgency – in these days of Coronavirus. Here’s what to keep in mind.

In grandparent scams, scammers pose as panicked grandchildren in trouble, calling or sending messages urging you to wire money immediately. They’ll say they need cash to help with an emergency – like paying a hospital bill or needing to leave a foreign country. They pull at your heartstrings so they can trick you into sending money before you realize it’s a scam. In these days of Coronavirus concerns, their lies can be particularly compelling.

So, how can we avoid grandparent scams or family emergency scams? If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a grandchild, other family member or friend desperate for money:

Resist the urge to act immediately – no matter how dramatic the story is.
Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
Don’t send cash, gift cards, or money transfers – once the scammer gets the money, it’s gone!
For more information, read Family Emergency Scams. And if you get a scam call, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission