(RepublicanReport.org) – Scammers are everywhere these days. With the massive growth of the online world in recent years, there are now countless new ways for tech-savvy criminals to exploit your online activities. However, more traditional scams are going on too, and extended auto warranty calls are among the most common. Statistics show millions of Americans receive these calls every day.
Here’s what to do to avoid receiving these calls and how to protect yourself from them.
How Do These Calls Work?
A lot of the time, when you receive a scam call, you’re not talking to another human but a robot. Scammers use pre-recorded messages and automatic responses to scale their operations, allowing them to target an increasing number of people every day. Once you respond to an initial prompt, the robot caller might then forward the call to a human.
It’s important to note these “robocalls,” while illegal, aren’t always scams. Some companies use them to help sell warranties, even though it’s discouraged. However, other outfits are simply trying to steal your personal information.
Car warranty scams have become particularly common in recent times because car prices are inflating, and Americans are keen to protect their vehicles.
How to Recognize a Scam Call
There are various ways to distinguish a scam call from a genuine service offer.
One hallmark of a scam is vagueness. Most scammers will have little or no personal information about you, so they’ll try to elicit a response from you using general information that could apply to anyone. For example, they might drop the name of a popular car brand (such as Chevrolet) in the hope you own one of these cars and will think the call is genuine.
You should also be wary of callers seeking your personal information or pushing you to act without giving you time to think. No reputable service provider will object if you need to hang up the phone and take time to consider whether or not to make a purchase.
Some scammers might even threaten you, claiming an agency like the IRS will come after you if you don’t work with them. So do not trust any caller behaving in this way.
How to Stop Getting the Calls
There are apps you can download that will detect and block robocalls. If that doesn’t work, you can lodge a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Alternatively, most smartphones allow users to set different responses to suspicious calls by tapping one of a few pop-up canned responses like “robocalls not accepted” or “spam calls not accepted.” Even though this method requires you to select a response, it minimizes the time and frustration of dealing with the call. Users can also immediately block incoming calls from numbers not in their contact lists, so the phone never even rings.
There you have it. If you’re sick and tired of receiving annoying and potentially dangerous scam calls, you now know a few ways to stop or at least minimize them.
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