As robocallers and spammers continue to wreak havoc on millions of Americans, it’s important now more than ever to ensure that you have maximum protection from phone scams. With the holidays right around the corner, you are bound to receive unwanted calls from scammers looking to steal your personal information and, ultimately, identity. According to Forbes.com, “the holidays are a time for family and friends—but scammers will do everything they can to ruin your celebrations. Scammers work year-round, but prey on the increase of online payments and web usage during the holidays, especially major shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.” With that said, being proactive will help you protect against fraudulent and potentially harmful activity.
In this article, we cover:
- What are phone scams?
- Three phone scams to be aware of during the holiday season.
- How to protect yourself from phone scams.
What are phone scams?
Phone scams happen day in and day out with the intent of stealing your private information. According to usa.gov, “telephone scammers try to steal your money or personal information. Scams may come through phone calls from real people, robocalls, or text messages. Callers often make false promises, such as opportunities to buy products, invest your money, or receive free product trials.” Typically, phone scams become even more prevalent around both political elections and holidays. Thus, it’s critically important to protect you and your family from the dangers of scammers.
Three phone scams to be aware of during holiday season
As the holiday season approaches, you want to be especially vigilant to protect yourself from scammers. Let’s look at three phone scams in particular that you may encounter over the next few weeks.
- Gift card scams: Many people will turn to gift cards this year as a result of supply chain issues, and scammers are well aware. According to Jenny Grounds, CMO of Cybercrime Support Network, “scammers love gift cards because they are untraceable, and there’s no way to recover the money once a scammer has the card details.” Be aware of unknown callers asking you to pay a fee with a gift card or someone pretending to be a family member asking for money for a specific store.
- Charity scams: As people increase charitable donations during the holidays in order to both give back and reduce tax liability, scammers take advantage of it. Don’t let callers trick you into rushing a donation with nebulous details on how the money will be used. You should always take time to research a charity before donating.
- Package delivery scams: With many Americans now having turned to online shopping, tracking packages both online and through text messages is common now more than ever. This has been something that scammers have also taken note of. Be aware of scam calls, voicemails, and texts with fake delivery notifications. While they may look like they’re coming from a legitimate source, they will ultimately take you to a website to enter private information. According to Forbes.com, “if you receive a message about an unexpected package delivery, or delay in delivery, always be cautious before moving forward. You can identify harmful links by checking to see if there are any misspelled words, such as “fedx.com.” When in doubt, contact the courier directly for accurate information about your deliveries.”
How to protect yourself from phone scams
Protecting yourself from phone scams is quick and easy. By downloading YouMail, you can block robocallers and spammers looking to steal your personal information. With over 4 billion robocalls made monthly and over 140 million made per day, blocking spammers is YouMail’s #1 priority to help give you privacy, peace, and quiet. With your help, YouMail can enhance its ability to block robocalls, notify the correct authorities, and put spammers out of business for good. When you’re contacted by an illegal robocaller, simply report it on our Robocall Index and we’ll take it from there. In doing so, you’ll protect not only your phone, but also your family and business.
To protect yourself from phone scams, download YouMail today.
