What are Vishing Scams and are You at Risk of Getting Scammed?
Is seems that scammers are always in search of new ways to scam people out of money, and make their victims lose their money and sometimes even their identity. Unfortunately, scammers are often successful in their search, and 'vishing' is proof of that. The scam, which cost Americans $48 million in 2018 alone, targets essentially anyone, and you can be next. So, what is a vishing scam and how can you spot it? here are the answers.
What is Vishing?
Vishing is made up of 'voice' and 'phishing', and it is a phone scam that is intended to get you to provide your personal information over the phone. When a vishing call is made, you will receive a call message from a supposedly legitimate organization requiring you to provide your social security number, credit card information, or bank account details. The call, which can be in a form of a voice mail message or live voice, claims that there is something wrong with your accounts or social security number, and you must provide your personal details to resolve the issues.
This scare tactic seems to work, as many Americans have fallen victim to vishing scams, which the FBI alerted about back in 2007. The goal of vishing schemes is to scare you into providing you personal information to avoid getting into trouble. Sometimes, the scammers will even tell you that you have won a prize, and all you need to do to claim your reward is to provide a few simple details about yourself, such as your bank account number. Do not do it.
How to Detect a Vishing Scam?
There are two ways in which you can recognize a vishing scam:
* The contact method used– the scammer will contact you through a text or phone message that requires you to provide your personal information through your device. The call or text does not come from legitimate companies and agencies, and you must ignore them.
* An email vishing request – standard "phishing" scams are emails that require you to click on a link that installs malware on your computer or send you to a page where you are asked to provide your personal data. However, a vishing email will require you to call a phone number where you will provide your account information or other details that the scammer will later use.
How to Protect Yourself from Vishing Scams?
Do not believe everything you see on your phone screen
Scammers often spoof (change phone numbers) phone numbers to make it seem like the call is local when in fact it might not even be in your state. Even if the caller ID says that the call is coming from an official agency, like the IRS, do not pick up the call. Government agencies contact people through the mail, and not with a phone call. So, unless you are expecting a call from an agency or a person that you know, do not pick up the phone.
Do not provide personal information
One of the best things that you can do to protect your assets is to set up security on your accounts and make sure only you have access to those accounts. Also, it is important to know that legitimate organizations will not ask you to provide your personal information over the phone. They will also not ask you to wire money through third-party companies or ask you for gift cards, so if someone asks you for a non-conventional money transfer, hang up the phone.
Perform a phone number search
If you are still uncertain where a voicemail or text message came from, you should perform a phone number lookup with ProPeopleSearch; once you enter a phone number into the phone search directory, you will receive information about the owner of the phone number, including the name (of person or organization), the origin of the call, the phone number carrier, and more. In most cases, a vishing phone number will have no background information as they are disposable and are likely not registered with phone carriers. You can also perform a phone search on Google and other search engines and see if people have reported the phone number as fraudulent.
Help authorities stop vishing scams
The FBI and the FTC go to great lengths to protect people from vishing and other scams, which is difficult because of the large number of such scams. To help find the people who are responsible for such scams to justice, report suspicious phone calls. The FTC along with the FBI creates a data pool that includes scamming phone numbers, and with that data, they can capture those who attempt to steal people's personal information.
Vishing is just one scare method that scammers use to get people's personal information and use it to steal money and identities. By being aware of the phenomena, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from vishing and help put an end to this scam.
