Everything You Need to Know About “Spam Risk” Calls

Everything You Need to Know About “Spam Risk” Calls

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This article was co-authored by wikiHow writer, Hannah Dillon. Hannah Dillon is a technology writer and editor at wikiHow. She graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2013 and has since worked in the video game industry as well as several newspapers. Hannah has had a love of writing and technology from a young age and hopes to use these passions in tandem to help others through the articles she writes for wikiHow. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of all facts cited and confirming the authority of its sources. Find out more…

Are you getting a lot of calls that say “Spam Risk” on your caller ID? If so, you might be wondering if it’s actually spam or if it means something else. Spam risk means that the person calling you is probably a spammer and you should ignore the call completely. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about spam calls, including what to do if you receive one, how to stop them, and what to do if your number has been flagged as spam.

“Spam risk” on your caller ID means that the number calling you is probably a spammer. Avoid answering these calls as picking up the phone may indicate that your number is active and may lead to more unwanted calls. If you answer a phone call with a risk of spam, hang up immediately.

  1. Step 1 Disconnect immediately.

    If the caller starts talking or asks you to complete some instructions, ignore them.[5]
    Ideally, you should end the connection before the spammer has a chance to say anything.

    • If you are expecting a call from a number that is not in your contact list, you can check your call log to see which number called you. If the number is unknown, do not call them.

  2. Never say the word “yes”. Spammers may ask you a question at the beginning of the call, such as “Can you hear me?” If you say yes, they may save a recording of you saying “yes” and use it without your knowledge.[6]

    • You should never say anything to a spammer over the phone. Ignore them and hang up as soon as you realize it’s a spam call.

  3. Do not provide any personal information. Never give your personal information, including your full name, phone number, address, or social security number, to a spammer.

  4. Never send money to a phone spammer. Even if the spammer threatens you, don’t send him money. Phone spammers rely on you to panic and send money out of fear, so they might force you to think fast and give in.

    • According to Naveh Ben Dror, social media security expert and CEO of Spikerz, it’s a big flag when someone you don’t know on the phone asks for a wire transfer. Hang up and report the caller to the FTC as soon as you hang up.

  5. Report the caller to the FTC. Go to the FTC Do Not Call registry page and click Report spam calls. When submitting a report, provide as much information as possible about the call.

  6. Contact your financial institution if you sent money to a spammer. If you have already paid the person behind the spam call, you will need to contact the following authorities based on your payment method:[7]

    • Credit or debit card: Contact your bank or card issuer and let them know that there has been a fraudulent charge on your account and you need to reverse it.
    • Gift card: Contact the issuer of the gift card and explain the situation. Request a refund. Be sure to keep a copy of the gift card and receipt.
    • Bank transfer: Contact your bank or wire transfer company and explain that you sent a fraudulent transfer and need to reverse the transfer.
    • Payment application: If you used money stored in the payment app, contact the app and explain the situation and that you need to reverse the payment. If you used a credit or debit card linked to a payment application, contact your bank or card issuer instead of the payment application.
    • Crypto currency: Contact the company you used to send the cryptocurrency and explain the situation and request a chargeback.
    • Cash: If you sent cash through the United States Postal Service, call the US Postal Inspection Service (877-876-2455). Explain the situation and ask if they can intercept the package. If you used another delivery service, call that service immediately and explain the situation, then ask for next steps.
    • Unauthorized bank transfer: Contact your bank and inform them that there has been an unauthorized transfer or debit from your account, then ask them to reverse the transaction.

  7. Take quick action if you have given your account information or SSN to a spammer. If you’ve already given your information to the caller, you’ll need to do one of the following:

    • Username and password: Change your username and password immediately. If your email account is associated with an account, change the username and password of each account also associated with that email (as well as the username and password of the email account). Consider using a password manager to set strong passwords that are different for each website.
    • Social security number: Go to https://www.identitytheft.gov/ and report what happened to get help for your situation.

  1. Step 1 Do not answer calls from numbers that are not in your contacts.

    If a real person is calling you, they will leave a message. If you’re expecting a call from a number you don’t have in your contact list, consider adding the number to your contacts so you know it’s safe to pick up, even if it’s only temporarily.

    • Some scammers leave messages. However, these messages are usually silent or the caller uses a robotic voice.
      • The content of the message is also usually suspicious, such as a warning about not paying for a service you’re not signed up for or a notification about a purchase you know you didn’t make.

  2. Do not talk to the spammer if you contact them. If you accidentally answer an unwanted call, hang up immediately. Don’t say anything and don’t follow the instructions the spammer gives you.

    • Some spammers will try to get you to press a button to stop spam calls. Don’t do this as it can actually increase the frequency of calls.

  3. Enable spam blocking features on your phone. Both iPhone and Android devices allow you to silence unwanted calls. It won’t block calls completely, but it won’t let you know they’re happening.

    • iPhone: Go to settings > Phone > Mute unknown callers
    • Android: Place it Google phone app as the default phone app. Then in the Phone by Google app, open the app settings and go to Spam and Call Screen. Turn on turn on See caller ID and spam and Filter unwanted calls.

  4. Research your carrier’s spam blocking options. Both mobile and landline operators have options to block fraudulent calls. If you want to block unwanted calls on your landline, contact your service provider for more information. Mobile operators usually have an app you can download to block multiple unwanted calls. Below we have listed some of the most popular:

    • AT&T: ActiveArmor app
    • T-Mobile: ScamShield application
    • US Mobile Network: Call the Guardian app
    • Verizon: The Call Filter application
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Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education

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