On average, consumers are exposed to scams almost every day, some receiving an average of 5 phone calls per day and are bombarded by deceptive emails or pop ups while at home or working in the office. Beware of pages that urge you to ‘contact support immediately’ or ‘your computer has been infected with a virus’. This article will give you the tools to fight back.
Robocalls
Register your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. This will remove your number from lists used by known telemarketing companies. Unfortunately, this only works with legitimate companies so illegal calls won’t stop, but it will help.
If you receive an unwanted call and answer it, don’t engage. Hang up. Go to Do Not Call Registry and to Report Fraud and file complaints.
Can you hear me?
If you receive a call that asks “Is this (your name)?” or “Can you hear me?” do not say ‘yes’. Scammers can use a recording of your voice when you say ‘yes’ to make authorizations to scam or hack your accounts. Instead, say “This is he/she or (your name)” or “I can hear you, what is this regarding?”
Pop Ups
While browsing the web on a mobile device or computer, you may encounter pop ups or click on a catchy advertisement for a flashy product or exciting news story (we call these Click Bait) and it may not lead you to what you expected. Typically this opens a new tab on your computer and will say you have been hacked and provide a number to contact for support. If you cannot close the tab, try closing the browser. If your browser is stuck, reboot your computer. If it still comes up, work with us or your trusted local computer repair shop to remove it.
