Have You Stopped Answering Your Phone?
I thought it was just me, but I’ve seen dozens of articles about the increase in scam calls during the pandemic. I still answer my phone, but only if I recognize the number. I figure if the call is important enough for me to answer, it’s important enough for the caller to leave a message, right? Right! And my Android phone (Verizon) now warns me when the call might be spam.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many robocall/scan calls? One of the wonderful things about cell phones these days is that most plans include unlimited calling.
But this has turned out to be a double-edged sword as scammers can make millions of robocalls free. Cell phone providers have made automated, robocalls as easy and free as sending spam email. Over 1500 scam calls are made every second. Get out your calculator and you’ll find that is 90,000 scam calls a minute or 2,160,000 per day.
And why are scammers making so many Robocalls? It’s like throwing out a huge fishing net and waiting to see how many fish can catch in it. Those who get caught end up getting ripped off for hundreds of dollars. So, if only a few hundred poor souls – out of millions – get fleeced for a couple of hundred dollars – that’s a lot of money to be made. The theory is the same as it is with email – cast enough “nets” and you catch enough fish to make it well worth your while.
According to USA Today…“On average, those who fall for scam calls lose $182, with some losing more than $500, according to the survey of more than 2,000 consumers and 300 business professionals conducted Dec. 23-29, 2020, for Hiya by market research firm Censuswide…”
If you’re interested in learning more about the current “pandemic” of robocallers and phone-scams, read the following…
Is it safe to answer the phone? Short answer: No. It’s probably a robocall spammer.
Mike Snider | USA TODAY
Sometimes, they claim Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service is on the line. (They aren’t; neither service will ever threaten you or demand immediate payment on the phone.) Or they call saying your car’s warranty is expiring and that your credit card interest rate could be lowered.
Three out of 4 Americans said they were targeted by phone scammers over the past year, finds a survey done for Hiya, which provides cloud-based phone call performance management services for companies including AT&T and Samsung.
The bombardment of robocalls, many of which come from scammers seeking to bilk you out of money, has led many to simply not answer their phone when the caller is unknown…
Want to learn more about what you can do about the Scam Call Explosion? Then read this…
FCC enforces largest fine ever of $225 million against telemarketers who made 1 billion robocalls
I have phone service with my Verizon bundle (TV,Phone, and Internet). I also have an iphone , which I hate…not because it’s an iphone, but because it’s a smart phone. Well, that’s another story, but back to the point. I keep my landline phone because it seems to collect all the robocalls and scam calls. I NEVER answer that phone unless I know the number. My cell phone doesn’t seem to get more than one or two a month….so far.
What I hate is all the freebies that miscreants get from phone companies while my bill keeps going up.
I have a caller ID landline phone. I dial star 60 and then hit the pound key and the number and hit the pound key again. Then I delete the number. I’m only allowed to enter 48 numbers, so I erase them and start over again.
Like you; over a year ago; we started not answering the phone unless we recognized the number, feeling that if it was someone we knew and really wanted to reach us, they would leave a message ! — if they cannot do that, then it can’t be important ! David.
Same here. I do not answer calls I don’t know. Plus 99% of the time, they don’t leave a msg.
I can no longer count on the caller ID to be correct. Spammers spoof local phone numbers in order to trick me (not) into answering, even using a local business or two. So, I stopped paying $10 extra a month for caller ID that lies. I keep the phone off the “hook” 24/7. For awhile, I left it on at night because I was concerned about out-of state daughters. But one night, a scammer from India or similar phoned me at 1:30 A.M., scaring the crap out of me! I know there is a law that bill collectors, sales people etc can’t call before 8 A.M., but scammers don’t worry about such details. I don’t get cell service up here in the mountains, so I depend on a dysfunctional and expensive landline with voicemail. If I put the phone on at any point to use it for an outgoing call, I get scam calls in such quick succession that I can’t even dial out. It’s like a light goes on somewhere that tells the crooks my phone is now on. With all the available technology today, why can’t/won’t phone companies step up and provide a service rather than scam calls? Even star 60 or 69 does not work with Century Link. They just don’t care for anything other than me paying my bill.
I only answer calls when I know the caller. Otherwise I let go to voice mail if they tend to leave a message.
I don’t answer numbers I don’t know. If they can’t leave a message then it wasn’t important. Same with the land line.
A phone what is that? Oh that is the thing I don’t answer anymore!!
My home phone scans and blocks all robo calls so my phone does not even ring in for that type of call