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Expert Reveals The One Thing You Should Never Do When Answering The Phone
An expert has revealed the one thing you should never do when answering the phone.
It seems like most people can’t go a week without receiving some sort of spam or scam phone call nowadays.
Scammers are becoming more and more advanced so people need to be more careful to avoid becoming a victim of a scam.
Data from the Ipsos Consumer Tracker has revealed that half of Americans report being a victim of a scam or identity theft in the last year.
This is a ten percent increase from the year before.
It is a worrying trend, and people need to be aware of the best ways to protect themselves.
Now, experts are revealing some key tips to avoid being scammed over the phone.
The number of scams is increasing
It seems like the number of scam calls that we are all receiving has skyrocketed.
In fact, new data from the Pew Research Centre has revealed that 73% of Americans have now experienced some kind of online hack or scam.
Most people receive a scam call or text at least weekly, the report said.
Hopefully, most of those people don’t fall victim to the scam, but a lot of them do.
In 2024, the FBI reported that scammers and cybercriminals stole a massive $16 billion.
The demographic that was most targeted by these calls was the over-60s.
As technology develops, these scams are becoming more and more complex and harder to avoid.
Common scams over the phone
The most common type of scam over the phone is someone impersonating an institution that you would trust, like the bank or support from an electric company.
It is hard to distinguish between someone pretending to be your bank and it actually being your bank.
They all play on the panic of telling you that there is an emergency or problem with your account in some way.
Some impersonate companies like Apple or Microsoft to tell you that your account has been ‘hacked’ and therefore you need to give them details to protect your devices.
Another common phone scam that people have fallen victim to is receiving calls about a ‘loan application’ that needs an update.
Except they never had a loan application in the first place.
It is a common trick to make the call seem urgent to get the victim to reply quickly and give away personal details.
The FTC has offered advice for this type of scam: “Don’t press a number to ‘unsubscribe.’ That only lets the dishonest company know your number is good. Instead, just hang up.
“Don’t give information to businesses you don’t know, even if they seem to know you. That could be a set up to get your personal information,” they add.
Expert advice to avoid being scammed
Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions, said: “Phone scams continue to evolve at an alarming pace, often using sophisticated spoofing, AI-generated voices, and high-pressure tactics.
“The good news is that awareness and simple habits can dramatically reduce your risk.”
Payton, who was White House CIO under President George W. Bush, offers some advice to not fall victim to these complex scams.
“Trust your instincts and slow down. Never provide personal information, account numbers, passwords, or payment details over an unsolicited call.
“If someone claims to be from your bank or a government agency, hang up and call them back using a verified number from your statement or official website.
“The golden rule: If it feels urgent or pressures you to act immediately, it’s almost certainly a scam.”
She warns that scammers will try and use any interaction to gather details, or record your voice for potential AI manipulation, so it best to just hang up.
“Staying one step ahead of scammers requires grit, awareness, and the right tools,” Payton adds.
“By treating every unsolicited call with healthy skepticism, you protect not only your finances but your peace of mind.”
Eddie Felix, the head of advice from The Cyber Helpline, warned that being able to avoid these scams is becoming harder as technology advances.
He said: “Spotting red flags is a losing strategy against AI voices and personalized scripts.
“The approach we’re moving towards is simpler: treat every inbound call as untrusted by default and take the decision out of the moment.”
He offered some advice on how to deal with scam calls.
“The sensible default is to let unknown numbers go to voicemail.
“Legitimate callers leave messages, scammers almost never do, and a callback through a verified channel costs nothing.”
The Cyber Helpline gave 3 steps to staying safe from phone scams. Firstly, if someone claiming to be your bank calls, hang up and call them back on the official number.
Then, don’t let the urgency of the calls scare you into doing something you will regret.
Lastly, have an agreed code word with family members to prevent against a cloned relative’s voice being used to scam you. It is low-tech, but scammers wouldn’t be able to use it against you.
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