Is it ‘urgent’ or threatening? Is it attempting to get you to act immediately?
This is the biggest red flag because attackers do not want you to think clearly or talk to anyone.
Promises of large sums of money, prizes, or something else are too good to be true.
Does the caller match who they claim to be?
Are there links or attachments they want you to click on or visit?
Are they asking for sensitive personal information, such as passwords or SSNs?
Does the call sound, feel, or seem strange?
What is the caller asking of you? Does it seem suspicious or unusual?
Is the caller refusing to send a confirmation email to prove the request?
Are they pretending to be someone they are not?
Scammers can manipulate caller ID to show something else, like your bank, while it is from the attacker.
Automated calls, like robotic voices asking you to call back are usually scams
Is the email trying to scare you into doing something you don’t want to do?
An Example Vishing Phone Call Scam
To the left is an example Vishing Phone Call scam. There are many warning signs within this voicemail, as listed below.
- The caller is pretending to be from Spectrum, but this phone call is NOT legitimate, it is a scam
- If it was a legitimate Spectrum phone number would be associated with the company & found online
- The caller is an automated robot, which seems suspicious
- The user receiving the call, did not have a Spectrum account, but they are saying they do?
- The 50% discount seems too good to be true
- The caller is creating a sense of urgency to “timely” call them back
- The call back number is different than the one calling, and still not associated with the company Spectrum
- Something suspicious is that the audio is only for the first 25 seconds, and is silent after
If Classified a Phone Call as a Scam, Here’s How to Proceed
If you have checked for potential warning signs and classified a phone call as a scam call, here’s a few things to “adaptive” actions to take.
- Do not speak and hang up immediately, they might be able to record your voice
- Do not follow anything they say on the call
- Block the caller’s phone number through your phone’s contacts
- Delete the call or voicemail
- Follow steps to take “adaptive” actions on the Adapt page
