Robocalls are one of the most pervasive issues facing our society as a whole today, with unwanted calls, in general, being the biggest reported problem to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).
It has become increasingly difficult to avoid these kinds of calls, and almost every person in the United States has had to deal with them at one point or another. Luckily, there are a variety of ways that you can combat these calls on your device.
Fighting against these unwanted calls is easier when you can identify patterns and calling cards that let you know when a robocall might become.
One telltale sign is the area code you see on the caller ID.
Why Do I Get Scam Calls From My Area Code?
There are a number of reasons that you might get repeated robocalls from certain area codes. A common practice is called neighbor spoofing, in which callers will use a fake number that mimics your area code.
The idea is that you will be more likely to answer a call if you recognize it as a local number. This method also prevents you from blocking the area code as a whole. If you receive a call from your own area code that sounds suspicious, coming from a person you don’t recognize or asking for money, you may be getting a call from a fake number.
Scams to Watch For
Watch Out for Calls From the Caribbean
Phone numbers out of the Caribbean are regularly used for scam calling because they aren’t easily identifiable as international calls with their +1 area codes.
Many of these area codes were created within the last few years, making it difficult to keep track of which numbers are from the area. If you find yourself caught in one of these scams, you could end up losing a lot of money for getting stuck on an international call.
Ring and Run
The ring and run scammer preys on you by calling with an urgent situation and quickly hanging up after requesting a callback. Common situations they make up include pretending to be collections agents or hospital staff and convincing you that you are urgently needed. They confuse you by making their call so brief.
Unfortunately, once you call back, you’ll get blasted with huge international fees.
The One-Ring Scam
The one-ring scam is a simple scam that can be costly if you fall for it. The basic process is that you receive a phone call, but the other party quickly hangs up before you can talk to them. They might do this multiple times in an attempt to get you to give that phone number a callback.
The problem is that once you do this, you get hit with a significant international call fee. Until you realize what is happening, they will continuously drain your money while you stay on the call.
These scams are incredibly easy to fall for; you don’t have to give anyone your personal info, and you will still find yourself losing money. The one-ring scam is a great example of why you need to be cautious when answering any unknown calls.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, you may need to be on the lookout every time you get a call from a number you don’t recognize. If you want to be completely safe against unwanted callers, your best bet is to use Firewall.
Firewall is an app made by the creators of Burner, which functions as a filter that blocks any unwanted calls from making it to you.
Firewall uses a whitelisting system, where you approve the calls you want to receive while all other numbers are blocked. Whitelisting is the only way to filter out 100% of unwanted calls.
Unwanted callers are sent to voicemail, and Firewall’s voicemail transcription system lets you decide whether or not to approve them for later. Fighting robocalls is getting harder, but there are tools out there that let you maintain your privacy and money.
Download the Firewall app now to protect your privacy.
Sources:
Targeting Gateway Providers to Combat Illegal Robocalls Fifth Further Notice of Proposing Rule | FCC
How To Block Unwanted Calls | FTC Consumer Information
Area Codes You Never Want to Call Back and Why | ThePoliceCU