Phone Scams

Phone scams have only become more sophisticated over time, with new technologies and the relative lack of regulatory protection of cell phone numbers compared to landlines.

Scam phone numbers are one of the most common forms, as scam operations will use spoofing technology to generate a false phone number that you might trust, as opposed to a phone number you definitely won’t. 

Senior phone scams are prevalent, targeting elders with tempting benefits in exchange for personal information. Luckily, you can now stop robocalls easily – see HERE how.

 

Phone Scams: List Below

Phone scams involving the IRS and tax refunds are also common. Anyone calling from the IRS is not from the IRS; they only send letters.

Robocalling and many other phone scams are out there. Learn about what they are and how they operate below.

Payday Loans

How The Scam Works: (with video below) Criminals claim to be the reps of companies that offers payday loans, which are paycheck advances of cash with a short-term payback. The danger is, you could become a victim of this scam even if you never applied for a payday loan in your life. How does the […]

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Pet Found Reward

Lost Your Pet? Beware of the Reward Scam! Your beloved dog Churchill got out under the fence again–but this time, he didn't come back the next day. You put up posters throughout the neighborhood for weeks and finally get a call back. Scenario 1: The person on the other end of the line says he's […]

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Pills Bought Illegal

How the scam works: If you live in the USA and just bought prescription pills online, you might receive a phone call from somebody claiming to be from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) saying you violated the law and are being charged. Over the phone, the crooks inform you that purchasing drugs over the Internet is illegal […]

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Police/FBI Set Up

How the scam works: You receive a phone call from somebody proposing a deal looking for help with depositing a check into your account; sending the caller back less money and keeping a fee for yourself. It sounds fishy, their English is not that great, and because you are smart you are not falling for it. You hang […]

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Jamaican Area Codes

How the scam works: If you are a US citizen, be very careful when you are required to call certain numbers, in order to complete a deal, transaction, or redeem a prize. As close as these might sound to US area codes, numbers like 809, 876, or 284 are actually the Caribbean. The whole scam […]

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Prisoner’s Treasure

How the scam works: This is probably one of the first scams ever invented and is also known as The Spanish Prisoner scam. In the past, prisoners used to call or send letters to all the addresses that they could find, explaining that there is a well-hidden treasure, somewhere. They also mention they’re willing to […]

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Jury Duty Absence

Missing Jury Duty Scam: How It Works What happens if you miss jury duty? A lot of bad things, indeed, if you are familiar with the legislation. However, beware of a new scam circulating via email and phone call, addressing the issue of ignoring jury summons. Beware, the Missing Jury Duty Scam is prevalent these […]

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Red Light Tickets

Red Light Ticket Scam: How It Works The traffic infringement scams are back, in both the United States and Australia. Let's take a look. In the US, scammers call households claiming to be representatives of the local Department of Public Safety (DPS) or the police. They inform the owners they have a red light traffic fine […]

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Living in Mexico

How The Living in Mexico Scam Works: Scammers target North-American citizens living in Mexico by looking in the phone book. Once they have formulated a list, they will do in-depth research and find out the victims’ info, such as the names of their best friends, nicknames, former clients, etc. Most of the details are collected from […]

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Cell Phone Radiation Protection Scam

How the scam works: (with video below) Watch out for the Cell Phone Radiation Protection scam happening these days. While health studies about the radiation that cell phones emit are still going strong, scammers sell devices that allegedly shield the electromagnetic waves. They “guarantee” the emissions are stopped from hurting your health and sell the […]

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Collect Call from Prison

Collect Call From Prison: How The Scam Works (with video below) If you ever receive a phone call from your local prison and the operator tells you to press 1 to receive a collect call, don't accept it – unless your buddy is arrested on a regular basis and you know he always calls. Many victims […]

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Collection Call: Subscription

How the scam works: You're having your ritual post-work winding down session in front of the tube when you receive a call from a lawyer. He says he's representing a company you apparently subscribed to two years ago, but you never paid the money that was due. He lets you know you could be on the […]

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Customer Appreciation Call

Customer Appreciation Call Scam: How It Works (with video below) Creating customer loyalty has always been one of the most important marketing tools for companies. Whether is about customized business gifts or appreciation for service, little gestures always lead to customer retention. But how about customer appreciation calls? Let's say the phone rings and as […]

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DEA Call

DEA Call: How The Scam Works (with video below) DEA stands for the United States' Drug Enforcement Administration. If you watched movies like Breaking Bad you are probably familiar with the term. However, be careful about a scam happening this week. Callers phone homeowners – you could be next, so beware – and present themselves […]

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