Phone scams have become one of the most committed crimes worldwide and are increasing immensely. Almost every day, we get to listen, hear and watch too much about phone scams over media and on the web.
Scammers not only cheat people by instigating and playing with their emotions, but they also promise to provide them with financial support, which can be a kickstart to scams. Cybersecurity agencies have registered multiple fraud cases regarding mobile phone scams. There are several factors that can expose you to fraud, such as exploring malicious websites, clicking on unknown advertisements and links, and filling out unidentified forms that can be a potential source for scammers to get your data and exploit it.
We know enough about the types of phone scams to which most people are exposed and by which they are deceived. Consider the mechanism or the ways of how the scammers can get into the devices or damage the user’s privacy to reduce the risk of being scammed, thus fortifying yourself against all the baits set by the scammer.
Over here you will be walked through all the necessary preventive measures that must be taken into account to avoid the chances of being scammed.
So without wasting any more time, let’s get started.
Do you keep personal information a secret?
These days when you are going online you are exposed to many vulnerabilities. Most of the time, when you are surfing the internet, the browsers store your data, even private information. Scammers don’t stand a chance until or unless that chance is being provided by you intentionally or unintentionally. It is also true that potential victims themselves play a vital role in the success of phone scammers because they never hesitate to provide their personal information to any unknown person who tries to persuade them through flattery. Thus, revealing your personal information to strangers makes you an easy target for phone scams later. Because after getting personal information about you, scammers can easily access your financial accounts, credit cards, and other assets. Scammers can never succeed in their nefarious aims without the positive contribution of the potential victims.
Suppose you are one of those who keep themselves alert about every possible situation through which crooks try to get your personal information and do not keep that misery a secret. In that case, you are a hard nut for phone scams.
Persuasive techniques of phone scammers
Several conceptual models can guide us to understand the severity of phone scams. These models must be known by everyone so that they do not get on the hook of phone scams.
According to some research, three complementary but independent factors increased the susceptibility to phone scams. These critical factors are mentioned below.
- Persuasive techniques, which phone scammers utilize to get your attention
- Information processing of the person whom scammers try to engage
- Individual uniqueness, which depends more on the person’s cognitive ability
If you make yourself aware of persuasive techniques that most phone scammers use to scam you, such as triggering positive emotions and visceral triggers, then we can consider that you are not an easy target for phone scams.
Emotional intelligence and phone scams
Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in dealing with phone scammers. For instance, Mueller et al. (2020) researched the emotional intelligence of a young and old-aged group of people. According to this research, people of old age showed a lower rate of responding to scams compared to those of a young age.
Thus, you should avoid being emotional while answering and talking to unknown callers because scammers usually excite emotions and coax you to get your money. For example, they may say they are working for and are official representatives of some non-profit organizations helping the victims of earthquakes, floods, and covid sufferers, etc., to gain your sympathy and eventually leave you scammed.
So avoid paying attention to the cooked-up stories from phone scammers about all the affected people; rather, you approach rationally to their ideas. Using a rational approach can save you from being scammed and becoming easy prey. You can also check the authenticity and details of an unknown caller by visiting PhoneHistory.
Self-control and risk-taking
Stop impulsive purchases
Another factor that determines whether you are an easy target for phone scams is self-control and risk-taking ability. Those with less control over themselves are more likely to fall prey to phone scammers.
An AARP Foundation research from 2003 found that lottery scam victims were less likely to plan their future purchases than nonvictims and that investment scam victims were more likely to make impulsive purchases over the phone. People who admitted to making an impulsive purchase had more chance of falling victim to fraud than those who discouraged such purchases.
Take calculated risks
Promotions of unannounced schemes, unofficial lotteries, and gambling through texts and links shared on your phones can be a source of scams. Most of the time, people fall for these scams by investing in them to get a better return out of their greed and haste that, in the end, would leave them empty-handed and cause them a significant loss. So, as a result, a big part of the response should include risk-taking characteristics.
In a nutshell
The problem of scams is multifaceted and dynamic. Phone scammers do not target a specific group, demographic, or people with similar interests, and they attack everyone regardless of the background the victim belongs to.
Usually, scammers use novel techniques to grab users’ attention. If they do so and you become a target of the scam, then the very first thing you should do is just stay calm and report it to the telecommunication authorities as soon as possible.
Upon an unknown call being received, if you think you are being scammed, you must keep the above-mentioned points in mind and proceed with caution. Taking preventive measures will lower these crime rates and eliminate the cause of such curses.