Protect yourself from fraud: How to identify phone scams
Updated August 30, 2024 | Published July 7, 2023 by Angela Talbot | Reading Time: 6 minutes
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Categories:
- Security & Fraud Prevention
Phone scams are an extremely common fraud tactic. for 2022 showed that consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 billion dollars to phone scams 鈥� over $2 billion more than 2021鈥檚 totals. Scammers are becoming harder to detect than ever as they get their hands on new technology that makes it easier for them to fool you. They can even mask their phone numbers to show on your caller ID as a number you know and trust. This is known as call “spoofing.”
We don鈥檛 want you to lose your whole life savings to fraudsters, so we鈥檙e going to let you know what to look out for that could indicate a phone scam. In this article we鈥檒l talk about:
Common types of phone scams
Imposter scams are popular and effective tactics used to commit fraud because they rely on your relationship with people you trust, or legitimate institutions like 91黑料网 First.
There are several different known imposter scams going around. We want to make you aware of them and we鈥檒l start by telling you the most important one to us – scammers pretending to be from your financial institution.
Banking Scam
These scammers might call you from what looks like 91黑料网 First鈥檚 phone number. They will claim that they work in the fraud department and say there is an issue with your account that you must hurry to fix. They could pressure you to give them identifying information immediately out of necessity and rush you into working with them instead of reaching out to your local branch. If you believe you could be faced with a scammer:
- Hang up and call one of our trusted phone numbers or go into your local branch to talk with someone about the fraud in person.
- If the person on the line asks you to read them a code that they sent you by text message, don鈥檛 do it.
- If you’ve hung up and the scammer tries to call back, do not answer.
91黑料网 First employees will never call to ask for your username, password, or debit card information.
FBI Scam
These scammers will call you pretending to be an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and claim they have a warrant out for your arrest. They will threaten you with legal action like jail time or frozen assets if you don鈥檛 pay them. This is to play on your fear. The real FBI will never call and threaten your arrest or demand payment. This is an attempt at wire fraud.
U.S. Customs and Border Control Scam
This one is very similar to the FBI scam. These scammers will call or text you pretending to be an agent from U.S. Customs and Border Control. They will say they have a package with your name on it that they intercepted at the Mexican border, and it contains illegal items. Then they will pressure you for payment to make this all go away. Another attempt at wire fraud. Border Control released about the scam.
A U.S. Customs text message scam on the other hand may say you have a package being delivered from a foreign country that is being held because of an invalid shipping address. They provide a link to update or confirm your address. This link is malicious and it is important that you do not tap or click on it. A text like this could also appear to be coming from USPS, Amazon, UPS, or other shipping provider. All claiming there is an invalid address or payment method that needs to be updated. If you are expecting a package and are unsure whether this is legitimate, always check with your actual shipping providers tracking number, website, or customer service center to confirm if the text came from them.
IRS Scam
This scam is when someone will call pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and claim you owe tax money. They will say that if you don鈥檛 pay immediately they will send police to arrest you. The IRS doesn鈥檛 call people for this, and they issued about these calls.
Grandchild Scam
This scam preys on elderly people with grandchildren. You will get a call from someone claiming to be your grandchild. They will tell you they are in a foreign country and you need to wire them money as soon as possible to help them get back home. If you weren鈥檛 aware your grandchild was traveling out of the country, you should already be on alert. Before doing anything, try to call your grandchild at their known number to make sure they are okay and confirm whether they made that call.
Tech Support Scam
The tech support scam is when someone calls you posing as a support officer at a known tech company like Microsoft, Apple, or Dell. They will tell you they detected a virus on your computer and need to walk you through the steps to fix the problem, or help them remote into your computer to fix it. No one is monitoring your computer use, waiting for viruses to show up. Once you guide this person right into your computer, they will insert malware that will wipe and steal all everything you have on it. This is one good reason not to keep any of your personal identifying information saved on your computer.
Kidnapping Scam
Kidnapping scams are very scary calls where the caller will pretend they鈥檝e kidnapped one of your loved ones and demand you pay a ransom for their release. You may even hear screaming in the background of the call. Don鈥檛 panic. Before you do anything, try to contact that loved one to make sure they aren鈥檛 in real danger.
鈥淐an you hear me?鈥� Scam
In this scam, the caller will ask if you can hear them after you pick up the phone. They are recording your voice, and once you answer 鈥測es鈥� they will use that recording to say you agreed to some scam program. It鈥檚 best to hang up the phone or say, 鈥淚 can,鈥� if you鈥檙e unsure whether the call is legitimate.
Prize Scam
As the name suggests, this scammer will tell you that you鈥檝e won an expensive prize or vacation for free! But there is a catch. You have to pay taxes, registration fees, or shipping charges to get it. Once you pay those fees you鈥檒l find out that there was no prize at all. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Debt Relief and Credit Repair Scams
When you pick up this type of call, the scammers will offer to forgive your debt, fix your credit score, or lower your credit card interest rates鈥n exchange for a fee. Don鈥檛 fall for this scam, as it could actually end up ruining your credit.
Business Offer Scams
It鈥檚 no surprise that business owners would be a target for scammers. You may receive a call from someone offering you coaching or investment opportunities for your business, with the promise of big returns. Don鈥檛 jump at the thought of receiving a large sum of money 鈥� think twice. Protect yourself from these scams by reading the FTCs article on .
What to do if you suspect a call is a scam
If you suspect someone is trying to steal your banking or other personal information, our real fraud department has this advice:
- Ask for the caller鈥檚 name and for a phone number.
- Hang up and check any information they provide against trusted websites. If they are acting as 91黑料网 First, check websterfirst.com or visit your local branch to speak to someone in person.
- Contact the person or institution they are claiming to be through a verified phone number.
- Block the unknown phone number so they can鈥檛 call you again.
- Make sure you are signed up for our Card Alert Notification Program聽so you’ll know immediately if someone got a hold of your debit card information.
- Enroll in 鈩� program for free to protect your info and be notified of suspicious activity.
It鈥檚 in your best interest to not answer the phone for numbers you don鈥檛 recognize. If the call is important and legitimate, the caller will likely leave you a message. If it鈥檚 a scammer, they may call repeatedly to try to get you to pick up or just give up and move onto the next person on their list.
What to know about 91黑料网 First’s real fraud procedures
In order to help you identify the real from the fake, here are some things you should know if 91黑料网 First was really calling you about fraud.
- An outbound call from our employees would not appear on the caller ID as our 800 number.
- We already have your information and won’t be asking you for debit card, account, member, or social security numbers.
- We go over information to verify if you initiated the suspicious transaction with a yes or no. If the answer is no, we refer you to go to a branch to resolve the issue.
- We will gladly provide our name, department, and direct line or extension number for you to call us back.
How to report a scam call
You can report scams to the FTC through their website. Here are some helpful links.
- If you鈥檝e lost money to a phone scam or have information about the company or scammer who called you, report it at聽.
- If you didn鈥檛 lose money and just want to report a call, you can use their streamlined reporting form at聽.
- If you鈥檝e already paid a scammer and are looking for ways to stop the transaction, visit this article for solutions:
- If someone calls and offers to 鈥渉elp鈥� you recover money you have already lost, don鈥檛 give them money or personal information. You鈥檙e probably dealing with a聽.
- Visit this article for more tips on how to scam proof your life:
The FTC has many helpful and informative articles relating to scams of all kinds. Visit to educate yourself so you don鈥檛 become a victim.