Q. Iām a senior who was recently targeted by a scammer. I answered a phone call and was greeted by a young gentlemanās voice. He proceeded to tell me that a warrant was out for my arrest because I neglected to show up for jury duty that day. He sounded legitimate and alarmed me for a moment. I panicked while he began to tell me the consequences for not appearing for my jury summons and asked me to confirm my social security number so he could begin processing my arrest. Thatās when a red flag went off in my head and I ended the call. I am still a little shaken by this call and wanted to ask if you had any tips to avoid scammers in the future.
A. I applaud you for listening to your gut and ending the phone call. I too have been on the receiving end of a scam phone call, and I can relate to how legitimate the scammer can make themselves sound.
Aside from blocking the phone number so they canāt call you again from that particular number, thereās not much that you can do to prevent receiving another phone call in the future. Scammers are doing everything they can to outsmart their targets. They call from numbers that are similar to your area code so that you think it may be someone you know. They want you to answer the call and take note of who picks up and who doesnāt. Since you did pick up, be on alert that they will try again from a different number.
The next best thing you can do to avoid being scammed is to practice critical thinking. In your situation, the scammer tried to make you think you missed jury duty. The first thought I would have is ādid I receive a jury summons in the mail?ā If you did not receive any official jury summons, then you know right away that you are being scammed. Hang up right away.
Next, practice critical thinking in regards to information the scammer is asking you to provide, or verify. Never give out or verify any personal information, even if the scammer has correct information about your full name, address, birthday, social security number, etc. Personal information can be found on the internet. No legitimate agency will call you and ask you to verify personal information over the phone.
If the caller sounds legitimate and has identified the agency they are calling from, hang up and call them back yourself. For instance, if they claim they are from the Social Security Administration, look up the phone number for that agency and give them a call. Explain you just received a call regarding your account, and you want to verify it was from their office.
The best thing you can do to avoid being scammed is to ignore unknown phone numbers. If it is someone you know, but you donāt recognize the phone number, they will leave a message. Most scammers will not bother to leave a message.
In summary, never give out personal information to someone you donāt trust. Never verify personal information to someone you donāt trust. Ignore calls from unknown phone numbers. Call the main office number that you look up if you are still concerned the scam may be legitimate.
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