In today’s digital age, much of our communication takes place via email, text message or an instant messenger app. When we have text in front of us, it is often easy to identify what’s spam and what’s not. That aside, how do we know when we’re being scammed over the phone?
When we’re talking to people directly we often form a level of trust without really considering it. It’s easy to associate spam with internet hackers and online bots, so hearing a friendly, human voice won’t necessarily cause us to put our guard up. Despite this, phone scamming is still common, frustrating and potentially dangerous.
Here are some top tips for spotting and avoiding a potential phone scam:
- Remember that you never get anything for nothing! If you’re being offered a prize for a competition you haven’t entered or money for a lottery ticket you never bought, start questioning the validity of the business calling.
- If you receive a call asking for money, such as a charity seeking donations or your bank discussing a recent payment, hang up the phone and call them back using their official telephone number.. If there’s no record of them calling you, block the number you received the cold call from.
- Get into the habit of questioning the person on the other end of the line. If they’re claiming to be from your car insurance company, get them to give you all the information they already have. If it’s wildly incorrect, you’ll know they aren’t who they say they are.
- Most companies who take payment over the phone will send you an email receipt immediately after you’ve hung up. If you don’t receive one, call the company and ask for it again. If they refuse, consider blocking the payment or reporting the number.
- Remember that you can always hang up the phone if you aren’t sure. No matter how friendly someone may seem, you’re well within your rights to cancel a call.
At Message Direct, our professional call handlers are well versed in spotting and stopping phone scams. That’s why many businesses rely on our call handling services, including overflow call handling, to make sure their financial and company information stays confidential.
Could your business benefit from our professional overflow call handling service? Visit our website to make an enquiry today.
