Telemarketers, Caller ID Spoofing , Robo Calls, Scam Calls.
Scammers are using a variety of tactics to trick callers into releasing sensitive information such as social security numbers, usernames, passwords, account information, etc.
Robo Calls
If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it's a robocall. If you’re getting a lot of robocalls trying to sell you something like a vacation rental, extended warranty on your automobiles, or lower interest rates on your student loans/credit cards, odds are the calls are illegal. Many are also probably scams.
The FCC offers this advice in dealing with Robo Calls (link).
What Is Spoofing?
Caller ID Spoofing, or more simply just Spoofing, is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use "neighbor spoofing" so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity.
Watch the video and click through the tabs to learn more about spoofing and how to avoid being scammed.
If you think you've been the victim of a spoofing scam, you canfile a complaint with the FCC.
Scam Calls?
Common scam calls include:
If you get a call from someone stating any of the above situations, it is most likely a Scam. The best thing to do is simply Hang up. Don't press any numbers. Robo Call recordings might say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator. Even pressing an option that says it will remove from their list may be a ploy to acknowledge an actual working phone number, which scammers can then sell your number to other telemarketers/scammers for future use.