Individuals have reported receiving phone calls that appear to be robocalls coming from unfamiliar numbers, with unusual caller ids, from unknown callers. Scammers are sophisticated enough to make any name or number appear on your caller ID. If answered, there will likely be a brief pause followed by the caller asking to speak with the recipient, using the recipient’s first name. They may then begin to ask questions to obtain information, or record audio used to clone an individual’s voice.
If you receive such a call, DO NOT answer. The best thing you can do is let it go to voice mail. If it is a legitimate call, and is important enough to the caller, they will leave a message.
If you do answer, here are some tips to help prevent a successful scam:
- Hang up immediately!
- DO NOT answer any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes.”
The scammers can record your voice, then fraudulently splice it into what seems like a statement giving them permission to sign you up for an expensive service. A clever scammer with a good artificial intelligence (AI) program only needs a few-second recording in order to clone a person’s voice and then apply their own script.
- Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden name, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious
- DO NOT press any numbers to speak to a live operator.
Remember to always exercise caution. The less you engage, the better. The damage that robocall scams can do to their victims can be significant. Don’t be fooled by unwanted callers. Please visit our Security page to learn more about fraud prevention.