We occasionally read warnings of telephone scammers posing as service providers.
Such warnings are usually accompanied by useful advice for how to deal with suspect telephone scammers.
Such advice might include:
- putting the phone down on someone if you suspect they are a scammer;
- being aware that banks never call and ask for your account or card details or ask you to withdraw money or transfer money to another account;
- never assuming that a caller is genuine just because they hold some information about you;
- always being wary of cold callers who suggest you hang up the phone and call them back;
- never calling a suspect scammer back;
- remembering that it takes two people to terminate a phone call;
- checking that the suspect scammer is not still on the line before sharing sensitive information with anyone over the phone.
- ensuring that the telephone line is clear by using the same phone to call a relative or friend;
- speaking to a relative or friend using the same phone to be certain that a suspect scammer is not still on the line.
Beware scammers using AI
AI not only enables the voices of famous people to be copied and used without their consent.
It also enables your own voice to be counterfeited.
And of course the voice of your family and friends, your customers and suppliers, anyone you trust.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between fake and real.
The only way to be sure is to end the call and call the 'person' back using the contact details you had in your possession before you were contacted.
Note: AI = artificial intelligence.
Stop Scams UK call 159 initiative
Stop Scams UK is a membership organisation of responsible businesses from across banking, technology and telecoms.
It aims to facilitate collaboration between firms in those sectors most affected by scams: banking, technology and telecoms.
Learn more about the organisation behind the Call 159 initiative.
When to call 159
"People are being urged to call 159 if they encounter the following:
Someone contacts you claiming to be from your bank – even if they do not seem suspicious.
You are contacted by someone claiming to be an authority figure (such as the police) and told to transfer money – even if the request seems genuine.
You receive a call about a financial matter and it appears suspicious."
Report a scam to Action Fraud
"If you think you may have been the victim of fraud or cybercrime and incurred a financial loss or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message, you should report this to Action Fraud."
Source: Action Fraud.
Read more: Report a scam to Action Fraud
Beware Customer Support Callbacks
Some service providers no longer publish a customer support telephone number on their website.
We see this as a deliberate strategy to funnel website visitors seeking customer support into engaging with chat bots (and AI algorithms).
Only after you have wasted several minutes - even hours - trying to talk to an algorithm might you be offered the opportunity to talk to a human.
But only on condition that you offer up your telephone number and give your consent to receiving a call back (callback).
The problem with this trend in so called customer service is that it provides an opportunity for scammers to pass off as being a call back service.
When you receive the call back you will have no way of knowing whether or not the caller is representing the organisation which you are attempting to engage with.
Tip: transact with others on your terms and not on theirs.
If a service provider's customer service is this bad then use a different service provider!
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