Buffalo, NY (WBEN) It's a scene played out on our cell phones each and every day. Those unsolicited incoming calls ring through and we determine what the best course of action is to avoid future annoyances.
Trying to stay ahead of robocallers is a challenge for everyone. One expert says staying vigilant is key to avoid being the victim of a scam.
Cybersecurity expert Arun Vishwathan says in May, there were four billion robocalls made to Americans. That averages out to 12 calls per person per day. "There's been an uptick in the calls since COVID," notes Vishwathan. "It's not coming through your cell phone. It's text messages, it's calls to your home phone. It's all over the place."
Vishwathan says robocallers are becoming more sophisticated, including raising the spoofing element. "You see a lot of phone numbers that look like local calls, so they take local area codes like 716, and if you see a 716 number, you're more likely to pick up the call," says Vishwathan. But that's not the only trick. "They also spoof well known 800 numbers, for instance, a bank or a service like Amazon or Apple, could show up on your phone," adds Vishwathan. He says robocallers can use that to target those who use certain services.
Vishwathan says everyone's been trying to keep a step ahead of scammers and robocallers. "The FTC has tried to come up with new measures. Major carriers are struggling with this," notes Vishwathan. There's a new mandate from the FCC requiring cell providers to take proactive measures. "This is a hard problem, because these calls from internet VOIP calls from overseas. You have to get after them at the source, and the source is constantly changing because they're bouncing off servers all over the world," says Vishwathan, who says all involved are trying to solve this problem.
Vishwathan says ulitmately, it's up to you to be vigilant. "The first rule is if it's not a number you recognize, don't pick it up. If it is a number you recognize and you pick it up, and you hear something doesn't sound right, go online and go to a different source," advises Vishwathan, and don't comply with what they tell you. He also suggests blocking numbers you know and forwarding such numbers by texting 7226 to your carrier.
Vishwathan says while nothing is fool proof, take advantage of apps provided to record and block known robocall numbers.
