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How to protect yourself against scam robocalls
South African consumers get robocalls all the time. Not only are they annoying, but a telemarketing violation as well.
Image via Adobe Stock
Scam robocalls are an absolute telemarketing violation as they flood the market with millions of scam calls. Unfortunately, South African consumers get robocalls all the time.
Scam robocalls: How it works
The calls are annoying, relentless and illegal. It also costs millions every year. These can be any kind of pre-recorded message usually from an unknown number, but not all robocalls are illegal.
Some are debt collectors, promotional marketing, schools and legal telemarketers. But its hard to tell who is legitimate and who is trying to scam you over the phone.
The scammers buy leads, plug them into a computer system, even a cheap basic one and set up a call centre with the risk of getting caught being zero. Your number is compromised when you sign up for free services.
The numbers are compiled into databases and sold as leads. It is your responsibility as a consumer to ask what companies plan to do with the number and personal information you provide.
How robocall scammers operate
Legal telemarketing companies and others buy some leads by scammers. The scammers dial random numbers until someone picks up, a whole criminal syndicate runs this operation, creating lists of numbers that are active.
When you get a call from an unknown number and no one answers from the caller’s side when you answer the call, then it could be one of the syndicate members checking to see if the number is active.
The scammers also fake numbers to make them look like they are from a legitimate organisation; this is called spoofing. Their main objective is to convince you to give them money or credentials. They use fear or excitement to achieve this.
They could say they are calling from SARS, The Bank, you have just won money or a trip, they try every trick in the book to convince you to trust them.
How to protect yourself against scam robocalls
Basically, scammers and fraudsters capitalise on our emotions, on our fears, desperation, excitement, and trust. Do not even give them a chance to capitalise on these emotions.
Three vital rules to follow:
- Do not answer numbers you do not recognise
- Do not believe what the caller is saying
- Do not pay for anything over the phone, even if they say they are a debt collection company
