Nowadays most of us are inundated with spam calls, I have tried to get around them as much as possible but they seem as inevitable as death and taxes. We’ve gotten smart, but annoyingly so have the scammers and one of the ways scammers try to trick you is through “call spoofing”.
Sadly, this scam isn’t as silly as the name suggests.
According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), call spoofing is where scammers deliberately hide their number, and display a different (often Australian) number, increasing the likelihood that you answer the call.
Think of it as a scammer taking your mate’s number to look like a legit person, but in reality, it’s a bloody scammer trying to swindle you.
ACMA noted that these callers are typically located overseas and could be impersonating a bank, government agency or telco provider to get your personal information for “fraudulent purposes”.
Sometimes scammers use your number neighbours, numbers that are close to yours. Apparently, its a social engineering tactic to increase the chances of you picking up the phone. So sneaky!
AKA to scam the heck outta you.
So how do you know if you’ve been call spoofed and what can you do to avoid it?
How do I know if you’ve been spoofed?
If you think your number has been used for nefarious, scamming purposes there aren’t many things you can do, for now.
Normally if you have been spoofed you’ll know because someone might try and call you back with some choice words or let you know that your number is being used to scam people.
If you think your number has been spoofed, ACMA recommends contacting your telco immediately.
How can you avoid call spoofing?
To avoid being a victim of a spoof call, beware of suspicious calls and unknown numbers. I would go far as to screen them and if it is a real person, they will normally leave a message or send a text.
Remember the majority of trusted institutions like banks, will never ask you to provide your financial details over the phone.
What if you receive a spoof call?
If you think someone calling you if a spoof call, the ACMA recommends you hang up and contact the institution the scammer tried to pretend to be.
You should contact your telco for assistance, report the scam to the ACCC Scamwatch and ReportCyber.
If you’ve had your personal details stolen call 1800 595 160, if bank fraud has been committed contact your bank and the police immediately.
Stay safe out there folks.
Image: Fox