Yes, it’s here again. Christmas, the time of peace, love… and scam calls. Find out who’s going to call you this year.
Do you plan to take a break this Christmas? Scammers won’t. According to statistics, it’s usually this time of the year, when the threat of fraud increases most. For two main reasons: when Christmas comes, our giving mood combined with our effort to solve all incoming calls as quickly as possible make us ideal scam targets.
When it comes to Christmas scam calls, some seem to be more popular than others. And that’s why we’ve already known by now what to expect this year.
Grandparent scam
Picture this: your 80-year old grandma receives a phone call and then it goes like this: “Hi grandma, it’s me! Sorry to bother you, but I have some troubles, please don’t tell mom…”
This is how a typical case of the so called “grandparent scam” usually starts. Grandparent scam is a popular tactics how to steal money from trusting older people. Usually, the scammer pretends to be a grandchild in distress. They inform the victim that they need money immediately, otherwise they end up in jail. In other scenarios, scammers pretend to need money because of an injury or some other accident.
(See how a typical grandparent scam looks like.)
What to do?
Get an efficient protection against scammers for your grandparents. It will block all incoming scam calls for you, so you don’t have to deal with scammers anymore.
Charity fraud
Christmas is the season of giving. According to statistics, more than a third of charitable giving happens this time of year. Scammers know that, and are trying to take advantage of it.
Usually, scammers pose as either agents of legitimate well-known charities or create their own charity name. This can include charities that conduct medical research or support disease sufferers and their families. They may also pose as individuals needing donations for health or other reasons.
What to do?
When considering donating to a certain charity, check it out online. Go to CharityNavigator site and look up the charity you’ve spoken to. Every US charity also has a registration number. Ask for it to check it online later.
Gift card scam
The chance of getting something for nothing is tempting, especially before Christmas. And scammers know that. So they hide their true identity behind big brands like Amazon or Zara and pretend to offer you a free gift card.
They usually send you an email or a text message, either trying to get your personal data (or your company’s data) or trick you to click a malicious link (and download a malware to your computer or phone). So instead of a gift card you get just a serious headache.
What to do?
Avoid opening any suspicious emails or attachments that ended in “exe”. In text messages, don’t click any links, you could be downloading a virus.
Get protection against scam calls
Say goodbye to spam calls and robocalls this Christmas. Get an efficient spam blocker. The Should I Answer app is based on a community spam database (there are 30 000 new reports daily!), so it can block all incoming spam calls for you. It’s also perfectly safe: your data and personal information never leave your phone.
Get the PROTECTION AGAINST SCAM CALLS for free (Android)
or get the Should I Answer app for iOS