Can you call a scammer back?
Can you call a scammer back? “People are curious and they’re counting on that,” says Levin. “It’s the concept that people think may have missed an important call.” At the very least, answering the phone or calling back makes you vulnerable to future scams, says Eva Velasquez, CEO and president of Identity Theft Resource Center.
How do spammers get my cell phone number?
800, 888 and 900 numbers are a major way for telemarketers to obtain your phone number. When you call these numbers, your phone number may be captured with a system called “Automatic Number Identification” or ANI. ANI uses equipment that automatically identifies and stores the number from which you are dialing.
Why you should never call back an unknown number?
“When you call back not only are you verifying the number is attached to a real person but that you’re willing to make the effort in calling back an unknown number,” she says. “This puts you at risk for scammers to call you at a different time and try to scam you with another ploy.”
Why do telemarketers call and hang up?
Robocalls that hang up immediately are usually meant to verify your number. It means that the machine wants to confirm that the number is active and that a real person answered the phone. Those calls will be brief, and often the call gets disconnected as soon as you say hello.
