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Phone phishing scams have been rising steadily since the start of lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. This type of scam often involves phone calls designed to trick people into believing they are speaking to a customer services agent at a legitimate company such as Amazon, Microsoft, DPD, BT or The Royal Mail.
However, these so-called customer service representatives are actually trying to trick their victims into disclosing sensitive information, such as account passwords, financial details and personal information. Scammers are often sophisticated criminals who use several tried and tested tactics to create a false sense of trust.
Older people may be more likely to be tricked into sharing sensitive information and trust that the person on the other end of the phone is who they say they are. To make it easier for everyone of any age to quickly identify whether a caller is genuine or a fraudster, Craig Borowski, Customer Services expert at TheCXLead.com shares his five top tips.
Five ways to spot a fake caller
Here are five potential red flags from customer services expert Craig Boworski that consumers can use to identify whether they are being targeted by a phishing scam.
They are calling you
It’s rare that a company will be the one to call you, usually if you have a problem with a product or service – it will be you contacting them.
If a company does need to make contact with you, they will not need to ask for your personal information.
If you receive an unexpected call claiming to be customer service and requesting personal or financial information, this is an instant red flag.
Advise them that you will be terminating the call and contacting the company back using the official helpline number.
Urgency
Scammers often create a sense of urgency in order to pressure you into acting quickly without thinking.
No genuine customer service representative will pressure you into providing personal or financial information. If the caller insists on immediate action or or even threatens you, they are a scammer, end the call immediately.
Unable to verify identity
Real companies that need to contact customers over the phone will have established procedures for verifying your identity without seeking out sensitive information about you.
If the caller does not appear to be following a standard verification process this is a red flag and you should decline to continue the call.
Requesting Payment or Personal Info
The biggest red flag of them all. If anyone calls you and outright asks for payment details or sensitive information such as your national insurance number they are most likely trying to scam you.
If in doubt, hang up and contact the company directly, but never provide anyone who has called you with payment details or sensitive financial information under any circumstances.
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Beware Number Spoofing
Scammers these days use many sophisticated tactics like caller ID spoofing to make it appear as though the call is coming from a real place.
You can no longer rely solely on caller ID information to trust the caller.
If you receive a call that seems suspicious but looks like it is calling from a correct number, terminate the call. If you want you can then call them back on their official helpline number from another device or your home phone.
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