Hang up.
Steps for for avoiding scam calls.
security
scams
over 2 years ago - 1 min read
A friend was recently scammed out of all their savings from a fake bank fraud squad call. You may have heard the type— “There’s been some suspicious activity on your account. We need to check if these payments were you....”
I deduced some advice. It sounds obvious, but it’s actually not:
- If you think it could be a scam, hang up.
- If you think it could be a genuine call, hang up.
- If you’re certain it’s a genuine call, apologise and still hang up.
- If "action needs to be taken immediately" - say you’ll take your chances and hang up.
- And never read a security code to someone over the phone.
I now repeat this to my parents often. Even if you know it’s a genuine call, it’s just not worth the risk Always call back on an official number.
Scams can be incredibly believable. Anyone can be fooled, including Security Engineers and Scam Prevention Experts. If a service you use calls you, you shouldn’t need to prove your identity. They should prove theirs to you.