Maybe it happens to you a few times a day or occasionally if you’re lucky. A call or text from an unknown number that turns out to be a scammer.
It’s not only annoying but also costly, with unsuspecting consumers losing billions of dollars to fraud every year.
How can you prevent it from happening to you or a loved one? Consumer Reports has some new advice to stop those annoying robocalls.
You think it’s a call from the doctor’s office or your child’s school. So, you stop what you’re doing and answer it -- only to get aggravated and find out it’s a bogus debt reduction offer, or better yet -- you won a phony cruise.
Sham calls are not only a waste of time; they also cost people their hard-earned money.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2023, people reported losing $10 billion to scams …with phone scams causing the highest per-person loss, with a median loss of $1,480.
Consumer Reports experts say there are simple things you can do to get fewer calls. First, check with your cell phone provider.
Nicholas De Leon, a technology writer for Consumer Reports, says your provider might be your first line of defense. The FTC requires your provider to have robot-call-fighting technology. It’s free, or maybe you can pay a little monthly for more spam-blocking features.
But if you’re about to pull your hair out ... you can make a dramatic move. You can set your phone to only take calls from your contacts or people you’ve been in contact with.
To do that on your iPhone –go to settings -- phone --go to ‘silence unknown callers’ and swipe on. That means unknown calls should go straight to voicemail.
Do not respond to unwanted texts from questionable sources.
Finally, there’s an app for that. Check reviews and try a free scam blocker app. Before you download it, read the fine print. Double-check the privacy policies of these apps. They may use your data, sell it, or use it in ways you’re uncomfortable with.
And if you haven’t already done so, sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry. You can do that online or by phone.
Also, you may be able to report unwanted or scam texts to your provider by forwarding the message to 7726 “SPAM” and complaining to the Federal Trade Commission, your state attorney general, or your state’s public service commission or consumer protection office.