If you pick up the phone and hear this, hang up, the FBI says in a new warning
Not doing it could leave you trapped on the line with a crook.
Relangeable teleprears with poorly directed calls, we all seeUnknown numbers Appear on our phone screens more often than we would like. Most Americans say theyDo not answer When they receive these calls, but some of us take up in case - and in doing so, we could put ourselves in danger. In many cases, there is a crook on the other side of the line. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has just published a new alert for people across the country, warning them of a growing scam intended for anyone who takes up calls from figures they do not recognize. Read the rest to find out what the FBI says you should listen to.
Read this then:Never do this with your phone in public, warns the FBI.
The Americans have already received billions of spam calls this year.
If you feel overwhelmed by the robocalles, you are barely alone. Robokiller, an application dedicated to the fight against these calls, recently published his2022 telephone scam report in the middle of the year, retail how much this problem is really widespread.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
According to the report, the Americans have already received around 40 billion calls for spam between January and June 2022 only. It is expected that at the end of this year, these robocalles will reach a height of more than 86 billion, an increase of 19% compared to the previous year. "Spam calls are on the pace to reach the highest levels ever recorded," said Robokiller in his report.
Spam calls can have serious consequences.
With unwanted calls and robocalles, it is often a crook on theAnother end of the line, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Robokiller's report revealed that the Americans have already lost around $ 30 billion for spam calls from January to June this year - which is the same amount that was lost in these diets in 2021. The end of 2022, the Americans were projected to lose around $ 59 billion in the scams by Robocall, by Robokiller.
"Catastrophic losses as these have not only an important financial impact, but also an emotional impact on the victims," said society in its report. Scammers using spam calls could also try to share your personal information in order tocommit an identity theft, according to the FTC.
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The FBI now warns of the specific tactical crooks that crooks use.
There are "conductor", crooks will try to swindle you on a telephone call, according to the FTC. Recently, the FBI Field Office in Sacramento, California,published a new alert Warning the Americans of a common scheme used by the crooks at the moment. According to the office, you must be wary of unsolicited calls in which "the appellant claims to be FBI".
"Nothing sends a person in a panic like a call from the police, especially when the call informs them that they have been victims of a crime or could be sought for a crime," said the Interim special agentDennis Guerinsaid in a press release. "Unfortunately, this answer is something that the crooks take advantage of an increased frequency, so it is important to educate the public on what to look for."
You have to hang up if you receive a call like this.
Any unsolicited call could be a crook trying to "win your confidence and separate from your hard earned money," warned the FBI Sacramento office. In order to protect you, the agency said your best bet was to always send unlined telephone calls to voicemail. "Most call centers will not leave a message," said the FBI.
But if you end up responding and you hear the person on the other side of the line to claim to be the FBI, do not be afraid to end the call - even if it turns out to be the FBI and no a crook . "The public should not be afraid to hang on to an alleged agent. An authentic FBI agent will find other ways to contact you, if necessary," said Guerin.
According to the agency, an official FBI special agent will never provide a badge or telephone number number on an unsolicited call as the only way to check their identity. Instead, a real agent will run you to the FBI official website so that you can locate the telephone number of your local field office and go by yourself.
"Some crooks usurted FBI agents by phone," warned the Sacramento office. But anyone who is really connected to the agency will never call you to "make requests for metallic transfers, gift cards or bitcoin; coordinate financial transactions of all kinds; [or] threaten the arrest."
