Do you regularly receive calls from unknown numbers? Then be careful, because criminals are using a new method to scam via your smartphone.
Scam via your smartphone
Be careful if you regularly receive calls from unknown numbers! Scammers are using a new and dangerous method to steal data via smartphones. This new form of scam involves calling numbers within a local area by criminals.
During the telephone conversation, scammers pose as employees of your bank. They warn that you will soon no longer have access to your savings, so it is important that you withdraw money from your account quickly. According to the scammers, you must hand in this withdrawn money at a nearby bank to secure it. In practice, there is nothing wrong with your bank account, but the scammers want to get their hands on your withdrawn savings.
They do this using a dangerous method, because they lead you to your local bank after withdrawing an amount of money. In this way, scammers try to gain your trust, while the bank is probably already closed. These telephone calls usually take place at the end of the afternoon or beginning of the evening, so you cannot go to your bank at all.
Data leak with a lot of information
Criminals use the closing time of the local bank to receive the cash themselves. That makes this new method of scamming via your smartphone even more dangerous, because in reality you meet a scammer at your closed bank. Therefore, be careful, because your bank never asks you to withdraw money and hand it over. Is this requested in a telephone conversation? In that case, you are dealing with scammers who try to steal your money via your smartphone.
It is therefore wise to end the telephone conversation immediately; you can then consult your bank number via the internet for verification. If you regularly receive calls from unknown numbers, there is a good chance that your telephone number has been involved in a data breach. In the event of such a leak, scammers not only get hold of your telephone number, but in some cases also your address details or place of residence. They therefore know which local bank to direct you to, so they try to appear reliable.
Silence calls
Do you suspect that your telephone number has been involved in a data breach? You can protect your smartphone against scams in several ways. On various devices you can disable calls from unknown numbers. These calls still arrive on your smartphone, but are kept silent. Curious how that works? Here’s how to disable calls from unknown numbers on iPhone:
- Open ‘Settings’ on your iPhone;
- Scroll down and tap ‘Apps’;
- Tap ‘Phone’;
- Turn off the switch behind ‘Unknown callers’.
Have you adjusted the settings of your iPhone? Calls from unknown numbers are then silenced and forwarded directly to your voicemail. In the Phone app you can see under ‘Recently’ which unknown numbers have called you, so you can always call them back. The more you answer calls from scammers on your smartphone, the more you will receive calls from similar numbers in the future. Disabling these calls is an easy way to prevent that.
This is how you prevent scams
The most important way to avoid smartphone scams is to not answer calls from unknown numbers. Aren’t you expecting a phone call from a strange number? Then let your smartphone ring, you can then look up the number to check who called. You can often see in search engines such as Google whether it is a reliable number. Did you record anyway? Then never share important information such as your address, bank account number or passwords.
Furthermore, keep in mind that bank employees never ask for information or amounts of money. If this does happen, you are dealing with fraud via your smartphone. Criminals not only call, but also send messages via WhatsApp or iMessage. Delete these messages immediately so that you don’t accidentally click on a link to a dangerous website. Did you find this tip useful? Then sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter so that you regularly receive tips on keeping your smartphone safe!
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