Today more than ever people are victimized by phone scams. Whether it be the grandparents scam, lottery scams, or the infamous IRS scam, you need to be careful every time you pick up an unknown call. The best way to protect yourself is to install one of the many caller ID apps that exist to your phone.

What Are The Most Common Phone Scams?

There are so many variations of phone scams. You need to be extremely careful whenever you answer a call from a number that’s unfamiliar.

These are some of the most common types of phone scams:

• Payday loan and federal grant scams
• Warrant scams
• IRS scams
• Free vacation and lottery winner scams

Know The Red Flags

Phone scams can have a lot of variations, but they all have a few things in common. Watch out for these things when answering a call:

• The caller asks for personal information that seems unnecessary. For example, if the caller claims to be calling from your credit card company they should already have all of your information. They shouldn’t need you to verify any personal information such as your card number, Social Security number, or personal address.
• The caller claims you’ve won something for free, but you don’t remember signing up for it. This is very common. If you don’t remember signing up for something, then don’t listen to the caller.
• The caller asks for payment of a fine via wire transfer or prepaid debit or gift card. This is the biggest red flag of all! If someone threatens you and demands that you pay them this way, hang up and block the number. Immediately report it to the proper authorities.

Protect Yourself With A Caller ID App

In order to protect yourself from phone scams, be sure to download an iPhone caller ID app.

An app like this will help you identify the unwanted calls and block them!