There was a time when the worst thing about answering the telephone was discovering that somebody wanted to sell you aluminum siding during supper.
Today, the stranger on the line may claim to be your bank, the sheriff’s office, the Internal Revenue Service, the electric company or your oldest grandchild calling from a jail three states away.
The names change, but the goal does not. The caller wants to frighten, excite or embarrass you badly enough that you stop thinking and start paying.
Fortunately, most phone scams follow the same handful of rules. Once you recognize them, they become much easier to avoid.
Do not trust caller ID
Caller ID is helpful, but it is not proof of who is calling.
Scammers can make almost any name or number appear on your screen. A call may seem to come from your bank, the local police department or even your own telephone number. This is called “spoofing.”
Some scammers use numbers with local area codes because people are more likely to answer a familiar-looking call. That does not mean the caller is sitting down the road. He may be halfway around the world, drinking coffee and pretending to work for the Payne County Sheriff’s Office.
Treat the name on your screen as a suggestion, not identification.
Listen for urgency
A scammer does not want to give you time to think.
He may say your electricity will be disconnected within the hour, a warrant has been issued for your arrest or your bank account is being emptied while you sit there.
That urgency is intentional. A frightened person is easier to control.
When somebody demands immediate action, slow down. A legitimate business or government agency will allow you to verify the situation. A scammer will tell you that hanging up will make everything worse.
Hang up anyway.
Watch for unusual payment methods
No legitimate government agency, police department or utility company will require you to pay a fine or debt using gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or cash stuffed into an envelope.
Gift cards are for birthdays and apologies. They are not how the IRS collects taxes.
If a caller tells you to buy gift cards, scratch off the backs and read the numbers aloud, you are speaking to a thief. Once those numbers are shared, the money is usually gone.
The same warning applies to anyone who sends a courier to your home to collect cash, gold or valuables for “safekeeping.” Banks do not protect your money by sending a stranger to your porch to carry it away.
Never share a verification code
Your bank or another company may send a one-time security code to your phone when someone attempts to enter your account.
A scammer may call and claim he needs you to read that code aloud to confirm your identity. In truth, he may be using it to break into your account or reset your password.
Do not share a verification code with anyone who called you. That code is meant for you alone.
The same rule applies to passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers and full bank-account information. A legitimate employee should not call unexpectedly and ask you to hand over the keys to your financial life.
Do not move your money to “protect” it A caller may say your bank account has been compromised and that you must transfer the money into a “safe account.”
There is no safe account. There is only the scammer’s account.
A real bank may temporarily freeze an account or cancel a debit card after suspected fraud. It will not ask you to send your savings to a stranger, feed cash into a cryptocurrency machine or withdraw everything from the bank.
If you are worried, hang up and call your bank using the number printed on the back of your card. Do not use a number provided by the caller.
Be suspicious of secrecy
Scammers often tell victims not to discuss the situation with family members, bank employees or police officers.
They may say the investigation is confidential. They may warn that a loved one will be harmed if anyone else is told. They may instruct a victim to lie to a bank teller about why a large withdrawal is needed.
That secrecy protects the scammer, not you. When someone tells you not to seek a second opinion, that is exactly when you should seek one.
Beware of the family-emergency call
One of the cruelest scams begins with a familiar voice saying, “Grandma, I’m in trouble.”
The caller may claim to have been arrested, injured in an accident or stranded in another country. Sometimes the scammer avoids giving a name and waits for the victim to supply one.
“Is this Michael?” the worried grandparent asks.
“Yes,” the caller answers, and now the scammer knows who to pretend to be.
Artificial intelligence can also be used to imitate a person’s voice from short recordings found online. A familiar voice is no longer enough to prove a caller’s identity.
Ask a question only the real person could answer. Better yet, hang up and call that family member directly. If you cannot reach the person, call a parent, spouse, sibling or close friend who can check.
Families may also want to choose a private code word for real emergencies. Just do not use something obvious, such as a pet’s name that appears in 400 Facebook photographs.
Do not be intimidated by threats of arrest
Scammers frequently impersonate police officers, court employees and federal agents. They may claim you missed jury duty, owe back taxes or have a warrant.
Then they offer you the remarkable opportunity to avoid arrest by purchasing gift cards at the nearest dollar store.
The law has its complications, but deputies do not accept Google Play cards as bail.
If the caller claims to represent a local agency, hang up and find the agency’s official number yourself. Call and ask whether there is a real problem. Do not call back using the number that appeared on your screen.
If you are unsure, make a separate call
This is the most important habit you can develop.
Hang up. Find the official telephone number yourself. Use the back of your bank card, a recent bill, an official website or a trusted directory. Then call and ask whether the original message was legitimate.
Do not rely on a phone number, website or extension supplied by the suspicious caller.
A real employee will understand why you are being cautious. A scammer will become angry, threatening or desperate to keep you on the line.
You do not owe a stranger politeness at the expense of your safety. You are allowed to hang up without explaining yourself.
If you already paid, act quickly
Call your bank, credit-card company or payment service immediately. Explain that you were the victim of fraud and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
If gift cards were involved, contact the company that issued them and keep the cards and receipts. Change any passwords or PINs you shared. Report the scam to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Do not let embarrassment keep you quiet. Smart, careful people are fooled every day because scammers are professionals at creating fear and confusion.
There is an old rule about strangers that still serves us well: Never let someone rush you into handing over something valuable.
The telephone may have become smarter since my younger days, but it has not improved the character of everyone using it.
The National Do Not Call Registry can reduce legitimate sales calls, but criminals do not consult it before committing crimes. Registering is useful, but it is not a force field.
When in doubt, hang up, look up the real number and make the call yourself.
Thomas Richard Harrison offers practical advice for every Tom, Dick and Harry — including the ones who still remember when a telephone stayed attached to the wall.