Have you ever received a call from an unknown number and answered without getting a response? You are not alone, as many people have experienced this. Without a doubt, this is one of the most devious ways that commercial companies or scammers use to know that you are active on the other end of the line and thus they can locate you at any time. This type of action is what is known as robocalls and the authorities warn of its seriousness.
There are many times when they have tried to slip us a fake SMS or a suspicious email to trick us into falling into their trap. There are more and more situations in which cybercriminals commit their crimes with the main objective of stealing all our data and thus emptying our accounts. In the case of calls, these are usually less common ways to hack us, but they still succeed.
For this reason, the Police continue to warn about all the most common mechanisms used by organised groups to extract confidential information. One of them corresponds to the use of robocalls, which are becoming more popular lately and pose a high risk to the security of users. Below, we will explain what these calls consist of and what the police agency’s instructions are to avoid them.
What are robocalls and how to identify them?
As access to new technologies becomes more and more widespread, it is not always an advantage, but also a misfortune. Cybercrime makes great use of online tools that can become a real nightmare for many users, but the mobile phone is undoubtedly the preferred bait for many criminals to attract their victims.
In this context, robocalls come into play, a system of automated calls made by machines that try to find out if the recipient usually answers them and can identify if you are active. If so, you will enter the list of clients selected to receive telephone spam or a wave of deceptive calls to commit fraud. Therefore, the moment you accept these calls, the senders will know that you will pick up the phone, even if you do not know the origin of the number.
To make sure you are answering robocalls, you will first see long numbers or contacts that you have not added. Then, if you go to answer the call, you will hear a resounding silence and, after a few seconds, they will hang up. This way, you will be targeted by telemarketers and other scam attempts.
National Police
@police
Do you answer calls from unknown numbers? 📞#Robocalls📞
➡️ What are they?
➡️ How to protect yourself from them https://t.co/Iqrw6klZrMSeptember 16, 2024 • 18:33
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How can I protect myself from robocalls?
Given the numerous cases that have been reported in recent days, the Police have stressed certain elements that you should take into account in order not to fall into their traps:
- Never answer with a “Yes?”: affirmative answers can be decisive in accepting services without you even realizing it, since you will be giving your consent for scammers to use it to manage banking procedures, such as a purchase or a subscription.
- Block unknown calls: One of the settings you need to activate on your mobile phone is call blocking and spam call identification. You can do this from the Phone app settings on your Android or iOS smartphone. This way, you can check at any time if the call you are receiving is fraudulent.
- Sign up for the Robinson List: registering on this list will be key to disappearing from the registry of any telecommunications company.
