The Five Most Common Robocall Scams of 2018
The Better Business Bureau posted a list last week of the most common scams they see around the holidays. Now there's a new list about the five most common types of ROBOCALL scams people fell for this year . . .
1. Caller I.D. spoofing. That's where they make it look like the call is coming from your own area code, so you're more likely to pick up. It was the most common type of robocall people got this year. And a lot of people got them CONSTANTLY.
2. The Chinese consulate scam. You'll only know this one if you speak Mandarin. But it conned a lot of people this year. Basically, a message in Mandarin says there's a package for you at the consulate. And you have to give up your credit card info to get it.
3. Health insurance scams. First you get a robocall offering a better plan with a great discount. So you call back, and they ask for your bank information. Look out for that one, because there's usually an uptick in health insurance scams this time of year.
4. Search engine optimization scams. Small business owners got targeted by robocalls claiming they were about to be dropped from Google's index unless they paid up.
5. IRS scams. A robocall CLAIMS it's the IRS trying to get in touch about a tax bill. They make it sound extremely urgent, like you're facing jail time or a huge fine. And they'll even use fake IRS badge numbers to sound legit.
By the way, a recent study found robocall scammers are most likely to hit on a Monday. It's when 24% of all fraudulent robocalls happen.
(NY Post) Image (c) 2018 Getty Images