Have you received a pain in the butt call saying - You've been specially selected for this offer, or by some jerk pretending to represent the IRS attempting to collect on back taxes?
About 95% of people say they've gotten a call from a telemarketer in the past six months, according to a survey of over 1,000 Americans by telecom service company First Orion—a jump from 84% in 2015.
And while some of those calls are legit, there's been a 13% surge in phone scams, with 69% of respondents saying they've gotten at least one scam call over the past six months. One in eight people reports receiving over 20 different scam calls in that same period—a whopping four times as many people who reported that volume of scam calls in 2015. http://firstorion.com/
Regular robocalls are annoying, but these scammers can also be dangerous. Fraudsters posing as IRS agents have netted $54 million from unsuspecting victims since October 2013, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
And when it comes to part you with your money or your personal information, these scammers are inventive. In addition to the tax scams, the Federal Trade Commission warns about callers posing as a debt collector, an employment agency, and a sweepstakes company.
Call-Blocker Apps are available if you’re looking for a free service and have an Android phone, Should I Answer? is a good bet. The free app displays a phone number rating when an unknown number shows up, and allows you to block numbers. For iPhone users, the Hiya app is free and designed to identify and block a variety of robocalls, including telemarketers, debt collectors, and scam calls.
Can the FCC really put the kibosh on robocalls? https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/07/14/can-fcc-real… via @usatoday
Phone scam targets grandparents http://disq.us/t/2r3awp7