Question: Most of the phone calls I get on my smartphone these days are either numbers that are unrecognizable or my phone identifies them as potential spam. How is it that my phone can identify a call as potential spam? Also, what are the most common scams these individuals running? What kind of recommendations would be helpful in minimizing the probability of being scammed particularly if you inadvertently answer the call? Can these calls be blocked, and should they be reported and if so to whom?
Answer: I feel your pain, reader. As a reporter, it’s especially obnoxious when you think you’re getting a call about a story you’re working on, only to be told that you need to pay back a loan you never took out.
There was a phone scam in Buncombe County some months ago where callers pretended to be with the Sheriff’s Office and demanded payment for missed jury summons.
“The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will never ask for payment for fines or judgements to be paid over the phone and there is not a monetary fine for missing jury duty,” the Sheriff’s Office cautioned in a Nov. 21 news release. “The false scare tactic used during the scam is ‘that unless you pay the fine immediately you will be arrested.’ The scammers claim that you have failed to respond to a jury summons and now owe fines and have a warrant out for your arrest, they may also leave a voicemail stating this false information.”
“These scammers are not local, so they ultimately proceed to…
