It’s time to renew your car warranty now? Want to consolidate your credit card debt with a lower interest rate? Want to get rid of pesky viruses on your computer? These are just a few of the “offers” being received by almost everyone and the volume of these calls amount to several billion reports; to various authorities over the past three years. That call count rises significantly since the vast majority of the calls go unreported.
Are the scams effective? The answer is yes! Even if only one-hundredth of one percent of these calls result in the criminal stealing money, that means 100,000 thefts per billion calls. So why are these calls effective?
Phones are the easiest means of contact (do you know anyone who does not have a phone?). In general, people are hard wired to pick up the phone and when doing so, behave in a polite manner. In addition, criminals are adept in the use of social engineering; scammer techniques that play on emotion result in victims complying with criminal requests.
When examining the motivations involved with the crime, it becomes clear that this is a two-way street; both the criminal and the victim are motivated. While some are seeking to commit mayhem, most phone scammers are driven by money through either direct payments or the sale of collected information. For the victim, motivations include the following:…
