OK, raise your hand if you think you’ve received a scam phone call or text this past week. If you raised your hand, you’re probably right. YouMail, a company specializing in blocking those messages, estimates Americans will receive 52 billion (with a B) robocalls this year, which breaks down to 1 billion every week. If you think the number of scam phone calls you get on your cell phone is bad, nearly half of all phone calls to landlines are deemed to be bogus.
Robocalls warn you of your imminent arrest by the IRS, your car’s extended warranty’s expiration or an unfortunate hold that has been put on a bank account with a bank you don’t even have an account with. You are often told you’ve won a contest you didn’t enter or that Amazon wants you to verify a purchase you never made. You are instructed to learn more by simply clicking a link or calling the phone number provided.
Two simple facts of life are that robocalls seem to interrupt you at the most inconvenient times, and robocallers are never going to stop trying to reach you.
Technology has enabled scammers to call or text anyone anywhere in the world easily and cheaply. The calls are nearly impossible to trace, and bogus caller ID numbers make the call appear legitimate.
Even though scam robocalls and texts will likely never stop, there are a few steps to take to reduce the number you get:
• For those with landlines, tech guru and radio host Kim Komando suggests you dial *77, a number phone carriers have…
