Phone call scams are as popular as ever. They usually target the elderly and many of these scams seem to originate from call centers in India. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the number of call centers in India, and many of these are involved in fraudulent activities. So how can you protect yourself from becoming a victim of one of these scams? In this blog post, we will discuss some tips that will help you stay safe!
Phone call scams target the elderly
The reason they are often targeting older people is because they are less tech savvy and have a harder time discerning a scam from a legitimate call. They are also more likely to have disposable income. India call center scammers often spoof their caller ID to make it look like they are calling from a legitimate company or government agency.
They may also use high-pressure tactics, fear, and even play on your emotions to try and get you to hand over your hard-earned money.
How can you protect yourself from India call center scams?
Here are some tips:
- Never give out personal information such as your social security number, date of birth, or bank account and credit/debit card information, passwords, etc. to someone you don’t know.
- Don’t answer phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.
- Hang up if the caller becomes aggressive or threatening.
- Report any suspicious calls to your local law enforcement agency.
- Always ask yourself if this could be a scam.
Don’t be afraid to hang up on a suspicious caller. If you do answer an unsolicited phone call, don’t follow prompts to speak to an operator.
Stay vigilant
India call center scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. They also use many methods to protect themselves from being caught or having it traced back to them. Here are some additional things to look out for when dealing with the Indian call center scams:
- Overpaying and asking you to reimburse them
- Asking you to buy gift cards for them
- Unsolicited phone calls, particularly from companies you haven’t worked with
It is unlikely that the most targeted demographic is reading this post, but you can still help. Share stories and information about commonly known tactics and scams with elderly people you know, care about, and associate with. Education is crucial in slowing these sorts of scams.
We shouldn’t villainize the Indian people
While many of these scams are originating in India, the majority of the people in India make an honest living. Many of them even work in legitimate call centers. That is partly what makes this sort of scam so effective. India has a very large population – an estimated 1.38 billion people.
We should also remember that India is not the only country with call center scams. These types of scams are happening all over the world. So be vigilant no matter who is calling you!
Lastly, I will draw your attention to this recent prank video posted by Mark Rober on YouTube. In it he illustrates how he fought back against some of these Indian call center scam artists and even helped to gather information and give it to authorities to help them take down one of the call centers.