How to avoid the most common telephone scams

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They call us on the phone, ask for our details and steal from us . They make us call back, they tell us that our son has been kidnapped, that we have won a prize, that they have to fix our computer… Telephone scams are common and are constantly renewed, but they all have the same objective: to steal from you . Steal your personal details, make you pay at the end of the month, steal your bank details.

If you receive a strange call, hang up. Never continue “out of curiosity.” Block. We compile some of the most common phone scams that we usually receive and that you should avoid at all costs. What we can do, how we can avoid them and which are the most common and most dangerous ones that we can receive.

The most common telephone scams
They are constantly being renewed and updated, but some of them have been around for years and many people continue to fall for them despite the authorities' warnings. Below, we review the main types of scams so that you can be aware of them and know how to deal with them.

Missed calls
Phone scams involving missed calls are common. We often receive a missed call and call to see who it is or what they want. But this is not a good idea. One of the most common scams is the missed call scam: we receive a call Cell Phone Number Database from a foreign number that we do not know. If we answer, they hang up immediately. If we call back, we are scammed. This is a fraudulent line that will make us pay 'extra' on our phone bill. Usually, the prefixes for the missed call scam. Although there may also be other similar ones. These are prefixes from countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Albania or Bosnia.

What can we do? Never call these prefixes or numbers if you see that there is a missed call. Also, the best thing you can do is block these phone numbers or even look in your mobile phone settings to block the prefixes.

We often receive prizes from contests we have not participated in and they notify us by phone. Be careful, it is important not to pay attention. It is not only calls with foreign prefixes that are a scam, there are many others. Either through a missed call, a missed call or by SMS.

We call back, and an answering machine appears telling us that we have won a prize and that we have to call a number that starts with 806 or 807… In other words, special rates . If we call this number, not only will we not get a prize, but we could see up to 50 euros of extra costs on the bill because we will find an answering machine or hold that will keep us on the phone at a price of more than 9 euros per minute. If they call you to tell you that you have won a prize, ignore it. Block the number or delete the SMS.



A call from your bank to tell you that your credit card has been blocked. They pretend to be employees of your bank and explain that the card has been blocked. They may even have your details. To do this , they ask for your PIN or code so they can unblock it. Don't fall for it. Hang up. Never give out banking or personal information.

Once you've hung up, look for reliable contact information for your bank through the official website and check if it's real or just a scam. In most cases, your bank will never call you asking for your credit card PIN,  so be wary of this type of situation.

A scammer pretends to be a Netflix employee by making a call. They ask their victim to change some of their private profile data (username and password, for example) or to keep up to date with payments to avoid interruptions to their services.

They then usually send an email to the victim containing a dangerous link. If the person clicks on the link, they are likely to become a victim of phishing  and the scammers will gain access to other sensitive information, such as credit cards or other passwords. Never click on links from dubious sources and, of course, never share your personal information.