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How to identify a spam call before answering
🇲🇽 Mexico /Technology

How to identify a spam call before answering

From El Universal · (15m ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Spam calls, often used for advertising, can be a gateway for cybercriminals to steal personal and banking information through methods like spoofing and vishing.
  • Experts recommend identifying spam calls by recognizing unfamiliar prefixes, unusual call times, short durations, and automated voices requesting personal data.
  • To protect yourself, avoid answering unknown numbers, never return spam calls, enable your phone's anti-spam filter, and block suspicious numbers.

In today's increasingly digital world, the threat of cybercrime looms large, and unwanted spam calls represent a significant entry point for malicious actors seeking to exploit unsuspecting individuals. While often dismissed as mere advertising nuisances, these calls can have far more sinister intentions, aiming to pilfer sensitive personal and banking information.

Spam calls are the hook cybercriminals use to trick users and take their information.

— KasperskyExplaining the danger of spam calls.

Cybersecurity firms like Kaspersky and NordVPN are shedding light on the sophisticated tactics employed by scammers. Techniques such as spoofing, where callers impersonate legitimate institutions like banks, and vishing, which uses voice communication to deceive users, are becoming increasingly common. These methods prey on trust and urgency, compelling individuals to divulge information they would otherwise guard closely.

The sender's number has a national or international prefix that you do not recognize.

— NordVPNIdentifying a sign of a spam call.

Recognizing the tell-tale signs of a spam call is crucial for self-protection. Experts advise paying close attention to unfamiliar national or international prefixes, calls received at odd hours, and unusually short call durations that seem designed to provoke a callback. Furthermore, be wary of automated voices requesting personal or banking details, or offers of improbable promotions or job vacancies.

Calls are made at unusual hours.

— NordVPNIdentifying a sign of a spam call.

Fortunately, proactive measures can significantly mitigate the risk. Always enable your phone's built-in anti-spam filters, a feature readily available on both Android and iPhone devices. When persistent spam calls are received, do not hesitate to block the number directly. For those in Mexico, registering your number with the Federal Consumer Protection Agency's (Profeco) Repep system offers an additional layer of defense against telemarketing calls.

Sometimes the call lasts seconds with the intention that you return it.

— NordVPNIdentifying a sign of a spam call.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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