Have you heard of “vishing”? It’s short for voice phishing, and its a newer term for an old problem—phone scams. These phone calls are meant to trick you into giving money or personal information to a criminal. Follow these tips to avoid getting caught:
- Don’t give money or information to any person or company you haven’t heard of or haven’t verified.
- Never give in to pressure tactics such as offers of immediate rewards or threats of consequences.
- If an offer sounds too good to be true, don’t trust it.
- Be aware that the IRS does not call to demand payment by specific means (credit cards, gift cards, etc.), and will usually contact you by U.S. mail first if you owe money. Calls from people claiming to be with the IRS and demanding immediate payment are usually scams.
- If someone uses unprofessional, hostile, or obscene language, end the call.
See Phone Scams and Voice Phishing (Vishing) for more information and tips on spotting and avoiding phone scams.
