SCARED OF SCAMS?
THERE IS AN
APP FOR THAT One way to minimise your risk is to make use of phone apps that help identify who is really calling you. Most of these apps are a form of crowd sourcing info about callers (either from permissions to use all the users phone book contact info or by asking people to add caller identification after a call). One such app which is pretty popular is called: Truecaller. What the app does is show you what other people say the number that is calling you is all about. In many cases that’s just a person’s name but in other cases it can help identify possible spam calls. While obviously not 100% accurate or totally foolproof it can form a first line of defence against unwanted calls. It can also help block calls from the same number in the future with just one click. And if you get a call from someone dodgy, you will be able to help others by marking it as possible spam or a possible scam. Fraudsters are now using these apps to impersonate bank representatives by creating fake profiles. If you use these apps, please be extra careful when answering phone calls that come from banks. If you’re unsure, rather hang up and call your bank back on their correct number.
