Avoiding The Scams

By Caleb O'Connor

Picking up the phone has turned into a task.

In recent years, the rise of scam calls, texts, and emails has us cynical and unsure who to trust when it comes to new notifications. Scams come in all forms; call, text, email. Luckily, there are ways to avoid most of them.

Calls:

“Hello, this is a call from Amazon-”

“This number is associated with criminal activity-”

“Your PPSN has been-”

The calls are the biggest nuisance. All of these lines are designed to make you panic. Scams calls like this aim to get you to reveal personal info, most often your card number. Callers pretend to be an authority, even a bank figure, to get a hold of your money. Remember, the bank will not ask you for your online banking password or pin. In a statement by AIB, the bank clarified that if you receive a call from someone pretending to be your bank with an “urgent message”, hang up immediately.

The other end of the stick is calls from regular numbers - ones that often look incredibly close to our own. These tend to stay silent when you pick up or even hang up. These encourage you to call them back, and once that connection is made, hefty charges can run through your phone bill or from your credit. Most of these numbers look a little off - it’s safe advice to not pick up. Real numbers will likely call again later. Be sure to block the numbers as they happen. If you’re not sure about a number, you can search on phonenumbers.ie to see other experiences with the numbers calling you.

Texts:

The texts tend to be from the “bank” - usually with the text that your card has been locked because of unusual activity. These texts might also be an unknown number saying you missed a call from them and to call back using the call button, or saying a voicemail has been left but the number is something other than your usual voicemail number.

Texts with a link should be ignored - these links often lead you to a site that will aim to steal your info. The links will look similar to a real one but with slight changes. Do not click links in text messages you haven’t signed up for, and do not call numbers that send strange messages.

Email:

Emails are the main hub of spam, scams, and pure chancers. We’ve all had an email from “royalty” who want us to give us a million dollars in exchange for our bank details. As with texts, do not click links you receive in emails, regardless of promises. Many will send gibberish with a “click here to unsubscribe” option, but in truth, blocking the contact is your safest bet. These links would once again be aiming to steal your details. All of this seems scary - the possibility of being stolen from is always just around the corner, it seems. But in truth, avoiding these things is straight forward.

Stranger Danger:

Don’t pick up from people you don’t know.

Don’t click from people you don’t know.

Don’t give personal details that aren’t in a familiar setting.

AIB recently shared their slogan: “Hang up, don’t answer, delete, don’t click.”. The bank’s fraud intelligence department said it will never ask customers to click on a link sent via text message. If you’re concerned that your card may be locked, be sure to contact your bank directly.

How To Block Numbers

IPhone:

Go to the call app. Tap next to the number or contact you want to block. Scroll down and tap “block this caller”

Android:

Go to the phone app. Click the number and click the “i” bubble. On this screen, click “block”