Partnership targets illegal telemarketing, including robocall scams
Aug. 6—Scams by text message and robocall flood cellphones and landlines daily, and they're not necessarily easy to spot or stop.
They employ trust-inspiring, legitimizing facades to mask a real, virulent threat to your financial security. The calls and texts may purport to be from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration, your bank, a debt consolidator, Amazon, an entity offering to cancel your student debt or another important and relevant-sounding enterprise.
And the best self-protection is you, legal experts report.
"All of it comes into New Hampshire," said Mary Stewart, assistant attorney general in the Consumer Fraud and Anti-Trust Unit at the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. "The key to avoiding the scam is don't pick up the phone if you don't recognize the number. Scammers will take advantage of any situation."
Operation Stop Scam, a partnership between state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Social Security Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, hopes to educate consumers so they don't fall prey to scams that demand money wired from your bank account or paid by gift card, or sensitive personal information such as a Social Security number, bank or credit card number, computer password or birth date. Scammers typically require an immediate response — or else.
The scams don't necessarily target seniors. Anyone with a phone number can be a victim, according to the AG's office. The problem is nothing new, and it's been able to proliferate as scammers find new venues and grow in technical sophistication and ways to prevent being caught, according to law enforcement agencies that track consumer fraud, including robocalls.
"These scams happen to everybody," said Stewart. Victims feel embarrassed or ashamed when they fall for one — but the perpetrators are sophisticated, able to use words and phrases that appeal to common consumer fears, that increase your likelihood of believing them and acting out of desperation. "These are scam artists who know what they're doing," said Stewart. "Everyone has a weak moment."
There are no discernible trends related to this type of consumer fraud, other than a possible peak around the holidays. "It's not economically linked. It's opportunity linked," said Stewart.
"You're tired. The kids are crying. You're cooking dinner. You're worried. You're distracted. It's your bank. It's a local number. You pick it up. Next thing you know, you're drawn into a scam."
Fraudsters go fishing, hoping your radars are down. Once you click a live link your information security can erode, and responding to one scam can make you fodder for others.
People under age 60 are 34% more likely to be victims of frauds by robo text, according to nationwide research.
"Once you answer a call or respond to a text, the scammer knows there's a real person. It's best not to respond or pick up the call," said Stewart. "If you don't know who sent it, delete it or ignore it but don't respond. If you do, you become a live target."
Robocall Index, a tracking and reporting service allied to a robocall blocking service, estimates that there have been 88 million suspected scam calls to New Hampshire consumers in the first seven months of this year, compared to 125 million in 2022. A fraudulent robocall message lasts 15 seconds or less on average, just enough to pique interest or become an emotional hook.
If it's an automated phone message or a text represented as being from your bank, don't tap the link or call the phone number included. Look up the actual number of the bank you use, and find out what's happening to your account. Banks may then request that you contact their fraud prevention department.
The Amazon.com account scam remains prevalent, Stewart said.
The nationwide numbers are jaw-dropping for all forms of fraudulent robocalls: 33.7 billion suspected scam calls have been placed so far this year, or roughly 103 calls to each person with a phone in the U.S., according to Robocall Index.
Stewart said the culprits are difficult to identify and shut down because the scam originator is almost always overseas, where they can't be prosecuted by U.S. laws. Lead generators deceptively collect and funnel consumers' telephone numbers to robocallers and others, falsely stating that consumers have consented to receive these calls, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
Operation Stop Scam aims to address a range of illegal telemarketing, including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls each year, often initiated overseas.
"These unwanted calls are now a daily plague that open people up to all kinds of potential scams and predatory practices," New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella stated last week in a news release. "Don't answer calls from unknown numbers."
Caller ID showing a local telephone number doesn't necessarily mean it's a local caller. "Never give out personal information, such as birth date or mother's maiden name, on the phone. If someone says they represent a company or government agency, hang up and call the number on your account statement or the company's website. And, if you answer the phone and a recording advises you to hit a button to stop getting calls, hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets," Formella said.
For more information on spotting and stopping scam calls, go ftc.gov/calls. For examples of real illegal robocalls, go to ftc.gov/robocallscams.
To file a complaint regarding a scam call in New Hampshire, go to the AG website, www.doj.nh.gov or call 888-468-4454.
