Don't Ever, Under Any Circumstances, Answer A Call From Your Own Phone Number Here's Why:

Aug 01, 2018 by apost team

It seems like scam artists are always finding new ways to trick honest people out of their hard-earned money. Phone scams are some of the most prevalent and effective ways that these crooks operate. It seems that each year they'll come up with several clever new tricks that they try to pull on the unsuspecting public.

One that's really been throwing people for a loop lately is the self-calling scam. When your own phone number shows up in your caller ID, the government has issued a warning: don't pick up the phone!

One of the reasons this particular scam seems to be working is that it surprises people to see their own number.

They've already learned that many scammers call from unidentified or unfamiliar numbers. So many people ignore calls from numbers they don't recognize. But when a person sees their own number show up on caller ID it initially piques their curiosity. So they pick up the phone. That's when the smooth scammers start to do their dirty work trying to scare people into giving away valuable private information.

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Some of these scammers pretend to be the phone company.

They'll tell people that their number has been hacked into. They will then proceed to ask the person for all sorts of information, such as their telephone account number, last four digits of their social security number, or even their entire social security number, bank account information, or credit card numbers!

Sadly, some trusting individuals have been tricked into giving away this type of personal information because they've bought into the scammer's lies. Don't be fooled!

According to the Better Business Bureau, this and other such number spoofing schemes are some of the worst scams out there right now. In fact, these scams made up half of all Department of Consumer Affairs report complaints for the year 2017.

If you ever get a call from your own phone number not only should you let it go to voicemail, you should report it to the Federal Communications Commission. They have a specific center for filing complaints. These complaints help them to know what's going on so they can fulfill their mission of protecting consumers and enforcing communications laws.

What's your experience with sophisticated phone scams? Have you ever gotten a call from your own phone number? How did you handle it? Let us know your reaction to learning about this dangerous scam. Don't forget to pass on this vital information to your friends and family!