Phone scams are a serious threat these days as more and more people are becoming increasingly dependent on smart phones. They are used to not only manage their contacts but also their financial information. This has made us sitting targets for phone scammers. According to reports, the incidents of phone scamming have quadrupled since 2015 and this only takes into account the complaints that have been actually registered by people.
Although, financial organizations and governments are trying to spread awareness among people about phone scamming but the condition has not improved much. The scammers are continuously coming up with new techniques of tricking innocent people of their money.
In the coming paragraphs we will discuss about the various perspectives of phone scamming and what threat they pose to us. We will also discuss about the ways to avoid being scammed and where we can go for help in the event of any mis-happening.
There are many easy ways to get hold of your phone number. Fake calls, social media profiles, blogs etc are some of the many ways that can be used to get hold of your phone number. You must be thinking, that ‘What is the big deal about it’? Well, the way these people use your mobile number, will scare you. Here are a few methods used by scammers to trick you, if they have your phone number:
Now let’s discuss about some of the most dangerous motives of Cell Phone Scammers and why they are calling you? If you are not aware, you may be their next victim.
There have been multiple reports of such scams all around the World. The scammers collect information about you through your social media accounts and they already have access to your phone. They then call your mobile service provider and request for service change. They can also contact your credit card company and request for change of details. As they already have access to your email as well (through your phone), they can get around 2FA (two factor authentication) emails. All this can have a devastating impact on your personal and financial life.
Fake calls carry some of the most common signs of a scam. Every day we receive many promotional text messages and some phone calls promoting some stuff. Scammers try to tap into our psychology and do a few things that form a common trait of scam calls. Some such signals are as follows:
The above mentioned are the most common signs of a scam. They should immediately ring your alarms when you receive a fake call. All the above tricks are aimed at promising you with money and prosperity. Logically thinking, if anyone really knew the ‘trick to be rich’, they would not be desperate enough to share it with you. They would be busy minting money for themselves. If the World would have been so fair, no one would be poor today. Have you ever heard of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet calling people to share their secret or strategies with them? This just never happens.
Always remember, there is no such thing as ‘get rich quick’ in this world. This may happen with a few really lucky people, but everyone is not lucky. There is no other way to make money other than hard or smart work.
In today’s world of enhanced connectivity, phone number tracking sometimes becomes essential. Billions of people today operate mobile phones. This sometimes leads to unsolicited or spam calls, which everyone wants to avoid.
Thankfully, today’s mobile phones are equipped with google location services and GPS devices that make mobile tracking easy. This is a necessary evil because on one hand it helps us keep track of our loved ones and prevent us from unwanted calls, while on the other this may lead to unauthorised tracking or data theft.
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a network of 27 geosynchronous satellites all around the Earth at an altitude of 20000 km. These satellites broadcast microwave signals that are received by GPS receivers here on Earth to determine accurate location, time and velocity through the process of ‘trilateration’. The GPS itself does not require an internet connection and that makes it even more handy.
GPS service can be used to track your lost mobile phone or track the location of the number that is calling you. There are many companies that are offering this service for phone number tracking for a fee. There are also many apps available on Google Play as well as Apple Store that can help locate a phone number.
Mobile network operators can also trace a phone number with the help of IMEI number as all phone numbers have a unique IMEI number that can be used to trace back to the nearest mobile tower and also their GPS signals. However, direct tracking of phone is possible when the location sharing or GPS settings is on. But, if the GPS is off then the phone can be tracked using the ‘Triangulation tower Method’.
Today we are living in a mobile friendly wireless world, where it has now become easier to track people. A mobile number can be traced either through mobile phone tracking or positioning. Mobile phone tracking is done via GPS or Global Positioning System. The Global positioning is done through 27 Earth orbiting satellites that are constantly revolving around the Earth. A GPS receiver that is normally installed in your smartphones will locate four or more of these satellites wherever you are located. The triangulation method pin points your exact position. By triangulating with the satellites and also your smartphones, the GPS receiver will be able to tell your smartphone or the apps that is using the GPS data your exact location and the surrounding areas.
Example of apps that use the GPS data is like Waze, Papago etc. Another way to tracking phone number is through mobile positioning. It uses the same concept of GPS and that is triangulation method. However, instead of using the satellites, it uses radio towers closes to your phones for the triangulation. Your phone will emit a roaming signal to a nearby radio tower. The location of your phone is determined through how strong the signal is sent to each of the receiving radio towers. It is not as precise as the GPS but it does not require you to open any app for it to function.
So, based on these two methods, a mobile can be tracked where it is located to an exact location. The number that is being used by the mobile phone can easily be obtained by contacting the operator network and they will identify which radio towers is receiving the strongest signal from that particular number of the mobile phone. The triangulation method then is also used to determine which other radio towers is also receiving the signal. By calculating the strength and weak signal, they can obtain a rough estimate of the mobile phone location.
There are also ways to track the owner of the mobile phone. There are certain web services available to track the owner of the mobile phone number outside your contact list. Some of them are as follows:
So, the above mentioned apps and web services make mobile tracking easier. However, these services should be used in a restrained way and only authorised tracking should be performed if you don’t want to fall into trouble.
Phone scams are a serious threat these days as more and more people are becoming increasingly dependent on smart phones. They are used to not only manage their contacts but also their financial information. This has made us sitting targets for phone scammers. According to reports, the incidents of phone scamming have quadrupled since 2015 and this only takes into account the complaints that have been actually registered by people.
Although, financial organizations and governments are trying to spread awareness among people about phone scamming but the condition has not improved much. The scammers are continuously coming up with new techniques of tricking innocent people of their money.
In the coming paragraphs we will discuss about the various perspectives of phone scamming and what threat they pose to us. We will also discuss about the ways to avoid being scammed and where we can go for help in the event of any mis-happening.
There are many easy ways to get hold of your phone number. Fake calls, social media profiles, blogs etc are some of the many ways that can be used to get hold of your phone number. You must be thinking, that ‘What is the big deal about it’? Well, the way these people use your mobile number, will scare you. Here are a few methods used by scammers to trick you, if they have your phone number:
Now let’s discuss about some of the most dangerous motives of Cell Phone Scammers and why they are calling you? If you are not aware, you may be their next victim.
There have been multiple reports of such scams all around the World. The scammers collect information about you through your social media accounts and they already have access to your phone. They then call your mobile service provider and request for service change. They can also contact your credit card company and request for change of details. As they already have access to your email as well (through your phone), they can get around 2FA (two factor authentication) emails. All this can have a devastating impact on your personal and financial life.
Fake calls carry some of the most common signs of a scam. Every day we receive many promotional text messages and some phone calls promoting some stuff. Scammers try to tap into our psychology and do a few things that form a common trait of scam calls. Some such signals are as follows:
The above mentioned are the most common signs of a scam. They should immediately ring your alarms when you receive a fake call. All the above tricks are aimed at promising you with money and prosperity. Logically thinking, if anyone really knew the ‘trick to be rich’, they would not be desperate enough to share it with you. They would be busy minting money for themselves. If the World would have been so fair, no one would be poor today. Have you ever heard of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet calling people to share their secret or strategies with them? This just never happens.
Always remember, there is no such thing as ‘get rich quick’ in this world. This may happen with a few really lucky people, but everyone is not lucky. There is no other way to make money other than hard or smart work.