AT&T and T-Mobile were the top two mobile carriers preferred by scammers
From July 2021 through June 2023, a breakdown of scam calls found that non-fixed VoIP numbers were used to carry 60.59% of scam calls followed by 24.11% of such scams that were delivered using the network of a mobile carrier. 8% were made using a fixed-line VoIP and 7.29% used a fixed-line service.
Scammers favored using these carriers and phone companies for their scams
And how many of you received a text or email saying that you’ve won a prize? If you receive such an email, there is often a logo from a major company involved, and sometimes the prize is an expensive flagship phone. Again, the goal is to get you to tap on a link and give up some personal information that the email/text says is needed to collect the prize (like a social security number).
To protect yourself, BeenVerified says that you should do the following:
Sometimes an email that has scam written all over it can be legit
- Check incoming phone numbers using a reverse phone tool (or you can Google the number) to see if the particular number has been the subject of past complaints.
- Think before you act is probably the best advice and before you tap on a link or respond to a call, remember that doing so could result in the theft of your money.
- If you get a call about a bank account or another account that is about to be shut down, call the company directly using a phone number obtained from a legit source.
- Never provide personal data or information about your accounts. This is what scammers want. Do not give it to them.