How your service provider can help block phone scams
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – “In my day, you didn’t get people on the phone telling you big lies.”
But today, it happens all the time.
Maria Cochran reached out to 4 News Now after she was nearly caught in a phone scam. She gets calls and messages constantly and she’s worried about the elderly in our community who are probably receiving the same.
Cochran receives upwards of 18 to 20 messages per day. That doesn’t include the phone calls.
She is on high alert about this kind of fraud but admits that sometimes she wonders if it’s true, especially when the messages involve Medicare or Walmart.
Cochran is worried about the people who are older and more vulnerable than she is.
With the help of 4 News Now, Cochran was able to reach out to her phone retailer and get her number protected from these kinds of calls in the future.
She was first told by an automated system to check on verizonwireless.com.
“See, we don’t know how to do that. Us people that are 68 and older, we don’t know how to do any of this,” Cochran said.
Eventually, she got through to an associate. She worked with that agent to get her number blocked from future scam calls.
If you do still get phone calls, there are a few easy steps you can take to avoid getting scammed.
- The most important thing if you ever get a mysterious call is to avoid divulging any private information over the phone.
- Do not click on any links that are sent to you from an unfamiliar number. By doing that, you could be compromising personal information.
- If you are entitled to any kind of compensation, you will never need to share your credit card information or spend money to get it.
Verizon also has a list of services they offer so you can protect yourself. Learn more about those here.
READ: Protecting your family and the elderly from advanced phone scams
READ: A jury summons and a list of every address you’ve had. How scams are getting more sophisticated
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