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Be Aware Of Telephone Scammers

People In Texas Warned To Be On Their Guard As Telephone Scammers Set to Cash In On Coronavirus

Officials warn Texans to be extra vigilant as scam callers are likely to ramp up their activity over the next few weeks to take advantage of increasing amounts of people being at home due to the current Coronavirus outbreak.

CPR Call Blocker, makers of the US’s best selling call blocking device, is predicting that scammers and fraudsters will be ready to strike and take advantage of the situation. Especially as more states go into lockdown, that forces people to stay at home. Officials are warning people in Texas to be on their guard for a rise in bogus calls.

In a bid to beat the scammers who are likely to take advantage of this extraordinary situation, CPR Call Blocker has compiled the top five active scams that people in Texas should watch out for over the next few weeks as the Coronavirus situation unfolds:

  1. Fake test kits scam – someone may call claiming to offer free Coronavirus testing kits and will ask you for your personal information and health insurance details. A standard version of this scam targets diabetic individuals that are higher risk, where a scam caller will offer both a free Coronavirus test kit and a free diabetic monitor.
  2. FDIC scam – scam-callers posing as employees from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will ask you for sensitive information, such as your social security number and bank account information, over the phone as a precondition to receiving federal money. Remember, the FDIC would never make unsolicited phone calls asking for personal information and money, and especially would not put pressure on you or threaten you.
  3. Charity scam – you may get a call from someone claiming to be from a charitable organization, which is collecting donations for individuals, groups, or areas affected by Coronavirus. The caller will ask you to send cash donations in the mail, by wire transfer or by a gift card.
  4. Healthcare provider scam – scam-callers pretending to work for a healthcare provider will tell you that they are treating a relative or friend for Coronavirus, and then demand immediate payment for treatment before threatening legal action if you don’t pay. Healthcare providers would not contact you this way.
  5. Student loan scams – you receive a call to tell you that new measures due to the Coronavirus outbreak will have an effect on your student loan and that you need to ring a different phone number to find out how the new measures will impact your future payment obligations. If you ring this number, a scammer may ask you for personal information like your social security number and credit card details.

While the list is not exhaustive, CPR Call Blocker hopes to make people in Texas aware that scammers are becoming more inventive and if something sounds too good to be true or out of the ordinary, then it could well be a scam.

Chelsea Davies, from CPR Call Blocker, said, “As more and more restrictions occur in the US, we predict that scammers are going to take advantage of more people. When we’re feeling vulnerable or distracted, it can be too easy to say “yes” to something without checking first whether it’s genuine.

“We’re warning people in Texas to bear this in mind, and we would always strongly recommend never giving your bank details or paying for something over the phone that you’re unsure. Especially if the call you receive is the first time that you have heard of any payment that you need to make.”

If you want to stop receiving scam and nuisance calls, follow CPR Call Blocker’s quick three-step guide to preventing unwanted calls:

  • Register with the National Do Not Call Registry – visit DoNotCall.gov.
  • Don’t consent to be contacted – get your phone number taken off directories and look out for tick boxed on all marketing correspondence to see if ticking or unticking them will prevent your details from passing on to third parties.
  • Consider getting a call blocker.

If you think you may be receiving scam calls, here are a few ways to protect yourself:

  • Don’t reveal personal details. Never give out personal or financial information such as your bank account details or PIN – even if the caller claims to be from your bank.
  • Hang up. If you feel harassed or intimidated, end the call. If a person pressures you, you have the right not to be.
  • Ring the organization. If you’re unsure whether the caller is genuine, you can always ring the company they claim to be representing. Make sure you find the number yourself and don’t use one provided by the caller.
  • Don’t be rushed. Scammers will try to rush you into providing personal details. They may say they have a time-limited offer or claim your bank account is at risk if you don’t give them the information they need right away.

Ms. Davies continued: “If you suspect you may have compromised your bank account, contact your bank or card provider as soon as possible. It is also advisable to check your bank and card statements regularly for unauthorized charges as a matter of course.”

CPR Call Blocker is the best-selling and most trusted call blocker brand worldwide and is pre-programmed with thousands of known nuisance callers. The CPR suite of call blockers is available from www.callblockerusa.com and www.amazon.com.