18662096205 (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you answer a spam call but don't say anything? ›

If you accidentally answer a spam call, scammers know your number is connected to a real person and can target you with more spam calls. These targeted spam calls will try to trick you into giving up your personal information which allows cybercriminals to steal your money, your identity and even your voice.

Many robocall scams start with a question like “Hello, can you hear me?” to which people may reply “yes” without thinking. They can then store the recording of your confirmation and use it for fraudulent activities. So, avoid saying yes where possible.

Number doesn't match the caller ID name (e.g., says a big company but has a local number) Claims to be from a government agency like the IRS or FBI (they won't call you out of the blue) Caller ID shows "Scam Likely" or "Spam Risk" (your carrier has flagged it as potential spam)

Is it better to ignore or decline spam calls? It's better to ignore spam calls.

Pressing “2” may work, but more than likely it does nothing more than end the call; and you'll probably continue receiving calls.

Can you get hacked by answering a phone call? It's impossible to get hacked by simply answering a phone call made through your network service provider. But that doesn't mean a phone call can't be exploited to compromise your security via a social engineering attack.

If you keep receiving unwanted calls from suspicious 866 numbers, this most likely means that your personal number has been leaked on the web. Illegitimate businesses or scammers may try and make the most of this, reaching out to you in an attempt to trick you into paying them money.

You accidentally answered a scam call in the past

They will then mark your number as “live” and you'll receive more and more calls as they try to reach you using different numbers. It can be hard to tell if you're dealing with a scammer — but if you accidentally answer a spam call, you should hang up immediately.

You'll be targeted by even more scam calls

As a result, scammers may target you with more calls in an effort to defraud you.

How to check if a number is legit? ›

Use the IPQS free phone validation tool to verify phone numbers with 99.9% accuracy to check if a phone number is real and active.

If you want to know whether a missed call came from a spam number, you might find the answer through a simple Google search. Simply entering the phone number into your preferred search engine can often tell you if it's a scammer. Otherwise, you can search the number across specific sites where people talk about scams.

There is no universal number to block spam calls — it depends on your phone carrier. T-Mobile users can prevent robocalls for free by dialing #662# and turning on the Scam ID and Scam Block features. AT&T customers can block unwanted calls by dialing *61, or by dialing *60 on their landline.

Scammers don't care if you're on the National Do Not Call Registry. That's why your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking and call labeling.

To block all numbers that aren't in your contacts list and you've never been in contact with, turn on the Silence Unknown Callers option in your phone app settings. Calls from numbers that you don't know will be silenced and sent directly to voicemail.

So, can your cell phone be hacked by answering a call? No, but the FTC has warned of an emerging phone threat: deep fakes, where scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) or other digital technology to clone your voice, and then call a loved one pretending to be you and needing money.

The bottom line: In most cases, simply answering a spam or robocall won't put you at serious risk. As a rule of thumb, never provide information, money, or access to anyone who calls you. If in doubt, always hang up and contact the company or agency directly using the contact information provided on its website.

In this scam, fraudsters let the phone ring once and then hang up. They hope your curiosity will lead you to call back and ask what the call is about. Private numbers. While this strategy has fallen out of favor recently, some scammers still block or make their number private.