Security News > 2022 > October > Scammers and rogue callers – can anything ever stop them?

Scammers of this sort are typically based in high-pressure criminal call centres outside your country, but they make use of internet-based calling services that costs pennies a minute to make calls anywhere in the world, yet show up on your phone with a local number to give them an air of legitimacy and traceability.

Sometimes the callers aren't quite scammers, and they really are based in your country, working for a registered company, calling from a number that really is local.

They might be promoting a legitimate service, such as something environmental to do with green energy, roof insulation or double-glazed windows, but they may very well call you against your will, even calling you repeatedly after you ask them to stop doing so, use high-pressure sales tactics, and make disinguenous or even dishonest claims to legitimise their calls.

We receive a lot of unwanted calls, and although outright scammers outnumber the "Chancers", we nevertheless still get plenty of calls that genuinely do originate locally, and represent local registered businesses claiming to be operating lawfully in this country.

The names of the callers are fake and they don't work for the companies or organisations they claim anyway.

Even if there is little that your regulator can do directly to prosecute pure-play scam callers from other countries, regularly reporting offenders does at least draw attention to the internet telephony companies who are happy to provide services to these scammers.

News URL

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2022/10/04/scammers-and-rogue-callers-can-anything-ever-stop-them/