We receive many calls on a daily basis. Some of these are really important and some of them annoy you. The latter ones are usually random calls and phone calls to sell products. With these calls, you can also be one of the victims of cyber fraud.
There are several types of cyber fraud, but in general, we can understand this concept as any situation in which bank details and/or personal information are stolen through some device and misused to commit crimes. Such illegal actions cause big losses to the victims, who can be both consumers and companies.
So, the method to get rid of these annoying calls and protect your personal data is utilizing special tools. And while some smartphones offer call blocking, not many of them do. Therefore, in this post, we are going to share with you several best tools to protect you from scammers.
Top Services To Protect You From Phone Scammers
PhoneHistory
The first tool we recommend is PhoneHistory. This website uncovers a caller’s name, address, phone history, personal info, city, area code, current affairs, and much more. This is the easy-to-use and most accurate caller ID site that will help you instantly identify the incoming calls that are not on your contact list.
To find who a phone number belongs to, you just need to paste it in the search bar and hit ‘Enter’. Using PhoneHistory, you can easily search through the largest directory of landline and mobile numbers for individuals and companies.
ProtonVPN
The ProtonVPN software allows unrestricted monthly usage and also has an excellent privacy policy. One drawback is the one-device limit, but still, there are many servers to choose from even on the free version. Nonetheless, this is a great VPN if you need an unlimited option. Users can upgrade to the paid version to have more advantages. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android applications.
Truecaller
If you’ve been using smartphones for a long time, you must be familiar with the TrueCaller application. Today, it is one of the most advanced caller ID apps.
This app uses an enormous database of callers to identify spam calls and marketing calls. You can use this tool to block all unwanted and incoming calls automatically.
CallApp
CallApp looks a lot like the above-mentioned TrueCaller app. Also, the wonderful thing about CallApp is that it is used by more than 85 million users to block all incoming and spam calls. It features a caller ID that allows you to know who is calling before the call is answered. It also comes with an automatic call recorder. It can record incoming and outgoing phone calls. Users can also customize the incoming call screen along with videos.
Avast Call Blocker
Another top service comes from a big name in the security industry – Avast. Besides having one of the top-rated antivirus software, the company has also introduced an app that will be useful to any phone user. Avast Call Blocker helps you to block unwanted numbers and calls, and you can even choose if you want the calls to be blocked right away or if you want to receive a warning notification.
What are the main types of digital or cyber fraud?
Knowing what the most common types of cyber fraud are is the first step in protecting yourself from them, would you agree? Take a look at some of the main types of theft scammers use:
Phishing (Identity theft)
Phishing is a method in which criminals pose as people’s acquaintances, eCommerce platforms, or financial institutions to steal personal and bank details from their victims.
Sending false bank receipts
This type of cyber fraud involves the creation of false receipts on behalf of large companies. When making the payment, the victim deposits the money into the scammers’ accounts. Some versions of this type of fraud may even involve the creation of fake pages that simulate the company’s website, where victims are redirected to download the fake document without raising suspicions about the scam.
Installation of malicious software
This type of digital scam can occur when you are browsing suspicious websites or even clicking on links received from untrustworthy emails. In these situations, users may inadvertently end up installing malware, which will give third parties access to their private information, as well as personal and financial data.
Theft of card data
This type of fraud can occur physically, when a user’s card is stolen from them, and virtually, when the consumer enters card details on bogus or unsecured websites. After stealing this data, fraudsters can make purchases until the user realizes and blocks the card. But it can be too late.
How to avoid these types of cyber scams?
The various kinds of cyber fraud are already a far-reaching problem, and new forms of fraud are likely to continue to emerge. For this reason, it is important to pay the necessary attention and know what to do to avoid this type of issue.
What can users do to avoid falling victim to cyber fraud?
Cyber fraud often occurs due to the carelessness or ignorance of users. For this reason, many companies and institutions develop awareness campaigns, guiding their clients on risk behaviors and information security practices. Among these we have:
- Avoid registering on suspicious sites.
- Never share personal data over the phone.
- Never share personal data on social networks.
- Be careful with very flashy offers or gifts.
- Always check the reputation of stores and sellers before making purchases online.
- Avoid putting data on shared computers and always log out of your accounts after use.
- Be careful with links received by email or SMS. Always check the sender, and where the link leads, and if in doubt, don’t click.
How can companies avoid falling for a cyber scam?
To avoid the main types of cyber scams, it is extremely important that all businesses make use of a good anti-fraud system, capable of detecting suspicious situations and preventing fraudulent transactions from being approved.
In this sense, technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Geolocation can contribute by identifying users, crossing data, and analyzing patterns and trends, in order to detect suspicious movements that result in fraud attempts and thus avoid significant losses.
