Phone scams are on the rise, and they’re getting more sophisticated. The statistics are dizzying. On imposter scammers alone, the FTC reports that US consumers lost $2.7 billion in 2023, and the numbers are increasing each year. These are only the reported losses, too — many people who’ve been caught out are embarrassed and don’t want to admit they fell for such a ploy.
You might think that you wouldn’t be hoodwinked, but many of the people who are duped thought that before it happened. Scammers have refined their schemes to sound very convincing and official, with AI only making things worse. Couple that with the pressure or a situation, and it only takes a few moments to fall for it.
It’s likely you’ll encounter phone scams sooner or later, and the best thing you can do is be prepared for them. We’ve put together a summary of some of the most common phone scams in 2024 and how you can avoid them.