Phone scams are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, making them difficult for users to recognize and easy to fall into. Therefore, we should be cautious of calls from unknown numbers. The best approach is to know how to identify and verify scam phone numbers before answering.
How to identify scam phone numbers
To avoid being scammed, users need to know how to identify fraudulent phone numbers. These numbers often impersonate network providers, authorized organizations, or advertise to reach customers, collect personal information, or engage in other fraudulent activities. When you receive calls from these numbers, consider not answering and do not call back.
- Some international phone numbers show signs of fraud: +224, +231, +232, +247, +252, +375, +381, +371, +563, +255, +370…
- Fraudulent phone numbers in Vietnam that users should be wary of: +024, +028, +1900.
According to the Hanoi City Police, phone numbers such as 6781, 6768, 7775, 8781, 7777, 8700, 8125, 7769, 6716, 8791, 7786, 8774… also pose a high risk of fraud.
Many sophisticated forms of fraud are carried out via phone numbers.
When encountering situations where your phone is constantly ringing with missed calls from unknown numbers, or when you answer and hear no response, you should immediately look up the number. Furthermore, if you receive a call from an unknown number requesting information related to your bank account or national ID number, remain calm and absolutely do not provide any information to avoid unauthorized access to your account.
How to look up scam phone numbers
In the situations above, if you want to verify the caller's identity and check if the phone number is a scam, you can follow these steps:
Look up using the hotline number.
The three telecommunications companies most chosen by Vietnamese people are Mobifone , Vinafone, and Viettel. Therefore, users can call the customer support hotline of their current network provider to report legitimate complaints when encountering fraudulent phone calls.
The three phone numbers 18008098, 18001091, and 18001090 are the customer service numbers for Viettel , Vinafone, and Mobifone, respectively. Additionally, if you receive too many spam calls, you can call 156 to report the scam to the relevant authorities for assistance.
Search using the Google website.
Another simple way to look up scam phone numbers is to use the Google browser. Users can copy the suspected scam phone number into the Google search bar, and after a few seconds, all the information related to the entered number will appear. However, this method is ineffective against professionally anonymous phone numbers because scamming tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Search using application software.
Several applications are familiar to many users for checking scam phone numbers, such as Truecaller and Specialized. However, compared to checking phone numbers using software, checking via applications is more complex. With the Truecaller app, users can access over 6 million phone numbers to search for caller information.
Search using your personal Facebook account.
Checking for scam phone numbers through Facebook accounts is quite easy for everyone. You simply enter the incoming phone number into the search bar of the application. All information related to that phone number will appear within seconds.
By entering the correct phone number, you can access that person's Facebook account; this method is quite effective and quick. However, the latest version of Facebook may not support this feature due to security concerns.
Search using Zalo, Skype, or Viber.
Checking for scam phone numbers through communication apps like Skype, Viber, or Zalo is a popular method due to its convenience and speed. Simply enter the suspected scam phone number into the app's search bar, and the accounts registered with that number will appear.
However, to ensure the security of customer accounts, you can only find some typical information about the scammer such as name, date of birth, and gender. Other information, such as posting history, can only be viewed by adding the scammer as a friend.
Above are the quickest and simplest ways to identify scam phone numbers. Hopefully, this article can help users avoid answering calls from unwanted numbers to ensure their safety.
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