How to Not Fall Prey to Scam Phone Calls

Kentucky’s Attorney General, along with a coalition of attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, have announced a national crack down on illegal scam call operations to help keep citizens safe from scams throughout the country.
According to a release the joint effort, “Operation Call it Quits,” includes federal, state, and local enforcement actions against more than 94 illegal scam call operations across the U.S. and an educational campaign to help citizens stop unwanted calls.
Attorney General Andy Beshear states that nearly 100 scam call operations from across the country, which are responsible for more than 1 billion scam calls, have now had law enforcement actions taken against them and are being shut down, which is a victory for Kentuckians who want to see more being done to stop the barrage of illegal scam calls.
As part of the operation, Beshear’s office is providing these tips to help Kentuckians properly respond to and avoid scam calls: don’t trust Caller ID as scammers may call from out-of-state, but use technology to “spoof” local phone numbers to try and trick Kentuckians into answering; the best way to avoid scams and robocalls is to not answer calls from unknown phone numbers – if it is important, the caller will leave a message and you can call them back; hang up on prerecorded messages, if you do answer the phone and hear a prerecorded message, hang up, it is likely a scam call – if you press any numbers or participate in the call in any way, you might become a target for more calls; and use call-blocking technology that is usually offered through your phone carrier, internet service provider, call-blocking devices or downloadable apps, which can help stop most scam calls.
Beshear notes that educating consumers, especially seniors, about robocall scams is the most effective way to protect Kentuckians from falling victim to scams.
To stay ahead of scammers, Beshear’s office invites Kentuckians to sign up for the Do Not Call Registry and scam alerts by texting the words KYOAG SCAM to GOV-311 or visiting ag.ky.gov/scams. If you believe you have fallen victim to a scam please contact your local law enforcement.

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