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Spot a Scam: Home

What is a Phone Scam...

Every year, thousands of people lose money to telephone scams — from a few dollars to their life savings. Scammers will say anything to cheat people out of money. Some seem very friendly — calling you by your first name, making small talk, and asking about your family. They may claim to work for a company you trust, or they may send mail or place ads to convince you to call them. (Continue reading from FTC)

Apps that can help protect you!

*These apps are not perfect nor do they guarantee to stop ALL spam calls.

Call Protect app, which requires AT&T postpaid service, provides fraud warnings and spam call screening and blocking. Call Protect is free for iOS and Android. For $3.99 a month AT&T also offers Call Protect Plus, which offers enhanced caller ID services and reverse number lookups.

Sprint lets customers block or restrict calls through its Premium Caller ID service. It costs $2.99 per month and can be added to your Sprint account. You can then download the app for iOS.

T-Mobile already lets you know when an incoming call is fishy by displaying “scam likely” as the caller ID. Better yet, you can ask T-Mobile to block those calls before your phone even rings using Scam Block. Customers can get it for free by dialing #662# from your device.

Verizon‘s Call Filter is an app that works on both iOS and Android — though most Android devices sold through the carrier already have the app pre-installed. The free version detects and filters spam calls, while its $2.99 a month version gives you a few additional features like its proprietary “risk meter” to help you know more about the caller.

Nomorobo has a constantly updated database of more than 800,000 phone numbers which lets the app proactively block against spammy incoming calls while still allowing legal robocalls through, like school closures and emergency alerts. It doesn’t ask for access to your contacts unlike other apps, and can also protect against spam texts. It’s $1.99 per month but comes with a 14-day free trial. Available for iOS and Android.

RoboKiller is another spam call blocker with a twist: it has the option to answer spam calls with prerecorded audio that aims to waste the bot’s time. Better yet, you can listen back to the recording for your own peace of mind. The app has more than 1.1 million numbers in its database. RoboKiller’s full feature set can be found on iOS but is slowly rolling out to Android users. The app starts at $0.99 per month. Available for iOS and Android

More Guides You Might be Interested In 

Who To Contact...

National Do Not Call Registry 

Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection

FCC Complaint Assistant

Local Law Enforcement Non-Emergency Line

Westport Police: 203-341-6000

Red Flags

These are some key points the scammer may bring up that you should be wary of.

  • You've been specially selected (for this offer).
  • You'll get a free bonus if you buy our product.
  • This investment is low risk and provides a higher return than you can get anywhere else.
  • You have to make up your mind right away.
  • You trust me, right?
  • You don't need to check our company with anyone.