The zig-zag world of roboland has taken another turn for the worse. As ConsumerAffairs reported, the number of robtotexts has now eclipsed rotocalls.
Not that those behind robocalls mind, though. RoboKiller reports that may be true, but scammers are seeing bigger hauls, dollar-wise, taking $29 billion using robocalls so far this year.
“Robocalls may be decreasing in volume, but they’re costly. And, although Americans may enjoy a little reprieve from the volume of robocalls, the larger increase in robotexts means they are actually getting more phone spam overall,” Patrick Falzon, general manager at Teltech, creators of Robokiller said.
You want more robo pain?
Not only are robocalls raking in the money, but they’re also using AI to mimic someone they can program to make the calls even more convincing. It’s now possible that a robocaller could sit behind a computer and using a three-second clip of some grandson’s Instagram account, he can call grandma and complete the fake like a master. Others are stealing money or someone’s personal information.
The hottest trend right now is…
“Delivery-related” text messages! May was swamped with these UPS, DHL, USPS and FedEx impersonators. Here’s what it looks like so you can spot it:
These delivery-related messages suggest that the victim either missed a delivery, needed to update their delivery preferences or that a package was pending. And because there’s got to be a link for everything, there’s often one for these messages, too, which once clicked, could ask victims to provide personal information or install malware on their phones.
A sad reminder that in Fall 2024 we'll be back in another presidential election campaign. Regardless of who is running, one thing is clear -- there will be a flood of robocalls and robotexts. They’re not scams, though – just nuisances.
Bone up on the latest scam IQ
While AI-driven scams are relatively new, this is one more reason Americans should ignore calls from “unknown” numbers that pop up on Caller ID. Thanks to RoboKiller, here are some new rules-of-the-scam-road that you may want to bone up on:
Don't answer calls or texts from unknown numbers, especially those who call or text at odd hours.
Don't follow prompts... like "Press 1" or click any links.
Never provide... personal information like banking details or other sensitive information.
Download... a spam text and call blocker to outfit your phone with the latest technology to stop both types of roboscams.