Phone scammers can retaliate against those who didn't fall for their tricks or were rude. This was stated by Anastasia Medvedeva, a researcher at the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence, Neurotechnology and Business Analytics of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
For example, caller ID spoofing (or number spoofing) is a technology that allows you to change the number that is displayed to the call recipient. There are mobile applications (for example, FakeCall, Caller ID Spoofer) that change the number for outgoing calls (but usually require a paid subscription).
Scammers can use a fake number to commit fraudulent activities. They can call other people, posing as law enforcement officers, and even send false messages to law enforcement agencies.
The victim will have to spend a long time proving their innocence and requesting confirmation from the mobile operator that the number was not spoofed. In addition, scammers can register the number on many platforms and websites, from where they will send spam through all available communication channels.
If you encounter phone scammers who threaten you or continue to harass you, it is important to remain calm and act thoughtfully. Stop communicating with these people. Do not answer calls, messages, and emails that come from unknown or suspicious senders.
Do not come into contact with suspicious individuals. Scammers may try to deceive you, intimidate you, impersonate another person, etc. Check if there are any suspicious services registered to your phone number or email address, such as microloans.
Notify the bank and mobile operator that you have encountered threats and fraud. Notify the bank so that they can strengthen the protection of your accounts.
If you encounter threats or blackmail from scammers, you must immediately contact the police. To do this, you can use the "Gosuslugi" website or personally visit a police station. It is important to keep all evidence, such as screenshots, audio recordings of calls, etc.
You should not call back suspicious numbers, as scammers may use number spoofing. You should also not download applications from links in SMS, as they may contain malware.
If harassment continues, consider changing your phone number. For legal support, you can contact the All-Russia People's Front or a private lawyer.
The main thing is not to panic. Scammers rely on fear and ignorance. The less you react to their provocations, the faster they will lose interest.
Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that in case of hacking a Telegram account, you must first end all active sessions, and then try to restore access using an SMS message. To ensure security, it is better to use two-factor authentication. In addition, you should not provide codes for logging into your account to third parties, including SMS messages.
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