Have you ever picked up your iPhone only to have a robotic voice ask for your personal information? You’re not alone.
Studies have shown that cellphone users received approximately 58.5 billion scam calls in 2019, a 22 percent increase from 2018.
Falling victim to a spam call (also referred to as phone phishing or vishing) can have serious consequences, including (but not limited to) identity theft.
However, it’s important to remember that you aren’t getting randomly targeted; there are several reasons why scammers continue to call you.
To learn more about why scammers and spammers continuously call your iPhone, be sure to continue reading.
You Don’t Use a Mobile Antivirus Program
If you haven’t downloaded a mobile antivirus program for your iPhone, you’re practically asking for spammers to call your device.
Modern mobile antivirus programs have the ability to block spam calls from both known and potential scammers, making them essential for anyone who is tired of receiving vishing calls.
Additionally, mobile antivirus software can help you protect your device from dangerous cyber threats, like malicious software (malware).
Accidentally downloading malware can potentially ruin your iPhone’s software and compromise your data. Scammers can then sell this data to third parties or (as mentioned earlier) use it for identity theft.
With all of this in mind, it’s clear why downloading a high-quality antivirus program from a trusted source is so beneficial.
You Share Too Much Personal Info on Social Media
One of the best parts about social media is that it lets you share content with your friends and family members. However, this fun feature is a bit of a double-edged sword.
Many scammers and spammers will use social media platforms as a tool to gather data and personal information.
If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your personal information with scammers and spammers, you should take a moment to clean up your social media accounts. Taking the time to do this will make it much more difficult for spammers to find useful data or information.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can consider:
- Removing your address/general location from your profiles
- Avoid using real-time features
- Changing your privacy settings
- Turning off location-tracking features
You Commonly Enter Online Contests
After entering an online contest, most people jokingly ask themselves, “what’s the worst that could happen?”. Unfortunately, the answer is spam calls.
When you enter a contest online, you’re sharing your personal information with more than just the contest host. You’re also sharing your personal information with several marketers, advertisers, and other third parties. These groups can use your information to spam you with unwanted calls.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that scammers can infer unique information about you that they can use to refine or cater their scams.
As an example, if you enter a contest for a new mountain bike, the scammers have reason to assume that you:
- Enjoy extreme sports
- Take care of your body
- Are adventurous
Having this type of information makes it easier for scammers to craft believable schemes that they can use to fool unwitting victims.
If you’re tired of dealing with spammers and scammers every day, be sure to make use of the tips mentioned above.