But telling them off is the last thing you should do.
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As Charlotte Vogel, an operations research analyst and former victim of a Facebook scam, on Quora puts it: “When you make threats back, you might be offering valuable “out of wallet” information.
“It may be tempting to bring out the big guns like “I’ll get you, I’m a lawyer” or “How dare you, my dad is a cop” or “Just wait until my Army husband, Bill, gets home.”
“But think about what you’ve just said. Yes, more information about yourself.”
Scammers are savvy like this.
They are professional criminals, and will use any “nugget” of information against you, Vogel explains.
These snippets about your personal life, profession, partner, even your country of residence, can help build a profile that cyber crooks will use to manufacture increasingly convincing scams to target you with.
“Suddenly, you’re no longer just a random phone number,” Vogel cautions.
“You’re Jane Smith, [Social Security Number] 123-45-6789. You’re a lawyer, and your dad is a cop. You live at 123 Elm Street, Anytown, USA 12345 (since that address matches your phone number). Your spouse’s name is Bill, and he works for the government.”
Scammers may also use what you’ve blindly revealed in a blaze of fury in combination with more information from your social media profiles.
“That data – especially once its been matched with more data which can be found in other places, such as social media sites or from a recent hack – is incredibly valuable,” adds Vogel.
To avoid this scenario, make sure your social media pages have the highest level of security so only your friends and family can see your information.
These are not nice people. Your threats, bad language, telling them off? They’ve likely heard and said worse.
Charlotte Vogel, victim of a Facebook scam
Vogel sympathises with the trail of victims scammers leave behind, but urges people to simply hang up the phone when they encounter them.
“I know that it makes you feel better to tell off a scammer but at the end of the day, it doesn’t bother them,” she says.
“Understand that these people are thieves. They are preying on vulnerable people – typically the elderly, students, and immigrants – who they feel they can bully.
“These are not nice people. Your threats, bad language, telling them off? They’ve likely heard and said worse.”
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are “verified” on Facebook and Twitter pages – this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
- If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool.