Greg's Corner

Scam Round Up: Android Apps, Recorded Calls, and more

By Greg Collier

Today, we’re closing out the week with another trio of scams that you may not normally come across in your daily life.

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Internet security experts are reporting about a wave of apps from the Google Play Store that have scammed Android users. The apps vary from photo editing to astrology, but their real purpose is to add charges to your phone bill. The apps tell users that they’ve won some form of free gift. All the user needs to do is enter their phone number into the app. However, instead of receiving a gift, the app signs users up to a monthly subscription fee of $42 a month that’s added to the user’s monthly phone bills. For some users, that’s more than double their monthly phone bill. Even though there’s an app in the Play Store, that doesn’t make it automatically secure. Always checks the permissions the app is asking for and avoid giving the app makers any more personal information than they need.

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Robocalls have been a scourge plaguing humanity for a few years now. It’s safe to assume that most of us have received a call asking us about our car’s warranty, even if some of us don’t own cars. However, some of these spam robocalls are more sinister than they appear. According to security experts, your only response to these calls should be to hang up. The last thing you want to do is say anything on these calls. The call will ask you if you want to stop these calls, just say yes. If you say yes, scammers can record your voice and use it to authorize a fraudulent purchase on your credit card. It also shows that there is someone at your phone number, which could result in you being targeted for more scam calls. While some people like to engage scammers, it’s a better strategy to just hang up.

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And of course, we can’t talk about scams without usually talking about gift cards in some form or fashion. A couple in North Carolina randomly received a gift card in the mail that was supposedly worth $400. The couple contacted their local news channel to see if this was a scam and of course, it was. How the scam works is the letter will contain a web link you need to go to in order to activate the card. Once you go to the link, you’re asked to input personal information such as your name, date of birth, and social security number. If you do this, your identity is almost immediately stolen. Please keep in mind that gift cards are the currency of scammers and should only be used for their intended purpose.

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Thank you for reading, and have a great and safe weekend.