Covid restrictions come in all kinds of forms: no gathering of more than five people, early curfew, online school and work, etc. These public limitations push down the economy and their impact on almost all other aspects is undeniable. This includes telephone spam, which seems to have been affected by the pandemic in terms of number and the change of ploy or schemes.
- Less phone scam during lockdown
The absence of face-to-face meetings, big events and special occasions means fewer calls for such arrangements. With global economy severely affected by the pandemic, companies seem to use fewer phone calls for customer support, sales, and consultation.
In line with less phone use by the companies, Nomorobo and RoboKiller reported a significant drop of phone scams in the beginning of the pandemic. In the USA, the number reportedly went down to 23.7 million in April from 44.9 million in January 2020.
According Aaron Foss, the founder of Nomorobo, the dip was due to call centers being shut down during the height of the pandemic. However, VP Marketing of RoboKiller, Giulia Porter said that the phone scam decrease was replaced by scam text messages, which started rising since April 2020. The statement was reinforced by higher number of complaints in regard to text message scams that The Federal Trade Commission received at that time.
However, by November 2020, the number of phone scams has gone back to January levels as public restrictions were lifted.
- Phone scam ploy or schemes
In the beginning of the pandemic, there were new things that citizens all around the world are trying to be familiar with: online shopping, work from home arrangements, and covid financial assistance, like mortgage relief, rental assistance, student loan forbearance, advance child tax credit, etc.
Unfortunately, scammers also adjust their ploy for both phone and text message scams. During the pandemic, the scheme usually involves e-commerce, such as Amazon and eBay, and delivery services, like UPS and FedEx, as well as health organizations, all of which are related to covid and the newly adapted lifestyles. Some of the most common scams are:
“Thank you for shopping with Amazon. Your Visa debit card has been charged for… , and it is ready for shipment. To cancel the purchase, press one. To confirm the dispatch, press two.”
“This is a transaction alert call on your credit card. There have been two suspicious transactions: …. on eBay and …. on Western Union. If you have made these transactions, hang up to authorize the charges. If you wish to stop the charges and report fraud, please press one immediately.”
CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) as one of the most prominent health organizations has also been used by scammer to ask for donation. The phone scam is made to look like the call is actually from CDC and that the one calling introduces him/herself as one of the organization’s staff member. This is one of the examples of government impersonation fraud. One thing to note, though: governmental agencies normally do not ask for donation from their citizens.
Another example of government related fraud is as follows:
“Hello, this is a call from the Social Security Administration. During these difficult times of the coronavirus, we regret to inform you that we have got an order to suspend your socials immediately within 24 hours due to suspicious and fraudulent activities found on your socials. … To get more information about this case, please call immediately on our department number 888-991-XXXX.”
Other than such government impersonation fraud, health related scam is also on the rise during the pandemic. While the common forms of these scams use call-back scheme and robocalls, the topics can vary: home testing kit offer, vaccine distribution promotion, health insurance and even sanitizer delivery. The following are two of the examples:
“The Coronavirus Response Act has made coronavirus testing more accessible immediately. If you want to receive a free testing kit delivered overnight to your home, press 1. If you do not want your free testing, press 2.”
”Dear customer: Due to coronavirus outbreak, we deliver a wide range of sanitizers, handwash, toilet papers, and face masks at your doorstep to safeguard you and your family from coronavirus. No need to visit stores. Get delivery in 24 hours. To order press 1. For more knowledge and safety tips about coronavirus, press 2.”
These kinds of scams are not only targeted at consumers, but they also aim at gaining financial advantage from small businesses. In this case, the scam is usually about pandemic related loans and funding.