RyanJLane/Getty Images Don't fall victim to a phone scam.
- Phone scams are as big a problem now as they ever were - and some of the most devious scams are growing in popularity.
- Number "spoofing" technology and robocalling have only made these scams more sophisticated and harder to detect.
- We put together a list of the biggest phone scams the average person falls for today.
While online scams are on the rise in our modern, high-tech world, plenty of fraudsters still rely on good, old-fashioned phone scams to con unsuspecting victims.
Phone scams have been around as long as landlines have existed. But thanks to the rise of smartphones, nearly everyone has their device on them at virtually all times - meaning there are that many more opportunities for callers to trick you with false claims, pleas for help, or even the promise of a free vacation.
Though many assume that it's only the elderly who fall for such seemingly obvious ploys, these scams are growing more and more sophisticated, and just about anyone can fall victim to them. In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission's 2017 annual data summary of consumer complaints, 40% of Americans in their 20s reported fraud that caused them to lose money, while 18% of fraud victims aged 70 or older said that they'd lost money to a scam.
In 70% of these reported fraud cases recorded by the FTC, contact by telephone was the method of initial communication used by the scammers. The ability for criminals to "spoof" caller IDs has only made matters worse, as people are typically more likely to answer a familiar-seeming number with a local area code.
With the growing sophistication of these scams and the relative ease with which your information can be accessed, it's more important than ever to be informed and on the lookout for the latest, most common scams that can cost you time, money, or even your identity.
We've compiled a list of eight of the most sophisticated phone scams the average person falls for today.