Robocalls Leading to Cyber Risks

An increase in calls from numbers that aren’t recognizable to the receivers has made many people concerned about their own personal security. This becomes especially scary when it reveals that it’s your number or a number of someone you know.Much like phishing, hackers have found that the easiest way to get to you is to spoof certain numbers. These numbers include your family’s, your work phone, and even your own cell phone number. The idea is that if you recognize the number, you're more likely to pick it up. Once you do, they essentially threaten and harass you until you hang up or give them what they want. Like phishing, once this happens, these hackers can then can ruin your credit, your finances and even your life.

The worst part is that it’s extremely easy for strangers to pull this off. According to Tarun Wadhwa, founder of tech advisory firm Day One Insights. “"It's going to be like Photoshop — something so easy, widespread, and well known that we stop tracking how it's being used against people personally and don't find it surprising,"[1] He goes onto say that these calls will ruin relationships and reputations. "I can easily imagine situations in which these sorts of voice-mimicry technologies are used to sow confusion, extort people and make fraud and scams far more precise.”

The easiest way to prevent such madness is to not answer the phone from any numbers that aren’t immediately recognizable. In addition, do not give these hackers any information and try your best to block the number. If its from your own phone, consider getting a new number.

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/06/tech/robocalls-scam-voice/index.html