How Mayo families can stop being inundated with scam calls

by Nathan Keane

The mobile phones belonging to my family and I have been inundated with scam calls.

Whenever a phone rang in the house, we dreaded the ‘+44’ prefix.

This incessant intrusion had me wondering: Where do these scam calls come from and, more importantly, what can I do to prevent them?

When attempting to answer the first question, one realises quite quickly that the swarm of calls are often not as local as they seem.

Usually, these scam calls display their location as ‘United Kingdom’.

However, it is much more likely the call is from a call centre, in places such as India.

This is because these scammers use a technique known as ‘Caller ID Spoofing’.

‘ID Spoofing’ is a technique where numbers can be labelled with a different location than where they are actually from.

This gives scammers from all across the globe the opportunity to equip a more local identity, making their victims more susceptible.

In terms of preventing these calls - that proves to be a very difficult task.

The first thing to note is, do not, under any circumstances, answer a call from a suspicious number/location, especially one with the ‘+44’ prefix.

If you do, it proves to the scammer your phone number is legitimate.

This gives the scammer the initiative to add your number to the centre’s database, leading to further pestering. They could also sell your number to another criminal organisation.

Outside of ignoring the calls, there are various call blocking apps that you can install on your phone.

‘Truecaller’, ‘Hiya’ and ‘RoboKiller’ are just a few reputable examples (these three can be installed on either the Apple or Google play stores).

These applications will block known scam numbers from peppering your phone.

In the unfortunate circumstance that you have answered one of these calls, and are afraid you have been scammed/lost money, the first thing you should do is contact your local garda station, and inform them of what has happened.

You should also contact your bank company, and ask them to freeze your account, and cancel your credit card.

Speaking on the issue, local Councillor Harry Barrett said: “These scam calls are generating a lot of fear, particularly among elderly people, and I am calling on the government to do more for the regulator.”

In conclusion, there are two golden rules to remember when faced with these scammers.

Firstly, never answer the phone to a suspicious number. Secondly, if you think you have been scammed, contact your local garda station and banking company immediately.

(Nathan Keane is a transition year student at St. Gerald's College, Castlebar).