Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Virtual kidnappings are rattling families
across the US
Phone scams are increasing. Recently, 15
Japanese nationals were arrested in Thailand in connection with a large-scale
phone scam involving what is believed to be hundreds of victims. Those scammers
used phones voice over internet protocol to pretend to be customer service
representatives and told the victims to make payments for subscription services.
In other cases, scammers call old parents, pretend to be their child, and ask
for cash to pay for their debt or compensation.
In America, a new type of scam is on the
rise, called spoofing. It is a form of robo-calling that alter the caller ID so that the scammer can make a call as if they are calling from a family member’s
phone. Then, they pretend that they’ve kidnapped the receiver’s child and demand
an affordable ransom that can be paid immediately without being checked by the
authority. In order to convince the suspicious parents that it is indeed a kidnapping,
they use personal information they find online, too.
Phone companies came up with a tool to identify
spoofing attempts or autoblock robocalls. However, with voice manipulation
technology, scammers may mimic the voice of a loved one or someone familiar
just like in the movie soon. With the caller ID and mimicked voice, it might be
hard to identify who is really calling.
Enjoy reading and think if you may want to
establish secretive words or a number to identify your family member or even
business associates.
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