In addition to having an unpleasant motive, these messages can extend malware to your device. According to the Federal Trade Commission, such spam texts are illegal, as the ultimate goal is either to steal or to violate the integrity of the user’s privacy. But for a problem such as spam to not violate your privacy, we will provide you with a guide on using the proper actions and how to block text messages.

What to do if you receive a spam texts?

1. Don’t reply directly to any spam texts.

Answering a spam message is not just a bad mistake; it is also a sign for an attacker that your account is active, and you can send even more messages of this type. So the least you can do when you see a message that does not concern you is don’t answer it, and that’s it.

2. Do treat your personal information like it’s cash.

Spam texts are designed to cheat out confidential information from you. The last item includes your financial information, statement of how much you earn, social security number, whether you have credits, your passwords, and more. In future, you should know that most legitimate organizations or companies will not ask you to submit such information. Especially if they won’t do it through a simple text message; if you question this type of message, contact the organization from which it is as if you have received the letter and find out exactly whether you need to show such information.

3. Don’t click on any links in the spam Texts.

Often, the content of a spam message will permanently be attached to a link or form to fill in your data. The first and most important thing you need to know is that you shouldn’t click on these links. Because basically, they are malicious. After you click on such links, you can distribute malware to your device. Malware can damage your phone, slow its operation and occupy the entire memory of your device, steal personal data, including photos and videos that are on the phone. It can also lead you to write off money from your operator’s account without your knowledge and others.

4. Do review your cell phone bill regularly.

Don’t forget to check your account on your cell phone. If you find any unnecessary write-offs without your knowledge, then call the phone company and find out why they did this.

5. Check your phone’s settings.

You may have third-party features on your device that will allow you to block the source of unwanted calls and text messages.

1. For Android phones, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of spam texts. Next, click on this and select “People” and “Options”. Then select “lock”. After that, you will not receive spam text messages from this number.
2. For iPhones, in the top corner of spam messages, click on “i”. Then click on the number and select “Lock”.

Banning the spam on iOS

Ban the spam on Android

6. Do place a cell phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry.

If you don’t know how to get rid of annoying messages from unknown sources, follow the following advice. Add your phone number to the Federal Trade Commission’s National No Calls Registry, and it will eliminate a vast number of spam calls. Then if you receive a call within 31 days after the number has already been added to the registry – you can contact the FTC.

7. Do check to see if your carrier offers a call-blocking service.

Some third-party services and applications can block phone numbers. You should check all messages received from third-party sources. Send this type of message to 7726 and check if it is spam. Your operator may investigate and take action against the start of this message. Your message to this number is free of charge.

How to protect?

Agree that it is very unpleasant when annoying ads, viruses or other malicious programs regularly appear on a broken smartphone? Try the free Trojan Scanner for Android smartphones, which uses patented scanning technology with daily database updates to help ensure the best virus detection rate on your Android smartphone. Just install and run it, because it does not slow down the system and does not drain the phone’s battery.

The post How to Stop Spam Texts? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

What Does “Scam Likely” Mean?

For customers of T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS), and Sprint (post-T-Mobile merger), “Scam Likely” is an alert that identifies potential spam callers. This feature is a part of T-Mobile’s “Scam Shield” protection, designed to block fraudulent calls before they reach you. This proactive measure is automatically enabled for all subscribers, ensuring you don’t have to tweak settings to benefit from it.

T-Mobile utilizes a comprehensive database of known scam numbers and automatically screens incoming calls against this list. Calls flagged as “Scam Likely” could involve various scam tactics, such as:

• Impersonating government officials
• Demanding payments via gift cards
• Proposing fake tech support solutions
• Initiating disruptive robocalls

This identification is managed at the network level, so regardless of whether you use an iPhone, Android, or a basic button phone, you’ll see the “Scam Likely” alert. There’s no need for any additional apps, although the free T-Mobile Scam Shield app is available for those who want extra control over these features.

While the “Scam Likely” system is robust, no system is perfect. There may be instances where legitimate calls are mistakenly labeled as scam. It’s advisable to approach these calls with caution. If you choose to answer, protect your personal information vigilantly. If the call feels suspicious or the caller pressures you, it’s safe to hang up. Genuine callers will likely leave a voicemail if it’s important.

How to Block Scam Calls

Although your carrier may alert you about “Scam Likely” calls, these calls aren’t blocked by default. If you find yourself inundated with unwanted calls, T-Mobile offers a free Scam Blocker feature. Here’s how to activate it:

1. Open your phone’s dialer app.
2. Enter the code #662# and make the call to activate the blocking.
3. To confirm activation, dial #787#.

How to Spot Scam Calls?

Most operators have similar services to combat fraudulent calls. This is due to the STIR/SHAKEN, a set of protocols that allows carriers to fight caller ID spoofing. Thanks to these standards, the operator can display a “Call Verified” message on your phone. This way, he confirms that it has not been spoofed. This feature is now becoming available on more and more devices and carriers as they all work to reduce spam calls.

So, if you’re an AT&T customer, you can download their official software. It’s available for iPhone or Android and contains free spam and fraud blocking features as well as advanced protection that’s available by subscription. And if you use Verizon, a free call filtering service is available as well. To manage this feature, you can also install the Verizon Call Filter app, available for iPhone or for Android. Like AT&T, Verizon also offers a paid subscription to improve this. Other carriers likely provide similar services as well. For more information, visit the store, log in to your account management page, or contact your carrier’s customer service number.

How to Block Calls?

Suppose you are annoyed by a spammer, and your operator does not provide such a service. In this case, you can block the annoying number using the standard tools of the operating system of your device. In addition, there are third-party applications available in the app store that can handle this task. These applications usually have a database of fraudulent numbers and will alert you if an incoming call is potentially unsafe. In addition, these apps allow you to detect and block fraudulent calls, regardless of which carrier you have. The disadvantage of such applications is that they are often paid and require a subscription.

How to Block Scam Calls on Android

If your phone has the default dialler app from Google, it will alert you to potential spammers by default. If your Android device uses a different dialer app, do the following:

1. Open the dial app and tap the number you want to block.
   
2. Click on Details, then select Block number.
   
3. Scroll down and tap Block this caller.
   

This straightforward process makes it easy to block unwanted calls directly from your call log, helping you manage your privacy and security on your device.

There is a more radical method that will solve the problem of unwanted calls. Your iPhone has a feature that allows you to silence all calls from unknown numbers. To do this:

1. Open Settings and scroll down to iPhone.
   
2. Tap Silence Unknown Callers.
   
3. Toggle it to on.
   

It’s important to understand that if you turn this on, all calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts will be rejected automatically. Most people receive legitimate calls from unknown numbers from time to time, such as a meeting reminder or an important call from someone using a friend’s phone. We recommend using this method only in extreme cases, such as if you receive much spam. Otherwise, you might miss important calls.

How to Stop Scam Likely Calls

Protecting your cell phone number is the best way to prevent scam calls. You need to add your number to the National Call Barring Registry to do this. Unfortunately, this does not stop all calls, but it will filter out annoying telemarketing and other such garbage.

You also have to be careful when you’re sharing your number. Nowadays, almost every online ad, account, and other services will ask for your phone number. Plus, in some cases, companies can share your number with affiliates for marketing purposes. So think carefully before sharing your number with anyone online. Instead, you can sign up for a free Google Voice number and use it as an additional method of communication. The plus side of this method is that if you provide this number for all secondary services, you can always disconnect the number and not worry about incoming calls, even if they are spam.



The post Scam Likely Calls: How to block them? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

]]> https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/how-to-block-scam-likely-calls-iphone-android/feed/ 1 12677 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/dangerous-phone-calls/ https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/dangerous-phone-calls/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:36:22 +0000 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/?p=11421 Telephones have long been integral to everyday life, and scammers couldn’t help but take advantage of them. Although making random calls is as old as the world, sometimes the calls come from numbers with all kinds of area codes you may not have even heard of before. As a result, automated phone calls have become… Continue reading List of Scammer Phone Numbers 2024

The post List of Scammer Phone Numbers 2024 appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

]]> Telephones have long been integral to everyday life, and scammers couldn’t help but take advantage of them. Although making random calls is as old as the world, sometimes the calls come from numbers with all kinds of area codes you may not have even heard of before. As a result, automated phone calls have become one of the most annoying things of the 21st century. Unfortunately, these calls can do far more harm than interrupt your dinner. Dangerous phone calls can throw you into real dangers that can harm your wallet or even your reputation.

These days, scammers use sophisticated spoofing techniques and persistence to scam unsuspecting victims out of hundreds of dollars, all using just their phones. According to reports, 53% of people say they received more dangerous phone calls in 2023 than in 2022. In addition, technology has made it relatively easy and cheap for scammers to make many automated calls in seconds. So new robotic calling services can make up to 5,000 simultaneous calls per second for just a dollar. Next, we’ll look at what kinds of phone scams exist and how to avoid them.

Traffic Pumping

Have you ever tried to make a call but got a message that the call was outside your plan and you would be charged extra? This is a sign that you are about to be “traffic pumped”. The reason is this: under federal law, rural carriers are allowed to charge wireless and long-distance carriers higher fees for access to calls to local subscribers. In addition, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), some rural carriers partner with chat rooms, adult entertainment numbers, and the like. This is done to artificially increase the volume of calls in rural operators’ home area codes.



Due to inflated call volumes, rural carriers can bill wireless and long-distance companies enormous amounts and give kickbacks to chat lines. Therein lies the pumping up of traffic. Unfortunately, this higher cost affects you directly. Hence, the operator warns you to pay more at the beginning of an off-plan call. To avoid unwanted charges, you must hang up before connecting with the subscriber. In this case, you won’t be charged anything. Area codes involved in pumping traffic are usually located in sparsely populated rural areas of several Midwestern states. These two codes are notorious for pumping traffic:

• 712: western Iowa
• 218: northern Minnesota

The One-Ring Scam

This is a common scam, relying heavily on our natural curiosity. The robot calls your cell phone and then hangs up before you have time to answer. This may happen several times, but the robot hangs up even if you answer the phone. You will likely hear a recorded message if you decide to call back. In the meantime, you will be charged a high international fee, ranging from $15 to $30 per minute.



The criminal gets a portion of those charges and then moves on to other victims, using special automated dialers that can make millions of calls daily. To protect your wallet from these dangerous phone calls, you should pay attention to codes 473, 809, and 900. We also recommend checking missed calls against international area codes beginning with +1. Here’s a list:

Code	Country/Region
232	Sierra Leone
242	Bahamas
246	Barbados
284	British Virgin Islands
268	Antigua and Barbuda
345	Cayman Islands
441	Bermuda
473	Grenada, Carriacou and Little Martinique
664	Montserrat
649	Turks and Caicos Islands
758	Saint Lucia
767	Commonwealth of Dominica
721	St. Maarten
784	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
809, 829, 849	Dominican Republic
868	Trinidad and Tobago
876	Jamaica
869	Saint Kitts and Nevis



To avoid unpleasant consequences from dangerous phone calls, you’re better off waiting for your voicemail. This will help you determine if the call is legitimate before you call back. You can also Google the phone number. If the number is fraudulent, others will likely post warnings about.

Ring and run

There are different variations of this scam, but the common thread is that the scammer tries to create a sense of urgency. The caller may pretend to be a representative of an agency or organization that can help you out of a desperate situation. For example, they may pretend to be bail bondsmen, collection agents, law enforcement officers, or hospital staff. Once the scammer is convinced they have your attention, they may suddenly hang up or ask you to call them back. These actions may be to get you to call a phone number with a premium rate.



Scammers sometimes trick you into directly giving them personal information, such as your bank account or credit card number. Regardless of the target, these scams instill a sense of urgency and immediate action. Another type of “grandparent scam” uses a similar strategy. For example, the scammer pretends to be a grandson caught by the police and needs money for bail. Crooks who got their hands on dangerous phone calls are often naught on any morality or honor.

How to stop dangerous phone calls?

As we can see, scam numbers come in various forms. Fortunately, modern technology is helping to rid consumers of more than 36 billion automated calls made in 2023, according to the YouMail Robot Index. In addition, most major wireless carriers provide automatic call-blocking features to their customers. Here are some tips that help you avoid phone scams:

• Do not answer calls from numbers you do not know and do not call back.
• Before calling unknown numbers, ensure the area code is not international.
• You can ask your service provider to block outgoing international calls on your line if you do not use this feature.
• Always be careful, even if the number seems genuine.

What to do if you fall victim to dangerous phone calls?

First, you can try to resolve the issue with your provider if you receive a bill for a call made due to this fraud; however, if the problem cannot be resolved directly, file a complaint with the FCC if you are a victim of international phone fraud, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. However, if you are bothered by robocalls, there are free or paid third-party apps that you can download to your smartphone to block fraudulent phone numbers.

The post List of Scammer Phone Numbers 2024 appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

]]> https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/dangerous-phone-calls/feed/ 13 11421 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/phone-is-hacked/ https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/phone-is-hacked/#respond Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:08:27 +0000 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/?p=9636 If your phone stopped working correctly and started showing obvious performance errors, then something is wrong. If you notice that your smartphone has begun to turn itself off or on, and sometimes it is even too hot, then you should consider this. Having outgoing calls you didn’t make is a clear sign of the problem.… Continue reading How To Know If Your Phone is Hacked?

The post How To Know If Your Phone is Hacked? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

]]> If your phone stopped working correctly and started showing obvious performance errors, then something is wrong. If you notice that your smartphone has begun to turn itself off or on, and sometimes it is even too hot, then you should consider this. Having outgoing calls you didn’t make is a clear sign of the problem.

All the listed signs of failure in your smartphone indicate a technical failure or a potential hack. But there is good news; in this article, we will describe all the details about the possible pests on your device and present a list of ways to prevent the problem.



Symptoms: How to Tell If Your Phone Has a Virus?

Hackers can create a problem for you, no matter how you do it. This can happen through phishing attacks, visiting questionable websites, using untrustworthy apps, and more. In any case, hacker software can be distributed in several ways:

• Keylogging: it’s a hacker’s surveillance of your actions through your keyboard taps, phone conversations, and so on.
• Spyware: These types of malware are often disguised as necessary information. They extract data from your device and read your confidential data or your credit card details.
• Cryptominers: This software is also a lover of hiding somewhere in the secret corner of the device. The purpose of this program is to use the device’s computing power for cryptocurrency mining. In general, mining is not prohibited by law, but if you carry out crypto-jacking devices without the owner’s knowledge, this is already illegal.

The Features of the Hacker Software on Your Device are as Follows:

• Performance issues: The most common malware features on your smartphone include slow operation, slow loading of applications and programs, low battery performance, and other similar effects. All this evidence that the pest works in the background and does not give you the peace of use of your device.
• Your phone feels like running hot: The presence of malware on your smartphone, in addition to the ones mentioned above, will load your device and strongly overheat it. When viruses appear on your phone, there will be obvious signs: suspicious application behavior and an increased amount of advertising.
• Mystery apps or data: Having third-party applications and programs you have not previously downloaded is also a sign of malware.
• Pop-ups or changes to your screen: The appearance of pop-ups and new bookmarks in your web browser is also the work of malware. Also, note the configuration change: if you have not contributed personally, then someone is doing it for you.

What to Do and How Do I Know If My Phone is Being Hacked?

• Also, try to get rid of all the information on your device: photos, videos, contact lists, and more. It will be good to have a backup of all of this; then, when formatting your phone, you will not lose important information.
• Be sure to check your cards and bills. And best of all, block them because the intruders could withdraw your financial information and make unauthorized purchases on your account. Finally, update your passwords to log in to accounts that the hacker may have accessed.

Free Trojan Scanner for Android smartphones is a great solution to ensure the best virus detection rate on your phone. Once installed on a PC, this program will scan your phone for malicious processes according to a set schedule. It is a free app with no in-app purchases, a powerful and fast cloud scanning solution that you can easily find on the Play Store.

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]]> https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/phone-is-hacked/feed/ 0 9636 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/does-my-phone-have-a-virus/ https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/does-my-phone-have-a-virus/#respond Thu, 07 Jul 2022 08:15:06 +0000 https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/?p=9211 Phone malware is obviously less widespread – and discussed – as a computer one. Nonetheless, its dangers and attack methods do not differ a lot. So, what is a phone virus? And how can you understand that you’ve got one? Let’s figure out. Are phone viruses real? Well yes and no at the same time.… Continue reading Does My Phone Have a Virus? Phone Viruses Explained

The post Does My Phone Have a Virus? Phone Viruses Explained appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

]]> Phone malware is obviously less widespread – and discussed – as a computer one. Nonetheless, its dangers and attack methods do not differ a lot. So, what is a phone virus? And how can you understand that you’ve got one? Let’s figure out.

Are phone viruses real?

Well yes and no at the same time. To begin with, it is worth clarifying that, unlike its original meaning, the term “virus” today is abstract and implies any malware. Due to the peculiarities of mobile operating systems, classic viruses cannot fully function on them. On the other hand, there are plenty of other malicious stuff that will happily run on the smartphone. Most commonly, phone viruses are represented with stealers, spyware and adware of different kinds.

Two mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, differ hard enough to demand a completely different approach for the attacker. This creates a strong borderline between any talks about malware. And yes, when people talk about phone viruses and trying to search for signs your phone has a virus, they mostly talk about Android. By the way, what are these signs?

Signs your phone has a virus

Here are a few clues that a virus has infected your phone:

• New suspicious apps. You may have apps on your phone that you didn’t download. Check your app list for any unrecognized ones.
• System instability. Your phone crashing regularly may not be due to a virus if it happens once with no other symptoms, but if it becomes frequent, it’s likely a virus.
• Abnormal battery discharge. Your phone’s battery drains faster than typically when you use it.
• Pop-up ads. You are receiving unusually high pop-up ads, which a virus may cause.
• Increased mobile data usage. Data usage spikes without explanation. If your phone bill shows increased data usage, a virus may be the cause.
• Outgoing sms you didn’t send. You may see additional charges on your bill due to malware sending texts to premium numbers.

Hint: Sometimes, some of the above symptoms may indicate that your phone is out of date. In this case, the attackers have nothing to do with it; you just need to update your phone.

Common types of phone malware and viruses

As I said, phone viruses are generally represented with adware, spyware and stealers. However, the specificity of mobile platforms allowed for the emergence of unique types, such as chargeware. Let’s review them all.

Chargeware

Chargeware is malware that can charge you money without your explicit consent or clear notification beforehand. This can be a serious problem because you may not know you are being charged until you see your bill.

Spyware

Spyware is designed to track, collect, or use your private data without your permission. This can include phone call history, browser history, text messages, user location, contact list, email, and personal photos. The stolen information could be used for identity theft or financial fraud, so it’s essential to protect your data.

Stealers

Stealers are another kind of malware designed to steal sensitive information from a victim’s device. They can steal passwords, credit card numbers, photos, videos, and other sensitive data. Unlike spyware, the purpose of a stealer is to steal data, not to observe the victim.

Adware

Adware is malware that often appears as unwanted advertisements on your device. While encountering pop-up ads online is common, adware can display unwanted ads even on trusted websites or apps where they don’t usually appear. Aggressive adware may show ads on your lock screen and trigger video and audio advertisements. At the same time, the phone is asleep and displays out-of-app ads that interfere with other applications. Adware may also collect information about you and target you with ads based on this information.

What should you do if you have a virus?

Delete suspicious apps in safe mode

If you suspect malware on your phone and can’t delete the apps, restart it in safe mode to remove malicious apps before they start. Search online for your phone’s exact procedure, but for many models, press and hold the Power button from the lock screen until you see the shutdown screen, then tap and hold the Power Off button to restart in safe mode. When the phone reboots in Safe Mode, third-party applications (including most malware) are disabled. This allows you to find all potentially unwanted applications and uninstall them.

Turn on Google Play Protect

Google’s Play Protect is a free anti-malware app that scans your phone for malicious apps and behavior. It checks third-party apps for malware-like behavior and prevents them from harming your device. If you haven’t enabled Play Protect, we recommend doing so immediately from the Google Play store.



Scan your phone with an anti-malware solution

You can use our mobile scanner to ensure your Android device is immaculate. In case there is still an infection, Trojan Scanner will remove it. You can download Trojan Scanner from Google Play or directly from our website.

Phone Viruses on iOS – Do They Exist?

It’s very unlikely for iPhones to get a virus. Although technically possible, only a few iPhone viruses have been developed, primarily for academic and research purposes. Apple designed iOS to restrict apps from communicating with each other and the operating system, which reduces the risk of viruses on iPhones. Although there are exceptions. Additionally, users can only install approved apps from the App Store, which Apple evaluates for viruses and other issues before making them available. In addition, there are no antivirus programs available in the App Store. However, security apps from major antivirus companies focus on securing your browsing, privacy, and data backup.

If you notice any unusual behavior, it may be due to a buggy app that needs to be updated or removed. However, if your iPhone has been jailbroken, it may have been infected with a virus. The risk of jailbroken iPhone infection increases significantly, the same as if an Android device were rooted. In such cases, getting rid of the virus can be difficult, but you can try the following steps:

• Delete any apps that you suspect may have carried the virus.
• Restore your iPhone from an uninfected backup.
• Restore your phone to its factory settings, but back up your data before doing so. Do not create a restore point – it will have the infection inside, so all the manipulations will not make any sense.

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