Sky warns millions of phone owners over dangerous calls – listen out for them and act fast
SKY has revealed the best tips for dealing with nuisance phone calls.
Nuisance calls or texts to your iPhone or Android can be a nightmare.
In some cases, they can even lead to you being scammed.
If criminals are on the other end of the line, it could end up costing you.
An official Sky Mobile memo reveals seven ways of dealing with nuisance calls.
The first tip is to never give your name or number when you answer the phone.
Otherwise the person on the other end can collect data about you, and potentially use the info at a later date to scam you.
Similarly, the second tip is to never give out any personal details.
Handing over private info to people on the phone could lead to you being defrauded – or scammed further down the line.
The third tip is to make sure that the caller identifies themselves.
“If they ask ‘What number is this?’ don’t tell them but ask ‘What number did you dial?’,” Sky advised.
Fourth on the list is to simply hang up if there’s no reply after giving a greeting.
The fifth tip is to never follow any menu options or make any number selections during the call.
It’s best to hang up: if you start tapping numbers, you could end up being charged.
Sixth on Sky’s notice page is to use your voicemail to screen incoming calls.
If it’s a reputable company or person trying to contact you, they’ll likely leave a message.
Then that gives you time to verify their contact information or claims.
But Sky added: “Make sure your voicemail greeting doesn’t include your number or that you’re on holiday.”
Lastly, you could try tapping a non-number button on your keypad so it sounds like you’re starting a call trace.
Sky also advised that you speak as if someone else is in the room.
This could cause the people nuisance-calling you to panic and leave you alone.
It’s also important that you should report any calls that are threatening or malicious to the police.
This might include calls that threaten physical harm, sexual assault, or racially motivated threats, according to Sky.