INDIANAPOLIS— Indiana ranks 8th worst in the country for scam calls and texts, according to a new study.
WRTV Investigates has told you about Medicare scam calls, traffic enforcement text scams, and pig-butchering scams.
The data also shows a surprising decline in scam call volume over the past few months.
Truecaller, a mobile application designed to block scam calls and filter out unwanted messages, found bad actors are using Artificial Intelligence to prioritize quality over quantity.
“They don't need as many calls as they once did, because they can actually use AI and build profiles and say, I know something about Kara already,” said Clayton LiaBraaten, industry spokesperson for Truecaller.
Scammers can use AI to mine social media to find out where you live, your alma mater, where you work, and even medical conditions you have.
Plus, bad actors can use AI to write the perfect script.
“They don't have to launch 1000s of calls, they just become very, very targeted and hyper personalized, and the scale of the fraud is increasing while the volume of calls goes down,” said LiaBraaten.
Truecaller is using AI to fight AI.
“We can detect a synthesized voice versus a real voice,” said LiaBraaten. “It has a different wave form.”
Linda Barron of Carmel says it does not seem like scam calls are going down at all.
“I get different calls about my pain,” said Barron.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the highest reported losses overall last year came from scammers on social media, pushing things like scammy job offers and investment opportunities — which sometimes started with a romantic connection.
FTC tips to help you avoid scams:
- Report and delete unwanted texts. Use your phone’s “report junk” option or forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM). Then delete the message.
- Report unwanted calls. If you didn’t lose any money but want to report a call, visit DoNotCall.gov. If you’ve lost money to a phone scam or have information about the scammer who called you, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Spot scammers on social media. If you get a job offer on social media, or get promised “guaranteed” returns on investments, stop. Check it out. And learn to spot people using fake profiles to make a connection.
Android offers a free version of Truecaller with basic protection. iOS, on the other hand, will need a paid subscription to access the protection features.
You can also check with your wireless carrier. Many offer scam call-blocking technology.
