Keeping Your Number Off Phishing Scams & Marketing Call Lists - Ten Ways to Stay Off the Phishing Radar

Phishing and phone scams have become growth industries in latter years, due to the proliferation of data online and user's comfort in giving away pertinent details in the web world. But it pays to watch and learn how scammers gather their data. Phone scams these days involve racks and racks of computerized dialing programs that store data about when you are usually not home, who answers the phone, and what income level and buying patterns you typically follow.

1. Pay Phones

Phishing operators know how to get call lists and originating phone call reports from airport, train stations, bus stations and other public phone banks. People often call unlisted numbers and private numbers from these places because the need to reach someone is urgent. This puts restricted and unlisted numbers on the phishing map. Dial in numbers instead of swiping cards when possible. Calling work from a phone when the next public user can redia it means a stranger now knows where you work. Call a central number or have people call you with call ID turned off. Make sure you note these numbers if they begin calling your home. Put your home phone number on the do not call list registry.

Beware of systems which required iPod or PDA syncing up. Anyone with a charger can copy your device data. Passersby and other passengers will notice you complaining your cellphone or PDA is out of battery life. Strange systems may park a cookie or algorithm on your computer to send an originating signal when the device rejoins its host computer, Swapping the SIM card might go unnoticed until you're in another state or time zone. Use an automatic dialing menu from a prepaid account, or at least make sure you dial another number before leaving the phone free to someone waiting.