The scamsters are counting on surprise (disorientation), people's good manners and naivety to give them the edge.
Turn the table and get control of the situation.
We make it a policy in our home to never engage in a conversation with some unknown person during the unexpected call. We call back. This includes anyone claiming to be someone that represents a business we have a relationship with (e.g., bank, investments, etc). I never divulge any information to anyone based on some unexpected call! For that matter, there is some information I will not ever divulge over the phone to anyone. At most, I might acknowledge my first name if asked (e.g., Can I speak with Name... Speaking). I want to some level of confidence or verification about who they are before I say much of anything.
The other thing I do with unknown callers is "stop them in their tracks".... Get to the point! Then 99% of the time I end the call. Because it is someone wanting money or trying to sell something!
We use advanced phone features.
Unknown Caller ID/number - most times we let unknown number go to voice mail.... I have been considering just sending unknowns number to voicemail automatically on first ring. We call back if it seems to be someone we want to talk to. If they claim to be some business that I use... I never use the phone number they provided during the call... I always look up the number using the phone book or their website and callback using a more reliable number (to avoid calling a fake number). I always keep the conversation on topic and very short. I am always on guard about what I am saying and what information is divulged.
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