How Phone Scams Tricked Americans Out Of $40 Billion
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ย. 2022
- Despite the rise of sophisticated crypto frauds and ransomware plots, phone scams continue to trick Americans out of tens of billions of dollars each year. It's not only older people who fall for such phone scams. Young people and men get tricked the most.
“It’s very cheap to set up an automatic dialer and to plug a bunch of phone numbers into it, whether they’re random or they are very intentional by geography or by demographic, and place millions of phone calls in a very short period of time,” said Clayton LiaBraaten, senior executive advisor at Truecaller. “It’s a numbers game.”
Phone scams are on the rise. Truecaller, which makes an app that blocks spam calls, estimates that nearly 70 million Americans have lost money to phone scams in 2022, and that those scammers made off with nearly $40 billion in total. Phone scams include frauds that begin with calls and text messages. Watch the video above to learn more about why phone scams remain so prevalent, how people are fighting back against them and how not to become a victim.
Produced by: Anuz Thapa
Edited by: Dennis Donovan
Narrated by: Jordan Smith
Additional camera: Christian Nunley
Graphics by: Jason Reginato
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How Phone Scammers Tricked Americans Out of Nearly $40 Billion In 2022
“Please don’t tell anybody”
That’s clue number 1 with scammers.
"Don't tell anyone" is also a red flag
u are right but do u know how many times grandchilderen say to grandparents NOT to tell mom and dad, This very normaal in a family
@@Harvyydent Sure, but it's normal to ignore what the kids say and do what's healthy for them instead. "Don't tell mom & dad I messed up" invariably means there's something important that mom/dad need to know. A car accident with an injured human victim is far from say, a spilled juice box.
@@mandisaw But the thing is ,Next time no one will know if something really serious happend to him, Because they told on him, And that is the part that scares them too!, And i agree with u But still is a tricky situation
@@Harvyydent It's a life-lesson - part of parenting is getting your kid to know it's okay to mess up, and okay to tell you (parents/family or trusted adults) when they mess up. Gotta instill the behavior when they're young, and the screwups are minor, so that they'll feel comfortable doing it when the stakes are higher.
It's true that sometimes judicious discretion can be needed, or maybe mom/dad *are* the problem, but even then, in a dangerous or serious situation, it's better to advise on a safe/legal course of action than to let the kid flounder. It's not like you can hide a criminal record like a bad report card.
The greatest fear of any scammer is the procrastinator, who'd likely say, "Let's take care of this tomorrow." These words would send the scammer into a fit, so procrastination can actually be a super power
Will keep that in mind if I ever get a call from one of these ass clowns...
Huh!?
Whats wrong with my lollypop
Dont you like it
Scamming old people is the most heinous (financial) crime a person can commit. It takes a special type of sociopath to manipulate a confused, scared old person and rip money out of their savings...
No honor among thieves
Done by people with low integrity. There's a common proverb in India that translates to something like "This guy would not hesitate to even sell away his parents for this money". There's no scarcity of such people in India. No wonder a group of hundred or so British merchants were able to conquer whole of India without even engaging in a proper war.
It’s done by local caregivers a lot too! Watch your elderly family members.
Done by mostly India
@@onidoremc9490yes some unscrupulous scammers spoiling the name of a proud country
This is so overdue - being on CNBC will help so many people! I've watched Kitboga for years and have saved my 73 year old neighbor from 2 popup scams (by sharing his videos and explaining the scams) and she even called me when her bank asked for two factor authorization for the first time, wondering if it was a scam. The ripple effect of the millions that watch Kitboga is far and wide, but it is beyond time for our government and our main stream media to get involved in educating the American public about scams.
For those that are being introduced to Kitboga, I recommend his videos or joining a live stream. Come to get educated on scams and stay for his humor and top tier improv/voice acting entertainment.
when dealing with scammers or possible scammers, it's okay to hang up and be rude and nasty to them.
The more someone tells me don't tell anybody, the more I blab. The more one of my kids or grandkids beg me not to tell dad, the higher the odds become I will call and tell dad.
Do not call registry is literally a waste of time. I know I am registered, but am STILL getting home warranty, auto warranty, solar panel sales, and a couple of others!! I have given up answering the phone years ago ( I’m 54), because like the guy said, if it’s important, they’ll leave a message…. Remember folks, you can and should always call back your relatives or company to see if the situation is legit!!!
Yep, that registry is a joke. all numbers signed up, still get amazon scams on land lines - they are especially going hard now that it is holiday season.
These scammers all started when corporations outsourced customer services to other countries. These actions made it harder to hold individuals accountable for the scams and the outsource locations know this.
The truth is that when American president meets other countries and their prime ministers like India from where most scams originate, they don't talk about ultimatum decisions, which shows how much Americans are cared and protected and safeguarded by their own government.
If the incoming call is not among my contacts, I never answer. NEVER!
Same here.
@@No-nameNo-name And your point is???
Recommending the do-not-call list doesn't do any good. It won't stop the scammers from calling you - it's a total joke. The rest was good advice, though.
I work in a call center and this happens all the time .. and it’s always towards the elders, so sad. Be careful out there.
40Bil?? I knew it was bad but holy cow did not know it was THIS BAD
Crypto made it way worse. That curve of 2020-21/early 22 matches the one for crypto.
@@mandisaw Thanks for that info Mandisa. I've been wondering how the heck scamming can be up 70% ... maybe Zelle too. It makes it way too easy for the scammers to blank the screen and just take 2K with Zelle.
@@SeattleJen_ Only difference Zelle makes is that it's a fast, cash-like transaction without the various recovery/rollback features of normal banking. If you look at your bank statement, most transactions don't actually complete for 12-24hrs, or even more for larger amounts. Enough time to call your real grandson and cancel the scam transaction.
Zelle, phishing, romance scams, etc are all about attacking the weakest part of any security system - the humans. Computers can have vulnerabilities found & patched, but human flaws are universal, predictable, and difficult to change.
Like wtf 40b in cash😲
I saw this in person as a banker. It’s tragic and can have, as I have seen catastrophic consequences when life savings are wiped out.
Eta: what’s sad here is $8k is a vet bill or a home repair and in her case 50% of her savings. Worse, now her info in not only in the dark web, but the scammer has visited her home. And who knows what his intent or network intends.
I fight back by acting naive to their scam and waisting their time. Then they have the nerve to get mad at me because I didn’t fall for their scam.
Same lol. One time they call and ask for my name. I lied and said my name is “Sarah” and the scammer was like “No it’s not. I’m like “how can you tell me what my name is or not” He hung up lol
These predators are mainly preying old people. Seen a lot of old folks getting swayed by these scammers. These people are like cockroaches, they're everywhere and hard to eliminate all at once.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
It’s really simple, Don’t answer your phone, especially if you don’t recognize the phone number. A Text Message? Do not text back, if the number shows up, Block the number, Email? Before opening your email check the sender, if it even looks legit.
Exactly. No landline. So if it’s not one of my my cell phone contacts I don’t answer; then block it and delete all unknown texts. Life is much too short to waste precious time with scammers and people I don’t trust or care to know. Unfortunately there are just too many untrustworthy individuals in todays world. You have to protect yourself. Stay vigilant and discerning. Praying and keeping our Lord Jesus Christ close. God is good.😊
Scammers and Spammers is why so many people now block unknown phone numbers which is stopping many important calls.
With the iPhone you can silence phone numbers that aren’t stored in your phone. If it’s not a scammer they’ll just leave a voicemail.
@@Cutthroatnaj yeah that’s what I mean but sometimes you miss important calls
@@johnl.7754 - if it is important they will leave a message. No message, it is not important. Nothing is so important that they can't wait for you to call back.
@@johnl.7754 they’ll leave a message
Scammers are Evil pigs they need to go Prison for life use a call blocker for land line
The moment someone says give them cash and not to tell anyone. It’s 1000% a scam.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
There are scam bots posting in the comments on a video about scams.
Google does not care enough to use their massive AI systems to find and eliminate them.
I have had two of those calls. I played alone knowing it was a scam. Near the end of the call I told my fake Grandson I was tired of bailing him out and a few days in jail would do him good and hung up.
since when do you pay bail money via a shoe box and courier?
Registering with the FTC's Do-Not-Call list might reduce the number of legitimate phone solicitors, but it does nothing to reduce these scam robocallers. Even worse, registering might lead the person answering the phone to believe they already have a business relationship with the caller. It's pretty easy for them to say they are calling from the cable company or utility.
Nope does not work registering they still target you
I've used the FTC's _`Do Not Call`_ list and that is, definitively & without a doubt...at best, a toothless & weak attempt to try to prevent yourself from receiving those damned calls in the first place; it's grift all it's own! The full-on scammers ignore it & call anyway. Even legitimate companies ignore it &, then, they play dumb when they get caught; and, at best, they get off with a warning. And political campaigns are exempt from abiding by the _`Do Not Call`_ list! So, the _`Do Not Call`_ list is, at least, effectively nothing more than _`window dressing`._
At best, the _`Do Not Call`_ list is really nothing more than an attempt by the Federal Gov't to say... _"Look! We're doing something! We're proactively helping common people, consumers, etc., to avoid being scammed."_ And it literally has no effect; whatsoever...
I wouldn't be surprised if, in fact, when you sign up for the _`Do Not Call`_ list that they take each and every single phone number that is registered with them & sell it, to people/companies that are not supposed to call you when you are registered with the _`Do Not Call`_ list, they very people that one is supposed to be protected from, by being registered with the _`Do Not Call`_ list.
The _`Do Not Call`_ list, is best, worthless and...at worst...it is a knife 🔪 in the back 🔙.
Don't. Waste. Your. Time.
I registered with do not call and it seemed to have stopped most of my Robo calls. I was getting the car warranty call also every day.
The government needs to step in and do something about this.
@Yummy Spaghetti Noodles
Thanks
No. The government already ruins enough lives.
True, but people also need to do their part. A lot of these scams are avoidable if people just use common sense.
A lot of these scammers operate out of call centers in India. Key cities are AHMEDABAD, SURAT, BANGALORE, HYDERABAD, MUMBAI, NEW DELHI-NCR, PUNE.
This is happening with the patronage of the local governments because it helps bring foreign exchange in and also enriches the politicians that are getting a cut off the proceeds.
A simple solution would be for the USA networks to block all calls from India until the Indian government hangs all the scammers.
@@jimpad5608 notice how vague this news clip is.
no mention of the scammers, who they are. or where they are from.
Geopolitics USA needs India to counter China.
This is unfair, plenty of scams are from America.
@@leihtory7423 - if you really want to know CNBC is NOT the place to know in deepness about this or any subject. There are specific YT Channels for most subjects you may want to know and those know much more on almost any subject.
In this case there's Kitboga (the channel mentioned here), Scammer Payback (headed by Pierogi), Jim Browning, Pleasant Green, Trilogy Media and quite a few others. Even some that delve in this part-time like Atomic Shrimp.
General News or Business News Media is not the place for certain knowledge, which you may get with Specific Issue Media.
@@SaxonFaust - data shows a majority of phone scams originate outside the USA
Ironic that the comments will be filled with scam comments now 😂😂😂😂
There is a program made by YT Creator Thio Joe (search on his channel for the video and the link to the program) that automates reporting to YT and blocks SPAMBOT comments for owners of YT channels.
THAT'S HOW YOU OUTBOT THE BOTS!
This is first scam is similar to a scam that's been used for decades in Japan. They call it 'ore-ore sagi' ("hey, it's me" scam) because when the scammers call their victims, they just say "ore-ore (hey, it's me)" until they figure out the victim's relative's name. Surprised to see this scam being used in the US as well.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
Signing up for the do not call list is basically giving your number to scammers. Never get on that list.
$8000 Cash in a shoebox really without even calling and checking with him. No sense
Oh, and don't put that cash inside a book either (to evade X-rays through the mail or another package sending venue). That's a technique seen scammers doing from certain YT Scambaiting channels.
I dropped my home phone of AT & T after 40 years because AT & T, the FCC, and the supposed Do Not Call List are all completely incapable of stopping these scammers, catching such scammers, and putting them in jail!
People please! If that number is not on your contact list, do not answer the call or the text! The only way to put a dent in this is to stop answering the text and calls. Take care.
honestly, my first question would be since when did we start paying bail money via shoe boxes and couriers? I don't know a dam thing a how bail bonds work, I know it doesn't involve leaving cash in a shoe box on my front porch.
This would be such an easy way to set up a sting
It may have been intended as hush money, to make the supposed pregnant victim go away. That's the usual form of the "car accident" scam.
every time I receive a text message with a link it gives me the shivers, also lately they have been answering comments in yt saying that they are the youtuber itself and saying that you won something
5:43: NO! NO! NO! Do not redeem the card! DO NOT REDEEEEEM! MA'AM!
Few common scam scenario we come across in fraud prevention.
1. Email from my boss at work need gift card.
2. Email from church who need gift card.
3.Lower in intrest rate on credit card.
4. Never share OTP to step up Apple pay, samsung pay or Gpay.
This unfortunately happens to me last year through my Instagram and I lost around $3000! Beware!!! It’s indeed been on the rise folks!!!!
I fell for it too and lost more than $3000…no way out to catch the scammer, sick to the stomach…
the government needs to take this seriously and crack down with the full force of the law.
I wonder, what goes through your mind when you type the diarrhea masquerading as comment? What do you want the government to do? Do you have any idea who conducts the most scams? Hint, it's not citizens of the same country as the victims.
It baffles me that folks like you exist. I write chatbots for fun, and most are far above your level of cognition. Far.
They're coming from outside their jurisdiction. Only the local police near the call centers overseas can stop them and some are being bribed. Others shut them down, but others take their place
a scammer cracking down another scammer? umm
Most scammers operate out of India (tech scams), and Nigeria and China (romance and investment scams).
Scammers prey on fear and secrecy.
They prey on stupid
That is soooo awesome! Kitboga has been scambathing scammers for years. This is great!!!! Super proud of him!!!
Young people not only share more information about themselves with the world, but they are also much more susceptible to social pressure and manipulation.
I've had a couple close calls with scams. My favorite was when I got an automated call saying they were from the IRS and I had to drop what I was doing immediately and pay a fine or I'd be getting a warrant for my arrest - or something like that. I hung up before they finished.
Better to just stay on and waste as much of their time as possible.
I got a call from a female "IRS AGENT" She told me I need to take care of this right away or I would be arrested today. I said "arrest me bc
h" and blew my police whistle into the phone and hung up.
If you receive a text message requesting an answer or to click a link. Immediately delete the message. You have nothing to lose by deleting a suspicions text message, but you can lose big if you respond or click on the link.
A text message does have any legal meaning.
"Hello, we're been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty"
These people are partly at fault.
"Use cash, a shoebox, don't tell anyone at all." Coming from a "public defender" aka a lawyer.
All clear red flags.
"Common sense" isn't so common unfortunately. Scams have existed throughout history and will continue to exist because there will always be a segment of the population who will be gullible enough or naive enough. That's why Americans lost over $30 billion to phone scammers alone last year.
She might have changed the story. "Car accident scam" in its classic form isn't asking for bail money, it's asking for hush money to make the injured party go away. Hence the supposed pregnant victim, and the rush to act fast.
No one would think bail money has to be paid via shoe box, even in Jersey.
Scammers & grifters often lure ppl in offering some kind of way to game the system, which helps marks accept even the most dodgy instructions.
They should have highlighted the popups and refund scams.
Use your cork
Your brain's full of it
I hate any person who uses a telephone for the wrong reason. I hope no stupid idiot involves me in anything like that.
Scammers always choose people who lack common sense.America is a fertile ground for such people.
I have a hard time sympathizing for people who are suckered by scammers. You have to be incredibly dense to not recognize the red flags. Like, how do you not know your own grandson's voice?
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
My dumb sister-in-law got scammed with an email to buy 5 $100 Apple game gift cards. It looked to be sent by her nephew. It was not. That email went to all her contacts. I got one and went to the grocery to get 5 gift cards and then realized this was a common scam. The scammers wanted just the serial numbers of the cards so they could cash out. I did not send those. I sold all the cards for $95 each. I felt the lost $25 was my punishment for not figuring it out sooner.
Lmaoooo they always hang up on me when I start singing SpongeBob song 😂
If I have the time and I'm in the mood, I like to drag them out for a while. Rober+Jim Browning and others, kitboga, etc. are well equipped to really make these a-holes miserable.
I wish I had a grandma who had $8,000 to spare if I had a bail issue.
I am absolutely positively USED to the reality that people are NOT trustworthy at all!!!!!!!
The way they launder the money is also fascinating the money moves across continents.
So sad to hear her story. I would just hang up immediately if I don’t recognize phone number
Any time you hear an indian accent, just hang up.
I get these calls frequently. Rather than answer in the usual manner, I answer using my emergency radio ALARM ! It sounds like a POLICE SIREN and is very loud. It doesn't take very long for the unidentified caller to hang up...LMAO every time.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
I just blocked 10 "you have a prize waiting", "are you missing money" scam texts. They even go as far as putting Walmart and PayPal in their messages.
I have scam protection on my device, provided by my cellphone provider.
Lol!. I get texts about my supposed Netflix and PayPal, Bank of America accounts. What a joke!. I don’t have, need or want Bank of America, Netflix or PayPal. Delete, delete, delete!.
I feel bad that this is happening especially who does this to elderly people, this is very bad thing for anyone and no government is doing enough to stop this around the world infact in some countries they support it and get commission in return.
The do not call list is outdated information and does not help against scammers. It’s bad advice like reporting businesses to the BBB. It serves absolutely no purpose
I never answer the phone anymore if I don't recognize the caller-id. No caller-ID means no answer by me. They can talk to voice mail and I'll call them back if I need to.
That poor woman who fell for the "Grandparent scam" First of all she should have hung up and called her grandson directly or at least while she was at the bank withdrawing money to make sure the call was legit. Second her bank should have questioned her after withdrawing 8,000 in cash. That's a lot of money to withdraw.
Really? You are going to believe someone to tell you to put money in a 'shoebox' and give it to courier and don't tell anyone. I somehow also thinks she believes there's a Nigerian Prince in need of money also.
Majority of worlds population are not intelligent
When they tap into your emotion, you'll lose all critical thinking ability. Tell us again when you are 70 years or older. Let's see if you're still alert and aware of all trending scams.
I receive these calls and emails multiple times a day..I never open the mail or click any links. Every now and then though I will answer the calls and play along just to waste their time
Some people really do belong in Hell… I hope there’s a special place for these types of people.
cnbc, what brand of hooded shirt do scamming hackers wear?
When will y’all learn to stop sending people money you don’t know
Wtf that's a lot. Never imagined it to be so huge.
I have had these calls too. First thing I ask is when is your birthday-or what is your middle name or what is the car you drive. They usually hang up--
Old Proverb: "A fool and his money are soon parted." Elderly people who are easily fooled should have families/friends/guardians take control of their finances.
How do people fall for this? It seems impossible to me for someone to be this gullible.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
Most of the time scammers are from India, so if they call you and the Indian accent is obvious, it's a sign.
Love Kitboga!
I get being old makes you an easy target but being dumb is entirely different. Like come on a show box, that’s sketchy asf
70 million victims??? That's a fifth of the population.
Fun fact there are scammers on the comments section.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
I never answer my phone if you wanna talk do it face to face 😅
Why is't there data about 2016 at 4.02?
Even I have received a call from a scammer, but since I'm living in a non english speaking country I knew that the african or indian man who called at 7 a clock in the morning on a saturday wasn't calling from my bank
My Papa, Grandmama, Mother-in-law, Husband, and Kit from Kitboga on TH-cam are my Hero(s).
Thank You CNBC for informing the public.
~*Shana
Sad but not surprise. It will continue unless there is a solution(s).
I just went in a circle signing up for free stuff and before I even seen this it scared me I may have sent debit card information to a scammer. I do such stupid things it makes my stomach turn. I imagine people who lose everything end up committing suicide.
This is why me personally you'll never catch me cuz I don't answer my phone ever unless I know who it is if it's on weird number I need to go to a mail answering service and then if the person I know I will pick it up and call him back most time I will not call you back cuz I don't know who you are so you'll never get me never...
"Please let me call your father." Huh? Why is she asking his permission? Who's the adult here?
A few months ago I saw a video of the police interrogating a "grandparents scammer" who was caught. He explained that only one out of ten people he targeted fell for his scam but when one did he could make $10K in a day.
My sisters elderly neighbor got scammed for $1,000,000 dollars through outfits like this he was an engineer in nasa but was old now so was scammed
Just think kids are on phones at really young ages it's scary.
"It's a trap!" 😮
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
Shows you how stupid some people are. When they say not to contact anyone that is an automatic red light it’s a scam.
Damn, Eden Hazard is doing great work on the bench at Real Madrid😅
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
Wow there's scammers replying in the comments here.
Our seniors didn't have alot of this b.s. we have today ! So there easy for a scammer ! Shame on those ppl ! 😥
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
First step: Don't answer the phone if you don't recognize the number. Never. Ever.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
A voice message box is a good tool to prevent scam and spam call.
Do not answer calls from an out-of-town area code or a phone number that you do not know. If the phone call is legit, the caller will leave a message our voice message box. If there is no message, it means that the call was a scam or a spam.
A message box is also a go way to frustrate the scammers and the spammers, especially if there are 4 to 5 rings before the message box. These 4 to 5 rings are a loss of time for them.
The number of rings does nothing because until you answer it is just a predictive dialer robot. Only after you answer and the robot determines you are a live human does the call get connected to a human scammer
@@jimpad5608 Can the robot make the difference between a message box voice recording and a real person?
@@lambertois11 - sometimes yes which is why you sometimes get dial tone on your voice-mail system.
Here for my boy Kitboga.
👆Let's talk >💌
Nice video
I deal with ppl on the phone very little, most of the time, click is what they hear ! 👍
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
Be cautious. My own rule is never state a name because the scammer will always say yes to confirm. I learn from my own exp and glad never trust anyone enough to lose money.
I don’t answer the phone anymore! I have a telephone answering machine next to my phone it just says leave a message and if it’s a scammer they just hang up and I don’t have to bother with it anymore if it’s someone I know they leave a message maybe I’ll pick it up maybe I won’t maybe I’ll call them back it’s my life my time I do with it as I please, try it sometime it works! Oh and is this the worlds longest run on sentence, probably not.
Okay👆Let's talk >💌
did she get her money back in the end???? pls tell me that she was renversed
Nope she gave the money mule cash.
I did FTc no call lest and they still call