By Shae Rozzi, Fox23 News
In just one month, Oklahomans were targeted by more than 35 million scam calls or texts, that’s according to a new report by Truecaller, a spam blocking, caller ID app.
The new survey ranks Oklahoma fourth in spam calls and messages per state.
Truecaller found on average, people across the country get around eight spam calls per month, but when you add it all up, that’s around 2.7 billion calls every month across the country, wasting 186 million hours over the course of a year.
“So spam calls are a big problem,” said Amie Mitchell, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Oklahoma.
While the BBB did not issue the report, they are very familiar with the problem and what scammers are after.
“So spammers are typically looking for some kind of verify identifying information so that they can steal your identity or steal your money. It’s one or the other. They both have to deal with money. They steal your identity, then they end up stealing your money. So it’s all about money,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell says the solution is pretty simple.
“We really do recommend if you don’t know the number, don’t answer the phone call, let it go to voicemail. Once you figure out that it is a spam call, then block and report the number. Do not call them back, do not text the number back or anything like that. Block it and report it. We also recommend that consumers register their phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You can do that online and put your phone or your phone number on there, and it should help cut down on the number of spam calls,” said Mitchell.
You can add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry by clicking here.
