Vishing Voicemail? Sounds Serious!

I got a voicemail yesterday on my Google Voice number, a number I haven’t used in a year. Vishing is voice phishing, a category of social engineering and the act of using the telephone in an attempt to scam a user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

Hi, This message is to contact you. My name is Danny Archer and I’m calling you, regarding an enforcement action by the U. S. Treasury attending your serious attention, ignoring this, will be an additional 2nd attempt to avoid initial appearance, before a magistrate church or the grand jury for the federal criminal offense. My number Is (202) 591-1615. I repeat, that’s (202) 591-1615. I advise you to cooperate with us and help us to help you. Thank you very much and have a blessed day.

Hit the play button below to hear what it sounds like.

Be suspicious of all unknown callers. People should be just as suspicious of phone calls as they are of e-mails asking for personal information. And some experts suggest letting all calls from unknown callers go to voicemail.

•Don’t trust caller ID. Just because your caller ID displays a phone number or name of a legitimate company you might recognize, it doesn’t guarantee the call is really coming from that number or company. As explained earlier, caller ID spoofing is easy.

Ask questions. If someone is trying to sell you something or asking for your personal or financial information, ask them to identify who they work for, and then check them out to see if they are legitimate.

Call them back. Again if someone is selling you something or asking for information, tell them you will call them back and then either verify the company is legitimate, or if it’s a bank or credit card company, call them back using a number from your bill or your card. Never provide credit card information or other private information to anyone who calls you.

Register your number with the National Do Not Call registry at donotcall.gov. Even though criminals and unscrupulous telemarketers may ignore the list, if you are on the list and get a call from a supposed telemarketer, that could be a tip that the offer is bogus. Most legitimate telemarketers obey the rules and laws about contacting consumers. Also, the Website provides a place where complaints can be filed.

Report incidents. Report vishing calls to www.ftc.gov or call (888) 382-1222. The FTC wants the number and name that appeared on the caller ID as well as the time of day and the information talked about or heard in a recorded message. If you think you’ve been a victim of a vishing attack you can also contact, the Internet Crime Complaint Center.