• Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    And this is one of the ways to filter random scams. If a legitimate business or public entity is reaching out to contact you about an issue you need to deal with, they will know some identifying information about you. Especially the ones claiming that there’s a warrant (or will be). If that was the case, they would definitely know your name and other specific details.

    That said, there are targeted scams, too, so don’t assume that if someone can tell you your name that they are legit. Ask them for a callback number (don’t call it, ask because they might be dumb enough to give you a number linked to them that you could pass on to investigators), then hang up and call the number you looked up online.

    • hexdream@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Be careful looking up numbers online as well. There are lots of fake numbers and sites out there. Use previous known good communication as your guide for contacting the specific entity you are trying to contact. If at all possible. Also, smammers seem to have databases of scraped and leaked data so will often pull up your data based on your caller ID or other info you may disclose to them. Be careful out there.