Three Hot Phone Scams New Yorkers Need To Watch For

Phone scams are nothing new but fraudsters have figured out how to target their victims through some pretty sneaky techniques.

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According to a recent report, there are currently three phone scams that New Yorkers are falling for over the others.

Small Business Phone Scam

One of the most popular phone scams today targets small business owners. Scammers are impersonating Google or Yelp agents and threatening to take away their business listing from the search engine unless payment is made.

These fraudsters can be very convincing and can trick people into thinking that they are dealing with legitimate authorities. However, if you're a small business owner, you should be leary of these calls and do not give any payment information over the phone. Consumers are advised to visit the websites of Google or Yelp to learn how to tell legitimate from fraudulent calls.

Medicare Phone Scam

Another phone scam to watch out for is related to Medicare. With open enrollment currently underway, scammers are looking to take advantage of senior citizens by spoofing legitimate numbers to appear as if they are calling from a genuine government agency.

Scammers might ask for personal information, such as the victim's Medicare card number or Social Security number. People should be cautious about sharing this type of information over the phone and should hang up if they suspect a scam. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also advised people to call 1-800-MEDICARE if they need help with Medicare-related queries.

Consolidate or Reduce Debt Scams

The third phone scam that is currently making the rounds involves offers to help people consolidate or reduce their debt. Such scammers may claim to negotiate with creditors on behalf of victims and promise to improve their credit scores.

While some credit services may be legitimate, many others can be fraudulent. The FCC warns that such scams may charge a huge upfront fee and then subsequently fail to deliver any results. People who receive these calls are advised not to give personal information over the phone but instead to get in touch with the creditors themselves.