The landline telephone, that device that for years has been, and continues to be, the center of communications in thousands of Spanish homes, is little by little passing into history because many consider it outdated.
However, if you are one of those who still embraces the past—or maintains it out of necessity—and refuses to leave its mark aside, you should pay attention to what is coming. It has become a very juicy target for scammers.
If you don’t believe it, have you ever wondered why you receive so many calls from unknown numbers around here? It’s not a coincidence, Scammers—and many operators—have found a perfect field without fences here. The reason? The older people.
To give you an idea, less than half of young people under 30 have a landline, while up to 80% of people over 70 keep one at home. But be careful because This is not only a problem in homes.just as it does not count in an interview for Computer Today Diego León Casas, CEO of Flameera: “Landlines, especially in companies, are associated with official and trusted communications. It is common for employees and users to trust more in the calls they receive through this medium, believing that they are legitimate, which facilitates the success of social engineering tactics.
“Many people are still not aware that a simple call can be the start of a fraud”
It turns out that our grandparents and parents, those who grew up with the landline as the only form of communication, are still faithful to it and the scammers know it. They see them as an easy target, people who may not be as up to date with new technologies and who may be more vulnerable or easy to be deceived.
As for the big scams that circulate through this medium, they are quite identified: the fake technician, the millionaire prize, the missed call or even the family member who is in serious trouble with the most used ones.
“Another common tactic is Caller ID Spoofing, where scammers spoof the number on the caller ID to make it appear legitimate. For businesses, this can be devastating. For example, an employee might receive a call from a number that appears to be internal—such as that of the financial director—requesting an urgent transfer. This type of scam is increasingly common in Spain,” says the expert.
As you see, the way of working It is usually the same: they call and tell you about an urgent situation that requires you to give them personal or banking information. That same speed generates fear in the elderly who, added to the false security that the landline gives them, causes many to fall into these traps without realizing it.
Faced with this complicated situation, you are probably wondering: What are the telephone companies doing? It is true that call filtering systems that really work, information campaigns that really work, or that the authorities collaborate on a large scale and block suspicious numbers could be implemented.
As Diego León Casas contributes, “one of the most effective measures would be to implement call authentication systems, such as STIR/SHAKEN, which allow the authenticity of the sending number to be verified and prevent impersonations.” However, it seems—at least initially—that many companies are more focused on uncontrollably advertising and selling their services than on protecting their customers from these problems.
The final decision: To cut or not to cut the landline cable?
At the end of the day, the decision whether or not to keep the landline depends on your personal circumstances. If you live with older people who feel more comfortable with the landline, it may be worth keeping it.
In the end, Being aware of the problems that this can cause, may be enough so that neither you nor your family members get hurt.. And remember, no bank, phone company or legitimate service will ask you for personal or banking information over the phone. On the other hand, if you are one of those who lives glued to your cell phone, perhaps it is time to say goodbye to that device that has been collecting dust on a living room table for years.
Although the landline could already be considered an endangered species, there will always be staunch defenders. Whether out of nostalgia, comfort or necessity, many homes continue to maintain it and even put it to great use.
So, the next time your landline rings, think twice before answering. It could be your grandmother wanting to know how you are, or it could be someone trying to scam you. And who knows, maybe in a few years articles will be written about why you should reinstall a fixture at home. After all, vintage fashions always come back.
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Tags: Interviews, Telephony, Scam, Cybersecurity