Expert warns conversations with phone scammers raise fraud risk

Digital skills expert Diana Poudel has warned that engaging in conversations with phone scammers increases the risk of being defrauded, ERR reported. She said warning bells should ring as soon as callers ask for PIN codes.

Poudel told Vikerraadio that she records scam calls and publishes them on YouTube. She said she had recently received an Estonian-language scam call and decided to record it.

According to Poudel, one early warning sign is that the alleged process moves too quickly. A caller may claim that an account has been hacked, followed shortly by calls from Smart-ID and the police.

“Things do not happen so that if someone hacks your account, Smart-ID calls five minutes later and the police are already on the line a little while after that,” Poudel said.

She said scammers may appear highly helpful as part of their tactic. The first call is the most critical, she added, because the callers try in various ways to persuade victims to enter their PIN codes. Once the codes are entered, the rest of the scam unfolds according to what she described as a theatrical script.

Poudel said she does not always immediately realise that a call is a scam. However, she becomes especially alert when callers ask for her PIN codes.

She also said scammers are increasingly checking the websites of large organisations for opportunities to exploit. According to Poudel, a dental benefit scam can no longer be used because Estonia has moved to a new Smart-ID QR system, which she said makes the process safer.

“Security is like sport: in a football match, attack and defence take turns,” Poudel said.

Poudel urged people to search YouTube for “phone scammers” and listen to the recorded calls, then share the information with relatives whose digital skills may be weaker. She advised people not to engage in conversations with scammers.