This text is taken from an article in the Aug 2019 issue of The UT Chronicles, with additions.
University Technology has received reports of robocalls and spam phone calls coming in to Drew extensions. We’ve also noticed them ourselves, on our cell phones and our Drew phones. The unfortunate truth is that there is currently no foolproof way to block unwanted calls (especially when thinking about the complication of spoofed phone numbers), but the government and phone service providers are working together to address the problem. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) offers a consumer guide titled “Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts”. One of their recommendations is to hang up when receiving a call from someone who claims to be from a particular company and instead calling back the phone number on that company’s website or your account statement.
You can add your personal number to the Do Not Call List at https://www.donotcall.gov/, but keep in mind that only those trying to follow the law will check the list, and business numbers cannot be added.
Vishing
Vishing is a shorthand name for "voice phishing", using the telephone to convince someone to expose sensitive data. The goals of these cybercrimes are usually the same as email phishing schemes: identity theft, monetary theft, or computer hijacking. Typically, the person making the phone call will pretend to be from a legitimate company, such as your bank or Microsoft, or a government agency.
You can avoid some of these calls by following the recommendations above.
The information found in the May OUCH! Newsletter Vishing — Phone Call Attacks and Scams can also help you know what to look out for.