What Is “Scam Likely”?

“Scam likely” is a tag that appears for customers of T-Mobile, Metro (formerly MetroPCS), and Sprint (after the merger with T-Mobile) that tags potentially unwanted callers on incoming calls. It’s part of T-Mobile’s “Scam Shield” feature, which aims to prevent fraudulent calls over the network. The company turned on this feature for all subscribers at the time by default so that you won’t see its settings anywhere.

For this purpose, carriers created a unique database of known fraudulent numbers. In addition, T-Mobile Network automatically checks all incoming calls to its customers’ phones. Therefore, these can be the usual signs of fraudulent calls, such as:

• Impersonating a government agency
• Demanding to pay for something with gift cards
• Classic technical support schemes
• Annoying robocalls

Because the fraud ID applies at the network level, you’ll see a “Scam likely” message no matter your device. This works on an iPhone, Android, or even button phone. You don’t need to install any unique apps by default, though you can install the free T-Mobile Scam Shield app for Android or iPhone for more control.

Can I Trust “Scam Likely” Calls?

Unfortunately, any system is imperfect and can fail, so chances are you will see a “Scam likely” message for a legitimate call. However, it is recommended that you exercise extreme caution if you do decide to answer a call with this marking. Nevertheless, almost all calls with this marking are likely to try to scam you. In any case, if you pick up the phone, never give any personal information. If in doubt, you can ignore a call from an unknown number. Usually, the person who needs something will leave a message. Since scammers often use social engineering, you can hang up if the conversation makes you uncomfortable.

How to Block Scam Likely Calls

Although the system warns you that the call is “Scam Likely,” it does not block them by default. If you get too many of these calls and want to block them, T-Mobile also offers a free Scam Blocker feature. The system will automatically block all calls marked “Scam Likely”. To turn on the blocking, follow these steps:

• Open the dialer app on your phone.
• Dial the combination #662# and press call.
• To ensure the lock is activated, dial #787# and press the call.

You can disable “Scam Likely” call blocking anytime by dialing #632# and pressing call.

How to Spot Scam Calls on Other Carriers

Most operators have similar services to combat fraudulent calls. This is due to the STIR/SHAKEN, a set of protocols that allows carriers to fight caller ID spoofing. Thanks to these standards, the operator can display a “Call Verified” message on your phone. This way, he confirms that it has not been spoofed. This feature is now becoming available on more and more devices and carriers as they all work to reduce spam calls.

So, if you’re an AT&T customer, you can download their official software. It’s available for iPhone or Android and contains free spam and fraud blocking features as well as advanced protection that’s available by subscription. And if you use Verizon, a free call filtering service is available as well. To manage this feature, you can also install the Verizon Call Filter app, available for iPhone or Android. Like AT&T, Verizon also offers a paid subscription to improve this. Other carriers likely provide similar services as well. For more information, visit the store, log in to your account management page, or contact your carrier’s customer service number.

How to Block Scam Likely Calls using Android and iPhone

Suppose you are annoyed by a spammer, and your operator does not provide such a service. In this case, you can block the annoying number using the standard tools of the operating system of your device. In addition, there are third-party applications available in the app store that can handle this task. These applications usually have a database of fraudulent numbers and will alert you if an incoming call is potentially unsafe. In addition, these apps allow you to detect and block fraudulent calls, regardless of which carrier you have. The disadvantage of such applications is that they are often paid and require a subscription.

How to Stop Scam Likely Calls on Android

If your phone has the default dialler app from Google, it will alert you to potential spammers by default. If your Android device uses a different dialer app, do the following:

1. Open the dial app and tap the number you want to block.

2. Click on Details, then select Block number.

In addition, you can use a third-party app to filter out spam.

How to Block Scam Calls on iPhone

You can block any number on your iPhone using the built-in blocklist feature. To do this, do the following:

1. Open the Phone app and tap Recent and press the "i" icon next to the number you need to block.

2. Scroll down and tap Block this caller.

There is a more radical method that will solve the problem of unwanted calls. Your iPhone has a feature that allows you to silence all calls from unknown numbers. To do this:

1. Open Settings and scroll down to Phone.

2. Tap Silence Unknown Callers.

3. Toggle it to on

It’s important to understand that if you turn this on, all calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts will be rejected automatically. Most people receive legitimate calls from unknown numbers from time to time, such as a meeting reminder or an important call from someone using a friend’s phone. We recommend using this method only in extreme cases, such as if you receive much spam. Otherwise, you might miss important calls.

How to Stop “Scam Likely” Calls

Protecting your cell phone number is the best way to prevent Scam Likely calls. You need to add your number to the National Call Barring Registry to do this. Unfortunately, this does not stop all calls, but it will filter out annoying telemarketing and other such garbage. You also have to be careful when you’re sharing your number. Nowadays, almost every online ad, account, and other services will ask for your phone number. Plus, in some cases, companies can share your number with affiliates for marketing purposes. So think carefully before sharing your number with anyone online. Instead, you can sign up for a free Google Voice number and use it as an additional method of communication. The plus side of this method is that if you provide this number for all secondary services, you can always disconnect the number and not worry about incoming calls, even if they are spam.

The post How to Block Scam Likely Calls on iPhone and Android appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

The company confirmed this information, saying that a few weeks ago, hackers penetrated the company’s network, gained access to internal tools and source codes. It is emphasized that at the same time, the attackers were unable to steal confidential information about T-Mobile customers.

Let me remind you that we have already talked about the strange hack group Lapsus$, which blackmailed Nvidia, leaked the source codes of Microsoft, as well as Ubisoft, and Samsung, compromised Okta, but fame for hackers was clearly more important than financial gain.

The well-known investigative journalist Brian Krebs, who has specialized in information security for many years and has repeatedly exposed various hack groups and helped law enforcement officers in their investigations, reported on the T-Mobile hack.

Krebs, who got into the private chats of the group members, writes that the attack on T-Mobile took place some time ago, even before the arrests of seven alleged Lapsus$ members, which UK law enforcement agencies reported at the end of March 2022.

According to the chat logs, the VPN credentials that the group used for initial access were purchased and stored on the dark web, on sites such as Russian Market. The goal of the attackers was to compromise the accounts of T-Mobile employees, which ultimately allowed them to carry out SIM-swap attacks.

In addition to accessing an internal customer account management tool called Atlas, the hackers’ discussions suggest they gained access to Slack and Bitbucket accounts, using the latter to download 30,000 source code repositories.

At the same time, hackers were looking for T-Mobile accounts associated with the FBI and the US Department of Defence in Atlas (see screenshot below). To their disappointment, it turned out that additional verification procedures were needed to work with such accounts.

Interestingly, after failing to keep records of the FBI and other intelligence agencies, the leader of the group, a 17-year-old teenager from the UK, known by the nicknames White, WhiteDoxbin and Oklaqq, told other hackers to focus on stealing source codes and breaking the VPN connection with Atlas, which WhiteDoxbin considered “garbage”. The other members of the band were extremely unhappy with this decision.

After the publication of Krebs’s article, T-Mobile representatives confirmed the hack. The company stated:

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