If you’ve always thought, “Who’s calling from Australia,” you are not wrong. Getting calls from unfamiliar numbers can be irritating and alarming too and especially now with the recently increased spam calls and scams directed towards Australians. In our age where communication technologies reign supreme, knowing unknown callers has become important for self-security and privacy matters.
This guide will help you in finding the most appropriate tools for tracing unknown callers, how to avoid potential spam and scam calls, and many other useful measures in order to avoid unwanted calls. When you have the resources and know what to do, you can take control of your calls and bypass unnecessary risks.
Methods to identify unknown callers
1.Using reverse phone lookup services
For searching about the details of unknown callers, different apps and services let you enter the phone number. Some well known choices include:
- White Pages Australia: White Pages Australia gives details about landlines and business numbers.
- Reverse Australia: It provides all available information by entering an unknown number.
- Who called Me Australia: Who is calling me platform is specially formed for Australians and helps them to recognize the numbers whether local or international.
These services can be helpful, it’s important to notice the privacy regulations may limit some information specially for mobile numbers.
2.Community-driven websites and apps
Websites such as TrueCaller and Should I Answer use funding data to find frauds, spams and automated call numbers. Users share databases by reporting unknown numbers to these platforms and this can help others to find uninvited callers. Most Australians depend on these community-driven apps to look at the incoming calls to enhance their safety and mind peace.
3.Check for voicemail or SMS
Many times if the caller is legal, they’ll send a voicemail or leave an SMS. By listening to the message, it can help to recognize the call person and also helps to make a decision if a back call is necessary. In Australia, real businesses and organizations are motivated to clear off a detailed message in place of making many unanswered calls.
4. Using government resources for verification
The Australian government has given many resources for verifying legal contacts:
- Scamwatch (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission-ACCC): Scamwatch gives upgrade information on scam calls and permits the Australians to report the doubtful calls.
- Do Not Call Register: The Do Not Call Register permits the Australians to control over the incoming calls and it can help them to prevent the disturbance calls from legal firms.
Types of calls Australians may receive
If the Australians know the type of incoming call, it can help them in making the decision whether to ignore, answer or report the call.
- Telemarketing calls: Telemarketing calls are those selling calls which companies use for their promotions. The registered users on the Do Not Call Register can ignore many of these calls.
- Robocalls: Robocalls are the automated calls that frequently come from the companies or other political campaigns. But to target the uncaring person, scammers may use the robocalls.
- Scam calls: Scam calls are those calls where callers mimic the ATO(Australian Taxation Office), Centrelink or even benefit companies trying to gain personal or financial information.
- Legitimate business or appointment reminders: These are the calls that are dialed by different businesses to their customers to confirm the bookings or share information. These calls can sometimes be wrong for an unwanted call.
How to deal with unwanted calls
If you are not confident about the caller, then protect yourself from harms by following these steps:
- Let the call go to voicemail: Allowing calls to go to voicemail provide you a chance to monitor messages and decide if the caller is legal.
- Avoid sharing personal information: Original calls that come from businesses do not ask for sensitive information over the phone. If a caller appeals to personal information, then be careful.
- Verify the caller: If a caller claims to represent an organization, disconnect and call again by using a verified number from the organization’s website.
- Block unwanted numbers: Most smartphones have the feature to block the unwanted numbers and this helps in reducing the repeat annoyance calls.
Reporting unwanted or suspicious calls in Australia
Australians help and protect others by playing a vital role in reporting doubtful calls. Reporting assists the official bodies track shell game and device measures to prevent these calls from reaching more people.
- Report to scamwatch: Australians can go to the ACCC’s Scamwatch website and can report the scam calls, participating in national care and cautions.
- Inform the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman(TIO): You can record the complaint to TIO, if you received repeated annoyance calls or you think that your Telecom provider could do more to block unwanted calls.
- Report to your carrier: Many Australian carriers provide call-filtering services. If you are receiving spam calls frequently, your carrier might be able to ensure provision of additional support.
Top websites for reverse phone lookup in Australia
Australians get advantage from different apps specially form to find unknown numbers and manage unasked calls:
Phone Lookup: A free and secure platform where you can enter a phone number to access a community-driven database of caller information and feedback.
Reverse AU: This service enables users to find information about callers from both landline and mobile numbers in Australia. It offers a comprehensive database with user reviews and opinions.
Free Lookup: Allows you to perform reverse phone lookups by entering the phone number in international format. It provides information about the caller and their location.
WhoCalled: A free service that lets you look up a number to see if others have reported experiences with it. It helps identify potential scams or unwanted calls.
Tellows Australia: Offers a platform where users can share information about unknown callers, including ratings and comments, helping others identify potential spam or scam calls.
AUCaller: Provides a reverse phone lookup service with a database of Australian phone numbers, including user comments and reports on unsolicited calls.
Number Lookup: Allows you to find information about unknown callers in Australia, such as reviews, location, and frequency of calls. They also offer a mobile app for convenience.
Fast People Search: Offers a reverse phone lookup service that can help you find details about a phone number in Australia, including the owner’s identity and location
Each source has its special qualities, but they all have the same motive to provide Australian safety and greater control to the unknown calls.
What to do if you fall victim to a scam call
If you have doubt that you have been scammed or you have shared your personal information, take quick steps to protect yourself:
- Contact your Bank: If you deliver your financial information, contact your bank and observe for unusual activity on your accounts.
- Report identity theft: If you feel identity theft, get in touch with IDCARE, Australia’s national identity and cyber support service.
- Change your passwords: If you provide any personal information, change any related account passwords to save your data.
Conclusion
It is important for Australians to understand “Who rang me Australia” so that they can find guidance to avoid unwanted, irritating and false calls. Australians can take hold of unknown calls, verify callers and keep safe their information with the help of lots of apps, services and tools. By staying well informed and using the available services, Australians can effectively manage unknown calls, enhancing their security and privacy in today’s world.
