JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thieves may be more likely to target people on cellphones, rather than landlines, experts said.
It's estimated scammers have taken billions of dollars to the bank because of it.
Stephanie King said her cellphone is ringing more often these days --- when she's at home and at work. She said for her, about five calls a week end up being from a scammer trying to pull a fast one.
"I've seen an increase," she said. "Six months ago I wasn't getting any."
Experts said King is not the only one thieves are trying to dial for dollars, so-to-speak.
"The problem is growing," said Tom Hsieh with Truecaller, a search technology company.
A new survey by Truecaller found that more scams are taking place on mobile phones and millennials, ages 18 to 34, are the most vulnerable.
According to that survey, overall, 27 million Americans lost approximately $7.4 billion in phone scams last year.
"On average the U.S. consumer has lost about $300 per person, some people have lost maybe a dozen dollars some people have lost their life savings," Hsieh said.
Experts said thieves are targeting cellphones because they know they are like gold to us, which in turn is gold to them.
"Cellphones, there is an emotional tie to this phone, the fact that we use them for social media, we use them for shopping, for media activities, our whole life is through this phone," said Doug Foderman with TheDailyScam.com.
Gil Smith, News4Jax crime and safety analyst, said there's a reason crooks can easily get away with this.
"When they are doing their fraudulent activity, they are typically overseas in the Caribbean, India or in Pakistan, so it's extremely difficult for U.S. authorities to track them down," Smith said.
An example of a scam call from "tech support" may be something like this: "This means that your computer is also one of those computer which has been badly infected with those online infections, OK?"
Another scam may simply say the person owes the government big bucks.
"They don't call by phone, they normally send a certified letter. So if someone is pressuring you that way, they're not legitimate, that person's a scammer," Smith said.
He said, if you get a similar call, the best thing you can do is exactly what King does.
"Just simply hang up," said Smith. "You have all the power if you just hang up your phone."
Truecaller offers apps and services to help identify scam calls. Smith advised not answering the phone if an unknown number pops up. If it's important, they will leave a message.
Anyone who has been ripped off by a scam should report it to the Federal Communications Commission or the Federal Trade Commission: