PURPOSE : :
This document is meant to raise awareness about how scammers, spam callers, and financial predators target vulnerable individuals—circling them like vultures—and to explain how to implement a simple, safe, and cost-effective Phone Privacy Protection Plan (PPPP).
GOAL : :
The goal is to reduce the “attack surface” that bad actors exploit to deceive, manipulate, and financially victimize vulnerable people.
Acquire a Protected VoIP Phone Number from a reputable VoIP provider (example: VoIP.ms).
- This private, front-end phone number shields the vulnerable person’s real phone number.
- All outside callers interact with this "shield" number, not the individual’s true line.
- Choose a number in the same area code as the elderly person for familiarity.
- There is no app needed
- No new device
- No new learning curve
Enable VOIP Call Forwarding on the new "shield" number to forward all calls to the real phone number.
- This stops scammers from ever seeing the real number
- The person at risk keeps their real phone number
- Nobody outside the family ever sees it again
- All public calls go through the "shield" number first
- Scammers cannot reach the real number
- The "shield" number can be changed at any time
- The real phone number remains private
- Scammers cannot directly attack the phone
- If a number gets compromised, a new one can replace it instantly
- The person experiences no change at all. Their phone rings normally.
Disable Caller Name (CNAM) Publishing to prevent the "shield" number from being listed in public directories.
Set a Neutral Voicemail Greeting by using the VoIP number’s voicemail, not the cell carrier’s voicemail. Example: “You’ve reached the voicemail. Please leave a message.” No names, no personal information.
Give Out ONLY the Protected Number
- Family, doctors, businesses, and services should use the protected number.
- The real number becomes “internal only.”
Silence Unknown Callers on the Real Phone. If a scammer somehow gets through, the device will not ring.
- iPhone:
Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers: ON - Android:
Settings → Spam & Call Screen → Filter Spam: ON
Use the "Shield" Number for All New Accounts
Whenever a company, website, or service asks for a phone:
- Use the "shield" number
- Never use the real cellphone number
- This greatly reduces future leak risks.
- Enable (carrier) Fraud & SIM Protection
- Set Up Call Filtering
- Use the carrier’s spam filter on High.
- Ask the carrier to:
- Add an account PIN
- Enable SIM swap protection
- Add a “freeze” to prevent unauthorized changes
(Not required for phone protection, but helps with device protection.)
- Identity exposure
- Location leaks
- Caller-ID tracing
- SIM-swap attacks
- Manipulative scam calls reaching the real line
Vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, are at extremely high risk for:
- Scam calls
- Fake bank calls
- Fraud attempts
- Social engineering (“Grandparent Scam”)
- Identity theft
- Pressure tactics from bad actors
If the real phone number is already leaked online or in old data breaches, scammers can easily target the individual by:
- Auto-dialing
- Spoofing banks or government offices
- Pretending to be family
- Using personal details gathered from the internet
This plan may help mitigate, minimize, and even stop that all together.
Ask the carrier to:
- Add an account PIN
- Enable SIM swap protection
- Add a “freeze” to prevent unauthorized changes
Use the carrier’s spam filter on High.
(Not required for phone protection, but helps with device protection.)
Use a reputable VoIP provider (example: VoIP.ms).
Choose a number in the same area code as the elderly person for familiarity.
Set the protected number to forward all calls to the real phone number.
This stops scammers from ever seeing the real number.
This prevents the number from being listed in public directories.
Use the VoIP number’s voicemail, not the cell carrier’s voicemail.
Recommended greeting:
“You’ve reached the voicemail. Please leave a message.”
No names, no personal information.
Family, doctors, businesses, and services should use the protected number.
The real number becomes “internal only.”
If a scammer somehow gets through, the device will not ring.
iPhone:
Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers: ON
Android:
Settings → Spam & Call Screen → Filter Spam: ON
Whenever a company, website, or service asks for a phone:
- Use the protected number
- Never use the real cellphone number
This greatly reduces future leak risks.
You cannot delete a leaked number, but you can neutralize it by:
- No longer giving it out
- Shielding it behind the protected number
- Letting spam accumulate harmlessly
- Avoiding any meaningful use of the real number
- Using the protected number for everything public
Over time, scammers stop reaching the real phone.
This is one of the best ways to protect vulnerable individuals
from modern telecom-based scams.
- If spam increases → replace the protected number
- If an unsafe caller gets through → block them at the VoIP layer
- Keep the real number private
- Continue using the protected number for all interactions
This system is stable, low maintenance, and extremely effective.
Every elderly individual should have:
- A protected public number
- A private real number
- Call screening enabled
- Family oversight on external communications
This dramatically reduces vulnerability to scams and protects both financial well-being and personal safety.