Americans have lost over $10 million because of phone scams

Americans have lost over $10 million because of phone scamsAmericans have lost over $10 million because of phone scamsRecently Truecaller Insights released its fifth annual U.S werbemail and Scam report. Although 87% of Americans say they try to only answer calls if they recognize the callers number, alfruchtwein two-thirds of Americans (61%) worry they might miss legitimate calls because they suspect they are spam and dont answer, the studys authorsexplained.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIn the brde twelve months, Americans have lost more than $10 million dollars because of phone scams. This means, $244 is the average loss per victim, given 43 million Americans fell victim to fraudulent calls in the last year. This is a 39% increase since last years report. In 2019 the average American reported receiving about 32 spam calls, and 11 spam texts a month. The amount of successful scams has experienced an even sharper increase. The study reported a 70% annual rise in Americans that fell victim to phone scams in 2019 (one in six).Which group falls victim the most?Young adults and men (18 to 34) fall victim to these kinds of scams the most often, even though, young men, in particular, reported receiving the least spam calls out of all the demographics reviewed (with 21 being the most cited number by this group).The study reports, Two in five men aged 18-34 (40%) claimed theyd been victimized by a phone scam in the past 12 months compared to only 13% of men aged 35+ and 28% of women aged 18-34.Parents were also found to be distinctly perceptible. In fact, parents with children living in their house under the age of eighteen are three times as likely to fall victim to being phone scammed, compared to adultswithout children.The majority of scams are attempted on mobile phones. Eighty-three percent of respondents reported receiving a fraudulent call this way, with only 22% saying it occurred via their landline.For whatever reason, households that earned more than $50,000 but less than $75,000 reported the least instances of scams. This group experienced scams about 12% less than the average, and about half as much as households with incomes between $75,000 and $99,000.Most common tactics,Great credit deal, is one of the most frequent preludes to a successful phone scam, though many different methods are used. Some standard scam phrases are listed in order of frequency below.Great verstndigung im strafverfahren70% of Americans have received calls about getting a great dealYouve Won Something64% received calls saying they have won somethingProblems with an Account53% received calls saying there is a problem with an accountOwe Money50% received calls saying they owe moneyPolitical callsNearly half of Americans (49%) report receiving political callsWhat can you do?When Americans receive what they suspect to be a spam/scam call, the vast majority simply dont answer (71%.) A little less than half either block or report the suspicious number (43%). Fourteen percent answer immediately, and 8% call back later.As technology progresses, more Americans are shying away from traditional modes of long-distance communication. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they communicate through text, social media and email, specifically to avoid talking to someone on the phone. It should come as no surprise that this number surges among 18- to 34-year-olds (73%).You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Avoid Backfill Hell

How to Avoid Backfill HellHow to Avoid Backfill HellA couple of years ago one of my employees took me aside and announced she was leaving.Sure, I said. Need to leave early? No aufgabe. Everything caught up? But she meant she is leaving as in quitting.Hiring zu sich finally made my team full. And I had a very lean team already. I believed it was no small aufgabe to backfill the position.I was wrong. Learn how you can stay out of backfill hell as a leader.Quick explanation Backfill is a verb meaning refilling an excavated hole with the material dug out of it. As a leader, I warn you to stay out of this as much as you can. The news my employee shared with me brought me a big step closer to it. And its the worst of positions to be in.Why backfill hell must be avoidedThe business does not slow down. Recruiting is caught off-guard and pressed for resources while the possible candidates want to know why there is a vacancy.It does not have to happen as much as it does. How to avoid itIf your e not meeting with your team each week, start now. I understand there is little or no time for one more meeting on the calendar. If youre looking for more time, stop right now. Time isnt found, its madeSchedule the meeting and platzset the agenda.The time your team would normally spend fighting fires, they can now spend developing actionable items to improve resolving them efficiently.Start with a game-changing customer focus approach to staffYes, your employee is (or at least should be) your number one customer. Without him or her, you really cannot serve your paying customer.So, to avoid the land of backfill, you need to focus on your employee like you would a paying customer. Listen with the intent to improve things. Act with an energy that results in improvement.Listen for the subtext in their wordsHow do I manage this? I already listen. How do I improve these listening skills? I listen for the subtext. Somewhere in what your employee is sharing, there is a complaint. Too little time. Too much work. The system is too slow.Each of these problems are missing a solution. Feed the complaint back to your employee and start discussing ways to resolve it.Dont stop tryingEverything I tried with my employee to prevent her from leaving was being stopped by her already-made-up-mind. There seemed to be no way to win this one.So, I simply asked, Whats the problem? She replied, Were moving at too fast a pace. And the light bulb turned onCreate a smoother onboarding experienceShe needed a smoother onboarding experience. Great. I can make that happen, so that is just what I did.Most of the processes at work can be tweaked a bit without disruption. I found room in the process to adjust things and my employee had more time to get to know whos who in the company.She learned the how/why of what we do, which rules she could bend, and those she could not.At the end of the dayThe smoother onboarding experience I created not only kept her from leaving but also allowed her to grea tly develop in her role. She became quite confident and, as a result, she performed really well. Perhaps, even more important, when larger problems came across her desk, she had no hesitation bringing them to me for help.Meet with your employees regularly. Listen to them as you would a paying customer. Listen for your next opportunity.Finding and resolving it might make all the difference in proactively avoiding backfill hell

The one thing you didnt know about your to-do list

The one thing you didnt know about your to-do listThe one thing you didnt know about your to-do listHave you ever noticed that some tasks on your to-do list get crossed off right away, making you feel like a productivity superstar? And other tasks well, they tend to stay on the list and no matter how hard you try, you cant get them to budge becauseTheyre overwhelmingYoure not sure where to startYouve got to rely on other people to do parts of itAnd so they stubbornly stay put on your to-do list, mocking you, shaking your confidence as someone who gets stuff done.Heres the problem.What youre thinking is a task is really a project in disguise. People who are able to move mountains fast know the difference.Lets take a look at the twoYou see, a task is something that will take one or two steps to complete. You schedule a time to do it, you take action, and finito its complete.On the other hand, a project is something thats much more complex. It may includeSeveral tasks or stepsStakehold ers or people that are invested in the outcomeThe need for several meetingsOther people or departments to get parts of it completedOutsourcing pieces of itA budgetNo wonder it wont budge.So lets take a different approach. First, confirm this is a project and not a task. Ask yourself if any of these applyMany tasks or stepsRequiring input or approval from someone elseThe need to outsource part of it to someone else to completeA big deadlineMany meetings to discuss issuesProgress reports to managementA monetary budgetThe impulse to curl up in a ball every time you think about it (just kidding no, not really)Now that its clear youre dealing with a project, you need to start thinking like a project manager.Step 1 Take it off your to-do listProjects are special, they get a time and action plan. This can be as simple as using a spreadsheet or a more sophisticated project-management app like Asana.Step 2 Get clear on the objective of the projectWhat is the intended outcome? Why? Who is re questing this project? What will make it a success? How will you measure success?Step 3 Agree on a deadlineWhen does this project need to be completed? Is there any flexibility with that date? What are the consequences of not meeting that date?Step 4 Discuss the budgetHow much will this cost? What happens if you go over budget? Who needs to approve the budget?Step 5 Create your plan of actionThis is where the party startsFirst, visualize the completed project.Then make a list of every single task (yup were back at tasks) that the project will require.Next, assign a due date for every task, and note if someone other than you will handle that task.Projects tend to be high-maintenance. They can be demanding, unrealistic and have a mind of their own. So a few things to keep in mindPay attention to the details. For example, if one part of the project changes, what else or who else is affected? Be open to making regular adjustments to your plan of action.Remain flexible and creative. How can you save time or money? Is there something you can do now while waiting on someone else?Be considerate. How will your deadlines impact someone else? Your priority may not be someone elses priority. Will your co-workers or counterparts have enough time to complete their part?Communicate. Let others involved know whats going on. If something is off track let people know sooner versus later.Completing your project should give you a reason to celebrate (or take a long nap). Id celebrate and take a nap Then look for the next project that may be hiding on your to-do list as a task. It will never trick you again.Mimi Bishop is a productivity + time management expert and a certified life coach. To survive the days youre just way too busy download 10 Ways to Take Back Your Time at www.mimibishop.com.