It happened again just the other day while we were working at our desktop. The phone rang and a recorded voice offered excited congratulations that we had won a free cruise to the Caribbean. Despite efforts to block them, we get that kind of scam call several times a month.

When it happens to you, there are quick ways to realize it’s a phony deal. The recorded voice message is part of an automatic dialing system set to hit hundreds of potential victims. Some scam calls are specifically targeted to contact seniors.

When anyone responds to the messages, the next step would be a human-voiced call making a pitch to buy a lottery type of ticket via your credit card for from $25 or more to be eligible for the cruise. Of course, you won’t win, but the scam could evolve into something much worse.

When you respond to some calls, you’re told you’ve actually already won the cruise and its all free! Then you must provide “good faith” credit card, bank account and/or Social Security numbers. That’s when to hang up immediately. Giving out that information could lead to a considerable loss of money when your accounts are emptied by the scammers.

Conclusion: A quick rule about surprise recorded phone calls saying you’ve won free travel is to just hang up! If you hadn’t previously voluntarily entered a contest offered by a legitimate travel organization or product line, you can be certain it’s a scam.