The Difference Between Spam & Scam

While we’ve all surely heard of both scam and spam, and unfortunately likely experienced both first hand as well – most of us don’t actually know the difference between the two, especially since they sound so similar.   While they both mean trouble, they are in fact two very different things. 

Let’s start with spam. What is it? 

Well, spam calls are similar to all those unwanted emails that you receive that are sent out in massive bulk, trying to sell you something that you obviously don’t want and never signed up for.  The ones that you’re likely to mark as junk or spam. When it comes to spam calls, they are usually made by aggressive telemarketers who are also trying to sell you something, and while legitimate, it’s something that you didn’t ask for. They can be very pushy and can waste no shortage of your precious time to no shame.  Robocalls are also another form of spam calls, delivering a pre-recorded message, with the goal of also selling you something. These types of calls try their luck, by calling as many as people as possible. 

A woman on the phone in a cafe
We receive endless unwanted calls

So what’s different about a scam? 

Scams are unfortunately even worse than simple spam, because the goal of a scam is to steal either your hard earned money, and in some cases even your person information to misuse.  Scams are similar to spam in the sense that they are often presented in a way that you are being sold something or being offered a special prize, but the offer is far from legitimate in a scam. Sometimes scams even demand that you pay for something that you didn’t want. The only thing you are being offered here is a chance to get yourself a sticky, undesirable situation.  The calling patterns for these calls are also different, and tend to be made from a one-time use number in order to not be tracked. 

An elderly woman on the phone
Elderly people tend to be the targets of these scams

Either way, whether it’s scam or spam, it’s not something you want to get involved in or deserve to experience. But fear not, CallApp has got you covered, allowing you to always know who’s calling, identifying as many spam and scam numbers as possible, constantly working to protect you, as well as offering you the option to block any unwanted number