Handling Spam Calls

Guide your learners to combatting and defeating spam calls once and for all

About This Module

This curriculum module is based on takeaways from series three of NYC Digital Safety training videos. You may use this module by:

  • Including it in your pre-existing public workshops
  • Combining it with other NYC Digital Safety modules to make a longer data-privacy focused workshop
  • Sharing the handout with library users at various service points

Downloadable presentation slides, a facilitation guide, and a handout can be found below. The handout from this module has been translated into Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Russian, and Spanish.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Describe spam calls   
  • Name different features of spam calls 
  • Use best practices for handling spam calls

Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is also included in the downloadable facilitation guide below. You are welcome to use any and all of this, or adapt it as you see fit.

This module will take approximately 35 to 40 minutes to complete.

Introduction and welcome

Greet learners and review the plan for this module

Defining and discussing spam calls

Offer up a brief definition of spam calls and see if anyone has questions or anything to add. Open a discussion and ask your learners to share their experiences with spam calls

Spam call types and features

Review different signs of spam calls, including clues that can appear via the caller and via the type of call. Pause to see if anyone has anything else to add

Handling spam calls

Review the list of actions to take before, during, and after receiving a spam call. Pause after each slide to see if anyone has anything else to add

Reflecting on spam calls and digital security connections

Share some thoughts on how overall digital security and safety best practices can help you deal with spam calls

Wrap up, final tips, and final questions

Review the closing thoughts and share the suggested resources. See if anyone has any final questions

Next Steps

Download the materials below for use in your workshop or at service points throughout your library.

If you plan to create a longer privacy-focused workshop using these materials, here is a link to Google slides. Feel free to make a copy if you’d like to add these slides to any other deck.

And please let us know how it went! Use this form to share your feedback on this module. We’d love to hear from you.