Community Chat

[sunshine45]

@Nightowlz

i still would not answer the phone.

i am set up for emails and text messages from my credit card accounts and banks.

since i have a smartphone and a tablet, i can get these types of messages quickly and can then call them back.

most of the time they just put a freeze on your account until you call them back. i have not had any of them cancelled.

if there is ever a problem then i will get my messages that way OR they can also leave a voicemail (which they have.)

[JustJazzmom]

Several thoughts-- the latest thing is scammers 'spoofing' phone numbers locally with your first 3 digits. What makes them think you would answer a local call you don't recognize?

Elderly as we get older, lose our 'warning system' that something isn't right -- like the grandchildren in trouble scam, or the IRS coming after you scam. AARP magazine always has articles on what scammers try to do.

Many times that phone number number even though it shows a USA number is from actually a foreign country. This is why the US has trouble going after these scammers (crimes not committed on US soil.)

[Pandalady]

A new one that we've gotten is through email.  It "appears" to come from Amazon.  It reads that our "payment has been processed" and our item(s) should be on the way or even one that says our order has "shipped."  I knew we haven't ordered anything from them recently.  These emails give a link to click to view.  I immediately deleted the emails without opening the link.  Checked our "real" Amazon order status and it shows only the last item purchased which was several months ago.

[KingstonsMom]

---

@Nicknack wrote:

My sister's MIL got the call recently saying it was her grandson who was arrested and in jail and needed money.  She said she didn't recognize the voice but asked if it was "Steve."  He said it was, and she continued talking to him.  She told him his father had more money than she did, and he should have called him.  I think she finally hung up.  She did say she was sorry she said her grandson's name.  He even called her "Grandma" instead of the name that her grandchildren call her.  I couldn't believe she kept talking to him.

She answers calls like this all the time.  I don't understad why.

---

@NickNack

Oh no! That's scary!

[Nightowlz]

---

@sunshine45 wrote:

@Nightowlz

i still would not answer the phone.

i am set up for emails and text messages from my credit card accounts and banks.

since i have a smartphone and a tablet, i can get these types of messages quickly and can then call them back.

most of the time they just put a freeze on your account until you call them back. i have not had any of them cancelled.

if there is ever a problem then i will get my messages that way OR they can also leave a voicemail (which they have.)

---

@sunshine45  I will answer the calls from the number now that I know who it is. The credit union told me that's who they have monitoring their credit cards & I need to talk to them when they call.

I just cannot believe they cancelled it after I made 2 charges to the card. All they had to do was put a hold on it until they called back today.

[kivah]

I get several scam calls a day - since I'm home. I answer with a baby voice -- most of the time, they hang up. Sometimes, they ask for my mother.

[JGalt]

One of the robocalls I received last week actually left a msg. on my answering machine. The female voice said she was from Microsoft Windows, that my Windows license had expired and they had locked down my computer. I would have to call the number they left to renew my license.  

While  I knew this call was a scam, I admit I booted up my laptop to see if there were anything wrong.  Only other thing I did is to report the details of the call to the FCC at the  donotcall.gov website (which is also where you register for the National Do Not Call Registry).  I fully realize there is no way the gov't can make the registry worth anything.

[Moonchilde]

---

@sunshine45 wrote:

easiest way to avoid a scam? dont even answer the phone if you dont recognize the number OR hang up when you realize what type of call it is.

---

Just not answering the phone, or blocking an unrecognized number, is nowhere near as simple and straightforward a solution as it used to be. The main office, corporate office or just "other" office than one you're used to dealing with locally from any business may call you from an area code you don't recognize. 

At least two of my doctor's offices and my PT office have automated appointment verification from different area codes than what's local. I get calls from other offices of places I do business with that are in other states. They may or may not leave a voicemail - and they're calls I want. Some of my insurance is the same. I don't get the calls frequently enough that I have the area codes memorized.

When I get a call that I'm not sure about I may not answer it, but then I use one of the look-up websites to try and determine if the number has been used for scams before. If it has, I block the number. If it hasn't and I can't figure out who it might be, I don't block it until I'm sure.

[Annabellethecat66]

My guess is all of that stuff is a scam.  If it sounds too good to be true.....it is.....stay away.

[sunshine45]

@Moonchilde

for myself, it is just that simple......and my kids NEVER answer the home phone.

if i dont know the number, i dont answer it. anyone can leave a message on the answering machine or a message on the voicemail. IF they are leaving a message while i am there and it is someone i want or need to talk to, then i can easily pick up the receiver.

everyone else, including drs offices and other people i deal with have my email AND my cell phone number for texts.