Community Chat

[Alter Ego]

On 11/23/2014 ivey said:

My friend's mom fell for a scam that involved her going to the bank (in a taxi) and withdrawing a sizable amount of money. I don't remember if it was the bank or Western Union that stopped it--thank goodness.

But the guy on the phone said her grandson--and he called him buy name--had been arrested and needed the bail money. Then he provided her with information of where to send it. Now she was a sweet, sweet lady--but she didn't call his parents to confirm or the daughter who lived close to her before starting out to the bank. And of course, she was embarrassed when the truth came out.

This sounds similar to my aunt and uncle - call from grandson, knew details (names, etc), in trouble - don't tell his parents. In fact, if I recall, he kept one of them on the phone so they couldn't call anyone to confirm whether he was actually out of state or not. They never knew they were scammed until a few weeks later when they were all joking at dinner one night and they asked the grandson when he was going to pay them back.

I yell at my mother all of the time. I tell her to hang up, don't stay on the phone or hit any buttons when she gets a phone call from somebody she doesn't know. She doesn't have any money to give, but I still worry that she'll give too much information or authorize something she shouldn't. In fact, I saw this topic while I was on the phone with her and again commented about all the scams going on.

[LilacTree]

Why just ""older people?"" Scammers scam everyone. I know a scam the minute I see it. Just because I am old doesn't mean I am stupid.

[151949]

I got one of those calls - and I don't have any grandchildren.

[Gidge]

On 11/25/2014 Ford1224 said:

Why just "older people?" Scammers scam everyone. I know a scam the minute I see it. Just because I am old doesn't mean I am stupid.

Ford1224, yes we are all at risk for getting scammed, but I think the elderly are more susceptible (like my mom for instance) because they aren't as sharp to recognize these calls for what they are! (She's 87). We all think that we can't be fooled!

[dooBdoo]

On 11/23/2014 Shorty2U said:

Why don't people use caller ID and answering machines? We never answer any calls except from friends or family. We don't even answer Dr appt. reminders. We let the machine pick up and record the message! If everyone would do this, there would be no scams and they would stop calling once they get the machine a few times!

You're right, Shorty2U. It could be so helpful to see a big, in-your-face campaign to get the word out to people to completely ignore calls with unrecognized or unusual caller IDs. Nearly everyone has voice mail or an answering machine, and those combined with caller ID should provide great protection from criminals. The same scams show up in email, too, however, and we need some ongoing publicity about protection from those. These things won't completely eliminate the problem, but it would go a long way toward limiting their scope.

[DoneTryin]

If I don't know who's calling, I don't answer. If it's someone I truly have legitimate business with, they'll leave a message. Caller ID is a wonderful thing & I also have my telephone programmed with a unique ringtone when the call's from family or friends. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever just letting it ring & not answering.

Anyone claiming to be my grandchild would be hard-pressed to explain since I do not have any grandchildren.

[dooBdoo]

I'll add my usual comment about Nomorobo -- it's a free, safe, effective service to protect your phone number(s) from unwanted calls. Not available everywhere, with every provider, but it's growing:

link goes to: https://www.nomorobo.com/