Community Chat

[insomniac2]

Don't answer the phone!

[Spurt]

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@KarenQVC wrote:

@Tink814 These sales callers can be good.  There was a young gal selling gym memberships who sounded like she could be my daughter.

We live in a place where a lot of Chinese live.  We get long strange messages in Chinese.  There is one old Chinese lady who just yells into the machine.  Sounds like that newscaster from North Korea who makes all the big announcements.

We once had an old number an airlines had used.  People kept calling me to ask if their plane was on time.  One day I lost it and did like an SNL skit of a crazy employee, complete with stories of plane crashes.  I never got another call. 

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@KarenQVC 

There is a known scam targeting Chinese immigrants----This is from CBS News---

The scammers target areas where a larger population of Chinese live. The scam goes something like this: A Mandarin speaker tells the individual that this call is from the Chinese consulate. The person is told the consulate has an important document that must be picked up. That document could affect their status in the U.S. They  should press any key to get more information.

After pressing a key, a live scammer comes on the line, and the individual is told they have been connected to anything from money laundering to tax fraud or other crimes. To resolve the situation, money must be wired to a Hong Kong bank.

"The scam calls are effective because they play on people's fears over matters such as immigration status and investigations by Mainland Chinese authorities," said Ben Yates, a Hong Kong-based lawyer specializing in cybersecurity, data protection and fraud for the international law firm RPC. "They can also be highly sophisticated, often using fake official documents, stolen data and information gleaned from social media to persuade the victim that the call is genuine."

In New York alone, 21 Chinese immigrants have paid out at least $2.5 million since December, according to the New York Police Department. Victims range in age from 21 to 65, and each person lost between $1,800 and $1.4 million. Chinese are the third-largest foreign-born U.S. group behind Mexicans and Indians, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank that tracks the movement of people worldwide.

• The Chinese consulates and embassy will never call you to ask for money or payment over the phone
• Never share your Social Security number, bank or credit card number, or other sensitive information over the phone, email or social media
• If you receive an unexpected call requesting you send money or payments, hang up immediately 
• If you've been a victim or have received this type of call, report it to the FTC immediately

[Wsmom]

If I receive messages for someone else that seem to be important, like last notice, you will be canceled, I call to let them know wrong person.  Or if I get repeated calls for the same person I will call back to say wrong number.   If it is one time I don't, figuring it is a misdial.  

When dd got her cell phone she got many voicemails for some guy who was quite popular, went to a lot of parties, poker parties, maybe a little illicit pot dealing.  lol. I called back and said hey, heads up, not his number anymore.   Pass it on.  The girl I called was mortified and thanked me so much for letting her know.  My guess is he was unavailable because he was spending a little time in the county jail.  She did pass it on.  After that dd got maybe one call.  

[Mominohio]

This is not a mis dial. I agree it is most likely a scam. At the very least it is some creepy people stalking and messing with people who's number is public and attached to their name, like in a phone book, or even on an application you have filed or a form you have filled out somewhere at some time.