Beware of Phone Scams!!!

PLEASE SHARE!!! SCAM PHONE CALLS!

Dear friends and family, please be aware that there are several phone-based scams currently in operation. Be very careful to independently verify any calls by people, especially if you're not familiar with them. Here are the types of calls I've been receiving. There are email and Facebook scams, too, so be aware!

1. The Student Loan Forgiveness program. I have been called from multiple locations around the country, even after pressing 2 to be removed from their lists and making complaints in person to their employees. They are trying to rob you of your money! I do not have a student loan, or any other kind of loan!

2. Famous hotels, like Hyatt and Marriott, saying I've won a vacation due to my booking. These are fraudulent operations, often based in Mexico, which seek to offer you a vacation to different locations at a "deeply discounted" rate. There are Americans involved in this scam, along with their Mexican workers. They will seek to overcharge you, possibly with bad things happening after arrival (such as the "dream" hotel turning out to be a hovel, no booking, being waylaid, etc.) I have no outstanding bookings, nor have I since I started getting these calls.

3. Calls from investigative agencies, possibly representing themselves as being part of the IRS. They will tell you that you're being investigated related to taxes, and that every aspect of your life is being investigated. You are told that you must appear in court or they will file a guilty verdict against you. First, they CANNOT file a guilty verdict against you. That is the decision of the judge. Second, a phone call does NOT constitute legal notification of a court appearance - that only happens by regular mail, a personally delivered subpoena or similar. They are attempting to defraud you of your money. I have no tax debt to the IRS.

4. An IT expert calls to warn you that something is very wrong with your computer. They will refuse to give you their phone number, will make demands, not want you to get off the phone and threaten to lock down/shut down your computer if you want to end the call, and employ other tactics, especially for those who are not computer experts. They may even attempt to have you install a program that will open your computer up to their control. This happened to my mom a month ago - her computer has been broken since 2006!

There are other types of calls that seek to exploit your weaknesses, fears, desires, etc. through social engineering and/or psychological manipulation. The phone calls will come from within the US, but may be routed from outside the country. Calls may involve insurance, sales of products, memberships, etc.

SIGNS THAT IT'S A SCAM:

1. The phone number they are calling from is private/unlisted, or your display shows something like "Scam Likely".

2. The call is initiated by an automated calling system, almost always with a woman's voice, and has a woman's name. The option to be taken off the list is #2, but you'll still get calls.

3. The caller is unwilling to give you a number to call them back, especially if they say that if you end the call you'll lose out on the offer.

4. The caller instructs you to visit a particular website that you're not familiar with, or that bears a similar address to popular websites.

5. You are given specific numbers to call or addresses to go to.

6. You are told to go to the nearest ATM because you've won a large cash prize, especially if they tell you exactly which ATM to go to to verify that the money is in your account. They are targeting you specifically and have a "skimmer" on ATMs near your home which will capture your card information AND your PIN, which they'll then use to drain your account.

7. The caller attempts to make you emotional or fearful in some way, pressures you or makes you feel like you're losing out on a good deal.

8. The call is a local or national number, but the person has a foreign accent. Ask them where they're located, and be wary of any calls originating from another country.

9. The call involves money/discounts, gifts or prizes, or threats of legal action and fines.

HOW TO HANDLE THEM:

1. If you're in a rush, tell them to take you off their list, then go into the call log and find the option to block their number (if your phone has that feature - if not, contact your mobile phone company).

2. If you'd like to make them unhappy, you can either use a loud whistle or similar device, or you can keep them on the line as long as is possible (without giving any real info) in order to make them waste their time and lose out on their quota and bonuses. Reel them in, then let them swim, then reel them in again! They'll be very frustrated. Ask to speak to a supervisor about concerns or worries you have, so you can waste that person's time, too! I did that with the vacation scam. After you grow tired of messing with them, tell them to take you off their list.

3. Report scam calls to your phone company and to relevant scam tracking websites online, such as https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. You can try contacting the police. Ask your carrier to block those numbers, especially if you cannot do so on your phone, and make sure you are making a complaint about fraudulent activity.

NEVER, NEVER, EVER give them your personal data!

There is software out there that can help, like Scam Tracker and Scam Hunter.

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