Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Heads Up

As if there isn't enough crazy in our world, I have had some odd phone calls so far this week.

There have been the daily calls advising me to consolidate my credit cards.  This would be tough to do considering I own zero credit cards.  Sometimes I just play along and waste their time and sometimes I remark on their obvious lack of proper parentage and hang up.  Depends on my mood.

But this week I have received two calls from someone with an accent claiming to be from the Social Security Administration.  The first one I hung up on.  The second I played along with to see what the scam was.  Aparently my Social Security Number was used in connection with a crime in Texas.  They could not recite my number to me for verification and they could not tell me the nature of the supposed crime and they did not know the name of the police officer in charge of the case.  Then we had a short discussion about recording my calls and of attorney generals prosecuting fraud cases and they hung up on me.  I may be old but that doesn't necessarily make me stupid.

Todays call was from someone who said they were from a fancy sounding law firm  They tried three times to get me to say "Yes."  They kept asking if I was agreeing to accept the call, to which I replied three times, "What is the nature of this call."  Finally they told me that the call concerned a settlement of a lawsuit in which I was to receive a cash payout.  We then had a short discussion about phone call recording and fraud.  They hung up on me, too.  Don't know why.:)

Sadly, there are lonely elderly folks who believe that the SSA is calling them and that a law firm really has money to give them.

There has to be a special place in Hell for those who prey on the vulnerable elderly.

16 comments:

  1. You are smarter than they are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, BW...but sometimes I think I am probably just more ornery!

      Delete
  2. Vicky~ Here is the link to report a scam to SSA.
    https://www.ssa.gov/scam

    I always note date, time, the calling number, what was said and if the person spoke with an accent and if they were male or female. As to the other scam call, I always say "Hey Tom, Dick or Harry, start the call trace, I have another one!". Sometimes I tell them to bugger off. Red

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link, Red...I like your solutions to those kinds of calls. I have to confess that most times I am in the 'bugger off' mood myself. I find these days that my tolerance level for BS is at an all time low.

      Delete
  3. When an unknown party calls you and says something like "Is this Jane doe?" or "Am I speaking to John Deere?" DO NOT say "YES!" Your "Yes" can be recorded and used for a 'verbal signature" for purchases and other identity theft. Do what Vicki did; "What is the nature of this call?" or "Who is this?" and take it from there.

    One of my favorites to ask is "Are you selling something?" The usual reply is "Click.... BEEEEEEEEEEeeeee...."

    Social Security and the IRS will NEVER contact you by phone to secure personal information...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pete...That is precisely why the fool on the other end of the call kept asking if I was agreeing to accept the call. These kinds of calls seem to be on the increase lately. I think I will just let them all go to voice mail unless I recognize the number. Although I have to admit, sometimes it is fun to play them for a while. I consider it a 'win' if I can get them to hang up on me. :)

      Delete
  4. With every robo call I get on my cell phone I hang up and block the number. We don't have home phone any more. There was a video on FB sometime ago showing a Chief of police talking with some scamers you could hear them and her. It was filmed by another officer. They used the same line as your caller. At one point she told them to call the police or FBI. after the second guy talked with her they hung up. Oh she was in full uniform too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob...I have tried blocking numbers, but some use fake numbers to call from and seem to get around the block. Now I just let it all go to voice mail and delete the whole works at the end of the day. Unless I get cranky and decide to mess with them a little bit. :)

      Delete
  5. They really CAN'T make people pay money by saying "yes" to anything because the scam is known. All it dies is make them bolder as they TRY to defraud the person. And yes. there HAS to be a special place in hell for those who defraud old folks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gorges...It just irritates the bloody hell out of me when I hear someone who thinks that it is OK to defraud some poor person living on not very much. A pox on them all!

      Delete
  6. Usually I just don't answer the phone if I don't know the number. But on the odd occasion, I'll pick the phone up but not say anything and then let them talk or hang up.
    SJ in Vancouver BC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SJ...That's probably the most sensible way to deal with those calls and I expect I should do just that more often. Sometimes the entertainment value of getting a scammer to hang up on me is hard to resist. :)

      Delete
  7. I got one from the IRE yesterday and hung up. These people need a job not taking money from someone who probably doesn't have enough to lose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheryl...It takes a special kind of low life to scam money from the vulnerable. I once had one of them cuss me out for telling him he should find a job that wouldn't bring shame to his family. Must have hit close to home!

      Delete
  8. Friend of mine who was beginning dementia, was found fully dressed for a trip to town by her part time helper
    She wanted a ride to the post office so she could mail a check to a phone scammer
    Her son then went through her papers and found more checks to scammers in her unspent mail which because of dementia she had forgotten before mailing
    He then transferred all proper bills for her to his address and had the post office send on all other mail addressed to her to his place
    He takes care of everything for her now, thank God.
    I have received some of these recordings wanting me to say yes. Some are almost hypnotic
    I then say to whomever listens to the replies that he will go to hell when he dies and I urge him to surrender to Jesus Who will guide him to a lawful job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deb...Your story about your friend reminded me of someone close to me who answered magazine ads saying that if he purchased whatever was being sold, his name would be entered in a sweepstakes drawing for vast amounts of money. He was buying all sorts of junk he didn't need, convinced he would win a sweepstakes drawing. His son handled that the same as your friend's son did. It is so sad to see vulnerable people being taken advantage of in that way. I like your method of dealing with those kinds of calls.

      Delete