16 Ways You Can be Phone Scammed

I've been very careful with my cell phone number in the past, but now that I'm a small business owner, I get +91 and auto warranty calls all
the time.  I also get the email asking if I would accept a cashiers check
and mail back the extra funds.  Whenever I post to Craig's List, I can
expect a scam call the next day, like clockwork.  Since my roommate started paying all his bills online, he gets fake bank checks, lottery winnings, money finders fee letters all the time.  I'm certain these are coming through legitimate companies; either the employees or the company selling the information.

In some states, if you make a payment to a collection agency, you are legally acknowledging the legitimacy of the debt being collected. A few years ago, the FTC shut down a crooked medical billing company for collecting payment several times on the same bill.
Occasionally I get a call claiming to be a collection agency demanding payment on a medical bill. I will ask them to supply me with a listed phone number and the dates of the services provided and the provider's names so I can check my records and make sure it is my bill and not someone else's. Most of the time they hang up. Sometimes they claim that information is not available, and sometimes they make up the dates and say the they can't give out the requested info on the phone. On a couple of occasions the collection agencies were legit, but the debt wasn't and after I fax'd a copy of the receipt, they quit calling.
In one case, the collection agency reported the billing company to the FTC and the insurance companies, resulting investigations that lead to the billing company being shut down.

I agree.  This site has been invaluable.  As a receptionist, I get the home and business scammers calling every day, over and over.  The majority would still be unknown callers if it wasn't for this site and the great feedback from users here.  

Who knows how many scams our business would have been victim to had I not looked up the number here and found out that it was a directory scam or a toner scam, etc.  They call us EVERY DAY!  Imagine how much money that would suck from our struggling small business if I didn't have the power of knowledge...I have also succeded in getting off call lists through information on this site.

The battle is never over, but my job is made easier and our company is still around because of all of you!
Thanks!

I placed an advert on the Gumtree site and received an email from someone in response. I then received a text message on my mobile phone telling me that this person wanted to have a chat and that I should  press YES to reply. The message ended with an 0800 number. It was 08006800746  and was followed by "2endtxt stop GBP3msg gbp5pw". I googled 0800 notes and there was a site that listed numbers that people had enquired the users of. This number was among them. The 0800 number appears to have been placed at the end of the text to give the impression that that is the number the replier would be calling (0800 numbers being free), but the number at the top of the page indicating the caller ID was 80200.

Obviously I did not call it back.

Great article . Wish everyone could read it.  Most of these things happened to me. Thanks

Well, hell, just how long does customs take? I'm fairly sure I'm a millionaire in some country, a multi-euroaire in the UK, and some rich person who died in a horrible accident just happened to leave me his entire estate, somewhere in Nardia or wherever. Anybody know a connecting flight so I can go claim it?? I tried to book on SOTR (somewhere over the rainbow) Airlines, but they were booked so that's on hold, but then a whole family who must have loved me not only unconditionally, but through ESP, felt it only fitting to leave me their entire fortune as well.

I just can't get over my good luck over the past few months! And now..I've been called to tell me I won yet another huge prize!!! (Eat your hearts out, if only you were me!!) Funny how one of the prizes is a "Lincoln" get it? It's got to be an "honest" win, don't you think?

We don't need to get mad, we need to get even. We have their numbers, and it's toll free...why don't we start just calling them, over and over and over..demanding our prizes..then complaining that we were there and Mr. Russell, or whoever, had us feel out the claim forms and such, and where's our friggin prize??

We need to go to our news station's reporters who strive on this stuff and report them.

Wouldn't it be nice to see such imaginative people use their powers for good instead of trying to rip people off? Cause, you gotta admit, this is a good one.

Just look at it like this, if they call and want your credit card number, or bank card number, or anything other than your name and address, hang up..I'm actually rather concerned that the lady that called me telling me I won 1 of 4 major prizes and then gave me Mr. Russell's number, 1-866-404-5368 to get all the information, knew not only my name, but my address and email....How does that crap happen??
I think I'll call one of the radio stations and let them call these people.

My husband has recently answered two phone calls from this number, the caller having a thick foreign accent, and claiming to be a representative from AT&T.  The calls sounded a bit phony, especially since the second call (on a Saturday) was only a day or two later than the first call!  Thanks for your info on the scamming.  We'll be MUCH more cautious!

Would you assume that a call is a scam if no number shows up on caller id?  I've been getting calls 2-4 times a day with no number showing up. It rings 4 times every time and then hangs up before the answering machine can turn on.  I picked up the first time they called, they said my name, I said yes, they said they were calling regarding collecting a credit card debt owed.  I hung up before they could say anything else and called all my credit card companies and was told nothing was wrong with my accounts.  I've also had credit protection for years and a great credit rating since I have never missed a payment.  I don't wish to talk at all with any potential scammer so I don't pick up any non id number.  An organization with no caller id is most likely a scam, right?

I have another warning which is not necessarily a scam but it easily could be.
I got a message on my machine to call American Express about a very urgent business matter by the end of the day leaving an 800 number to call.  I call the number and machine answers and says "American Express - to get started say or enter your account number"

I called but did not enter the number and pressed 0 to speak to an operator.  They then asked for my account number - I said why are you calling - they say they cannot help unless I give account number.  I say no - how do I know you are American Express - I can program my own answering machine to say "Thanks for calling American Express - please say your account number"

So then I call the 800 number on the back of my card - at least I know that is a genuine number.  Go through the whole thing andgive them the 800- number which I was told to call - sure enough it is an American Express number.  Does not know why they called - payments up to date - account fine etc.

This happened 2 times and both times I called and told them that their tactics were not secure - they of all people should realize the security concerns these days.

Scams take on various forms these days, must be the tough economic times.

My local news website issued several warnings on scams in the area. Scammers apparently are calling locals pretending to be a local power company and threatening to turn off the power if accounts are not paid. They demand an immediate payment over the phone.

My neighbors told me that they received a call at their business number from a person who claimed that one of their employees is suing them and they need to send a large chunk of money as a "settlement" in order to avoid the lawsuit. They were smart enough to hung up and report the caller.

Expect to be scammed these days :) seems to be the best strategy to avoid being a victim of one.

Great Idea!  I always screen my phone calls, however, I think I'll go a step further by implementing your strategy.  Thanx!

Thanx for the following statement:
"Expect to be scammed these days :) seems to be the best strategy to avoid being a victim of one."

I don't think this can be said enough. Thanx Again!

Dear Jen
If the oldest male in your home says he is age 6, now the person who is "casing" your house knows you might be a single parent and therefore the house is easier to rob. Perhaps you're a working mother and the children are at the sitter after school? Don't even give this information out. I also keep all of my bills addressed to a US Government Post Office Box. Drivers license also lists the PO Box. This is not a Mailboxes, ETC or a UPS box which is easy for any person to trace. I used to work in a Private Investigator firm.

I had number one scam ways done to me about 2 weeks ago. Some guy called saying about my warranty being almost expired and needs to be extended. I have an older car with no warranty at all so how could you extend it I said to him. He said pay the upfront fee right now and I will send the contract. I said I wanted to know what exactly the warranty would cover and he said he would send everything out in 2 weeks. I was getting really annoyed at this point because I was aware they were trying to scam me. I told him politely I had to go that I wasn't interested. He persisted I sign up for it, I would not put up with it any longer and hung up the phone. Like you said, I couldn't reach them back on the number they called from.