16 Ways You Can be Phone Scammed

Often people don't realize how much information about them can be collected via a simple web search. All you need is know where to look for it. Like gov. websites which will give your name and addresses to any website user and all information on the property and companies, if any, owned. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PRIVATE INFORMATION any more.

For an extra $10 you can find out person's former addresses, DOB, phone  numbers, and even last digits of SSN. If you want to your information to stay private then: do not register on your name any property, do not open credit cards, do not give your personal info to your dentist, magazine, insurance co, water and electric company, bank, etc,....

It's a good tip. I used to have this option when I was with Citi, now I am with Chase and they don't have it.

A BIG SCAM OUT THERE:  There is a company called classiccloseouts.com that does a scam on people that works like this...
Once you order from their website (which is VERY enticing with super cheap stuff of all kinds), they then have your name,address,email and credit card number on file.  Several months later (sometimes even a few years later) several charges start appearing on your card for one of their "free shipping clubs". These charges range from 49.99 to 79.99, and they just keep charging every month or every other month until you report it (unfortunately MOST people don't even check their card statements, so they don't know it's happening!!).  When you DO report them to your card and the card charges them back...they then send a bogus letter to your card company stating that they sent you an "email ad" invite which you then signed up for on that website.  Obviously this is NOT true, but they already have your card # and personal info. The card company then asks you to dispute it, which is a big hassle.  Eventually you get it taken off, but what a SCAM this is.  Just google their name and you'll see a TON of stuff on them come up.  WHAT REALLY IRRITATES ME is that I originally went to their website through the Mypoints.com website which had them listed as one of their 'merchants'.  ClassicCloseouts had complaints and filings with the FTC which shows that mypoints does not screen it's clients or merchants.  I trusted them to have reliable safe merchants and they let me down!  When I reported this to them several times, they did nothing, which again shows they don't give a cr*p about their members.

Scam the Scammers Look at this site: http://www.419eater.com/ how some people fight back.

I got charged on my cell phone a few dollars unauthorized.
After clearing up this mess, I put a restriction on my cell phone - only
receiving and calling phones on my phonebook(address book). Problem solved.

In California, the sure-fire way is to deny credit check to yourself.
Have your credit frozen for $10 each for each credit bureau(3) forever.
When you allow someone to check your credit, write to each bureau for a
limited time defrost, or specific entity check only.
Nobody can open new credit in your name.

what part of tx are you from jackie?

I am surprised that your wife actually sat through an entire Billy Mays commercial, let alone bought the knife sharpener from him!  Any time he comes on during a program I can't hit the mute button fast enough.  I ALWAYS yell at the TV screen, "Shadduuuuup, Billy Mays, you loudmouth!!"  He is just too darn loud!!  I do like his oxyclean and orangeclean products, however.  Now, he apparently sells insurance, too. LOL!!!

That's scary to think that they can use a soundbyte from a taped conversation and use it against you inappropriately like that.

People-grow up-this is real life-stop watching so much tv and get a life

My son and I applied for a passport in July of 2008. Went to the post office. The post office employee asked for our original birth certificates, social security cards and a copy of my driver's license. I questioned his need to take our original documents but he insisted that after the terrorist attack of 9/11 that originals were needed to verify authenticity. I trusted this post office employee, who was in charge of the passport office, to take our original documents. The only original I evenutually received back was my son's birth certificate.

I've called the passport office number (which is actually just a buffer number), the post office where I applied, and LifeLock.  The passport office claims all documents were sent back, the post office tells me once the documents have been sent they don't have anything to do with it and LifeLock tells me I have nothing to worry about and then puts fraud alerts on all my accounts, which makes it hard for me to travel or apply for credit.

Does anybody smell scam in any of this?

Any suggestions as a government employee as to where or to whom I should continue to call to get my original docs back?

Well I just had a new telephone services scam call me at the office.  It was not for voice mail - more technical support type of services
They claimed they were sending us some rebate checks and if we liked their service - they would bill the company on our phone bill.

I listened to her rattle on about it without saying a word, when she said We'll bill via your phone bill - I immediately said
stop - no we are not interested, I am well aware of the telemarketing scams that target businesses and WE ARE NOT AGREEING TO ANYTHING.  TAKE THIS NUMBER OFF YOUR LIST!

She did not try and refute my comment about telemarketing scams either. She claimed the number would be removed.  (yeah right) I gave the other admin staff in the office the heads up on this one in case they call again

THE REAL FUNNY PART -I work for a telephone company - WE HAVE OUR OWN TECH SUPPORT!

This was a very informative call about the scams out here, and yes I have received these calls asking to lower my interest rate on my home and credit cards, unsolicited.  Yes, I was a victim of slamming two years ago and it was horrendous

I did call another 800 number promising debt relief, and when he asked how many cards I was using I only said one --then there was silence, and I hung up!

I have been getting these type of calls as well it shows up caller unknown with a 788 or 877 beginning area code! one time I did answer and the peson on the other line said nothing!  it seems the moment I walk in the door from work these calls start!

Actually when I worked as a Sales Rep for Dish Network (Echostar) I had to ask for a SSN and a Credit Card Number for a credit check to even set up service for a potential customer.