 | 20 Nov 08 |
The phone rang and even though I saw that it was an 800 number and even though most 800 number phone callers are OF THE DEVIL, I was expecting a return call about an order I had placed and so I answered it. [I will give $20 or maybe even a hug to the person who invents the ability to ZAP unwanted callers when they dial your number and you are on the DO NOT CALL list. That is not the 'MAYBE DO NOT CALL BUT OKAY, GO AHEAD, JUST THIS ONCE, WE DIDN'T REALLY MEAN YOU" list. It is also not the BUT DON'T YOU WANT TO SAVE ALL OF THE WHALES IN KANSAS? list, or the WE ARE DOING THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT RESEARCH STUDY ABOUT NAVEL LINT AND ITS MANY USES list. I want to be able to connect my phone to a modified taser for these.] [I may be cranky.]
[My publisher's phone number shows up as "unknown" so I can't just ignore them all. Or zap them all. Like I'd really like to.]
So. Anyway, the phone rang and the woman asked me for [relative's name]. She mispronounced the name, but since it is a difficult last name to pronounce, I started to cut her some slack. Because instinctively, I want to be a trusting person. I want to think good of people. I also want world peace and the ability to walk into my closet without it feeling like an archaeological dig. However, as much as my natural instinct–the little part that hasn’t been beaten to death–would like to cut this nice, of-course-she-means-well-lady some slack, the person she’s asking for is a distant relative, so I was immediately suspicious. There’s no reason for someone to be calling me for this person. Strike one. Also, the relative’s name is gender-neutral, and is female, but the caller referred to her as “he” — so strike two.
I used to not be suspicious. Back in the day when I thought, “Ice cream YUM, so GOOD and it’s made with MILK and GOOD STUFF and how can this not be the best thing made for you in the WHOLE WORLD” and, alas, not “Ice cream=sixteen-hundred pounds per thigh. (The all-caps was on sale, three dozen for a dollar. I may have gone overboard.)
I told her there was no person by that name at this phone number and because this woman is pretty good, she jumped in before I could hang up the phone and said, “I’m so sorry–[this caught me--most telemarketers would have jumped into a spiel, so the apology made me linger one more second] this is about a court case and the number we have for [relative's name] isn’t working. I’m with [names a law firm] and this is in reference to [gives a court case #]. [Relative] put down [my husband's name] as a relative and an alternate phone number.
For one thing, I didn’t believe her, but then I began wondering who this person was and what she was up to. Which is, frankly, where she wanted me. I realized that, but did not respond to her by giving her information. I asked, “What court case?” and she read off a number, then said “in county court.” Um, STRIKE THREE. [Louisiana has parishes, not counties, so it is a parish court system, and anyone actually calling about a real court case would know that.] I wrote down the court case number and the woman’s phone number and extension and hung up. Without giving her additional information.
Of course, as I suspected, this was a scam. My relative’s attorney contacted these people [there was no court case pending, anywhere] and confirmed that these people were scam artists–he also threatened them with lawsuits. As he explained, they are interested in ID theft–both my relative’s, and mine. A few years ago? I would have felt nice-girl-compelled to “help” these nice people reach my relative. And would have probably given them enough to scam my ID as well. I’m glad I was at least cynical and shut it down, but I shouldn’t have ever answered that call in the first place.
These are smart scammers–they know they’re messing with the primal need that most people have to take care of their own. Most people want to help their relatives, or their friends, and that benevolent instinct kicks into high gear whenever anyone hears the words COURT and CASE side-by-side. People want to avoid the expense and the hassle, not to mention possible wrong-doing going on their record, and they feel protective of family members and friends, and so will take down these messages and, in the process, often inadvertently give out additional information. Like using the pronoun “she” instead of “he.” All the caller has to do is gather up pieces of information from a few calls and voila, they now have enough information to know that this person they’re trying to target is (a) real and (b) who they think they are [i.e., living in our state, not to be confused maybe with someone by the same name that showed up in another state], which narrows down all of their search information to this one person’s data–data which they can get very cheaply only for a small fee. Now they’ve confirmed who she is, they can start hacking away at her ID.
A week later? I got an unknown caller and, thinking it was my editor, answered. Same scam, different name–now the name of a business partner in another venture. I simply said, “wrong number” and “take me off your call list” and hung up.
They have called at least four times today. Which means I either have to mute the phone or listen to the damned thing ring until the machine picks up. Or block the calls, which, for reasons stated, I cannot do.
This time of year is especially fraught with scams–more people are desperate to scam money and more good people are in the mood to be thankful and helpful and full of the holiday spirit. We just need to remember not everyone has good intentions.
I routinely check out snopes.com whenever someone forwards me the latest “OH, WOE, TRAGEDY” type of email, alerting me to some danger or other. The majority of said emails are hoaxes. If the above had not happened directly to me, I’d have assumed it was a hoax and would have checked out Snopes to see–particularly their fraud page. There are a few other self-preservation steps to take:
- Don’t answer [or block] all unknown and 800 calls. If it is a legitimate caller, they will leave a message and you can always call back. [Also, it turns out that you can block 800 numbers without having to block unknown numbers. There's also a phone number you can call to re-activate reception--and then cancel it again, once you've received a call, if you're expecting one.]
- Don’t ever give out personal information [including pronouns, contact phone numbers, city of residence] to a caller. Ask them to mail you the request and if they don’t already have YOUR address, then they are phishing–the term for scammers hunting information.
- Don’t ever click on an email link sent to your mailbox that offers you a discount or a sale price–even if it’s for a big box store. Lots of scammers harvest your information by creating fake websites with legitimate-looking corporate logos. It’s often extremely difficult to tell the real thing from the fake thing. If you want to see if something for that store is on sale, open a new browser window and type in the store name yourself–you’ll go to the legitimate site that way. They should have the sales posted there. [They may not always have them, but really, is it worth the risk?]
- Never, under any circumstances, give out any password or any account number.
- Children’s identities can be stolen, too. Make sure your child’s personal web pages (MySpace, Facebook) don’t contain identifying information that will allow someone to use their ID [and fake the age].
- If a prize appears for a contest you don’t remember entering, you probably didn’t. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE should be a mantra. This includes things like “gas” and”Wal-Mart” coupons / rebates / prizes.
- If you missed JURY DUTY, they will MAIL YOU AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT. They do not call you, nor do they ever need to get information from you over the phone about who you are. [The real jury duty people ought to know who you are.]
- Nobody gives out FREE ATM cards. For anything. Not even FEMA.
- First, don’t open the door up to a stranger, okay? Just don’t. If it’s a delivery, then be sure you were expecting something before you open the door to sign for it. Delivery uniforms can be faked. Most deliveries do not require signatures and are often simply left at the back door with a simple knock or ring to alert you they are there. This includes packages for “a neighbor”–one excuse a con man will use to find out additional information about who lives near you and who’s home or gone. Or if you are home, alone.
- If someone comes to your door in DISTRESS and needs to use the phone, keep the door closed and ask them for the number. People with legitimate motives will give it to you. People who are obviously hurt and BLEEDING PROFUSELY? Call 911 before opening the door. Unless you’re a trauma expert and you recognize that they have actual, you know, wounds. If someone is calling out “fire” or “rape” — again, call 911 because remember–con men often work with partners. Partners can stay hidden while one person gets you to open the door.
- Pay attention to your surroundings when you’re shopping–or, hell, going anywhere–if you’re on the cell phone while using your hands to go through a clothes rack, chances are you’re not paying all that much attention to your purse or wallet, and you become an easy mark.
- Watch your credit card balances and your bank balances and notify the institution the minute you see an invalid charge. [I check mine religiously--as well as our credit reports. On one of my cards, there was a charge for a Dell computer. Which I had not ordered. I called Dell to see what this was, and they confirmed the order--and explained that my sister had used my card. I don't have a sister. I pointed out that they allowed someone not on the card to use my card and their response? "Oh. You're right. Oops." She even, it turned out, had to call back twice because when she tried the first time, she had the wrong zip code. And they let her. Now, my card company didn't pay it and reversed the charge, but how dumb was that? Luckily, because I caught it when I did, the computer was en route and they caught it before it was delivered. Didn't catch the person, though, because it was being delivered to, get this, a hotel. In Florida.]
© 2008 – 2009, Toni McGee Causey. All rights reserved.
Toni McGee Causey lives in Baton Rouge, LA, and is the best-selling author of the BOBBIE FAYE trilogy. She has contributed a critically acclaimed short story to the KILLER YEAR: STORIES TO DIE FOR anthology edited by Lee Child and an essay in DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS. Additionally, she recently produced an indie film, LA 308. She and her husband, Carl, are licensed general contractors and, in order to support her writing addiction, they run their own company, specializing in civil construction.
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Great blog, Toni! Excellent advice. I made the mistake of allowing a passerby to use my phone and I’m still getting calls asking for this dude! Sometimes being neighborly can create a nuisance!
by Debra Webb November 20th, 2008 at 6:17 amUh. Wow. Holy shit. Or something.
And while there are times I get aggravated by how bass-ackwards Louisiana can be, it’s the whole “parishes, not counties” thing that I absolutely love.
I’ll have Thomas get right on that taser for the phone for ya.
by Becky Two November 20th, 2008 at 8:20 amAwesome advice Toni. I had a company charge my banck accout almost $200 before I caught on. Then I had to change my checking account number which was a total pain. It is amazing what people are getting away with these days.
by Lori November 20th, 2008 at 8:33 amBrilliant post, Toni, thank you for that. All such great advice, especially at this time of year when scammers seem to go into high gear!
by Roxanne St. Claire November 20th, 2008 at 9:08 amAh, ’tis the season to be scamming. my advice is: don’t talk to strangers.
by Karin Tabke November 20th, 2008 at 9:27 amExcellent advice Toni! I’d add to that, watch when you’re shopping and don’t let “helpful strangers” intimidate you into letting them help you with bags or whatever. Just don’t engage. It’s sad that we have to be like that, but we do.
by Jen Lyon November 20th, 2008 at 9:32 amI actually had credit card numbers stolen by renovators doing work inside my own home! So add to your list, keep your cards with you, yes, even inside your home when others are there. Sad world.
by Wendy Roberts November 20th, 2008 at 9:57 amIt’s sad that we live in a world where people will spend such effort to steal from others instead of getting off their asses and getting a job like everyone else.
I had one claiming that I owed a medical bill, we have a lot, but I didn’t recognize this at all. I told them to send me a copy of the paperwork I signed and date of service. They claimed they couldn’t and that I needed to pay by phone to clear this up. I told them, send me a copy or get lost. Amazing, I never heard from them again.
Great post, Toni.
by HollyD November 20th, 2008 at 10:08 amGreat blog. This is the number 1 reason why I got rid of my home phone. Only calls I got on there were either solicitors or someone trying to scam me. So far just having my cell has worked great!
by Anne-Kathrine November 20th, 2008 at 10:10 amWe have a service called “Privacy Director”. It began as a 99 cent/month option. If someone calls from an unknown number, they get a recording saying we don’t accept calls from strangers. If they hang, up, I never get a call. If they give information, I get a call and get to listen to their identification. I can then accept, ignore, or have them get a ‘sales reject’.
Of course, it’s not perfect — the system works on sound, so if it’s a robocall, it will come through.
We’ve been lucky not to have many of these scam calls–and things have gotten very quiet since the election is over.
Thanks for all the other tips, Toni.
(I wanted to create a gravatar because it sounded so cool, but my WordPress login doesn’t work over here for some reason. Don’t know why. Maybe I’ll try a different browser.)
by Terry Odell November 20th, 2008 at 10:20 amOh, Debra, I completely empathize. I still get phone calls for an employee that worked for us 12 years ago. I sometimes wonder if he didn’t give it out like candy or something (though he left on good terms).
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:04 amThanks, Rocki–and yeah, it’s sadly the very time we’d all rather relax and enjoy friends and family when the scammers hone in. I think they know most people have their guard down a little more this time of year.
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:05 amKarin, LOL. Yeah, that one covers it, doesn’t it?
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:06 amOh, Jen, good one. I know someone that happened, to and had forgotten it. [Which reminds me of the scene in Out of Sight, when the Ving Rhames character "helps" a woman put her groceries in the trunk of her car and she's snotty to him, that she didn't ask for the help so she's not going to tip him, and he smiles sweetly and says, "That's okay, I'm just going to take your car." And then takes the keys out of the trunk and drives away.]
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:07 amWow, Wendy, I would never have even thought of that, but you’re so right. (And damn, I’m sorry that happened to you!) I forget that even if I’ve hired them to come in, like the cable guy, that I shouldn’t just give them carte blanche. Last night we had to get something out of the attic. We hadn’t had to do that for a couple of weeks–not since the cable guy was here to fix the service. We didn’t supervise him the entire time and just checked the service when he was done and it was fine. Discovered last night when we pulled down the staircase that the entire staircase was broken–so he had to have broken it when he was here (and there is no way he didn’t know, because it’s not navigable… I have no idea how he got down out of the attic). Just goes to show. (sigh)
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:11 amOh, Holly, that is a great reminder, thank you. And that’s one of those things that’s so easy to fall for, because of the way hospitals and doctors bill separately instead of bundling all services for one date into one bill. (Or at least sending one overall statement so that a person can see all the services, even if they are billed separately.) It’s very easy to fear that we’ve overlooked something and then be vulnerable to a scammer.
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:14 amOh, Terry, that’s intersting–I hadn’t heard of that service. While I was writing this blog, we called AT&T and blocked the 800 numbers–but if we keep getting unsolicited research stuff, I’m going to try that service.
(I have no clue about the gravatar thingie… Sylvia would know. Sylvia is wicked smart.)
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 11:16 amI am so depressed. Fifty years ago if someone needed help, they needed help and you helped them. Now, we have to worry about if they’re trying to hurt us or steal from us.
Unfortunately, most of these scams fall under the financial loss threshold for law enforcement to take an interest–and there are way, way, way too many of them. Truly depressing. We have to protect ourselves, but I just fear that when someone is really in trouble, they won’t be able to get help. Remember the Block Parent program? Kids who walked home from school were told that they could go to any house that had a BLOCK PARENT sign in the window and they would be safe–if someone is harassing or following you. This was in the 70s and 80s. As a kid who walked home from school from kindergarden through eighth grade, I felt much safer and I knew every block parent house on my route.
I had my credit card info stolen–it had to have happened in a restaurant OR at the place where they make the cards because they were able to recreate the magnetic strip. It happened less than one month after I received my new card (so I think it was the bank, and not the two restaurants I go to all the time, but I digress.) They racked up over 6,000 in charges but I caught it and everything was reversed. Banks aggressively pursue fraud because THEY are the ones who pay and WE pay through higher fees. I filed a police report (brought my oldest daughter–she likes cops
). Law enforcement is focused on the ring-leaders–those compiling, selling the information and reproducing the cards.
My other warning: watch your mail. Get direct deposit. Don’t put your checks in your mail box if it’s not locked (i.e. to pay bills) they can steal a check with the routing number, etc.
Never allow anyone to walk off with your credit card to run it unless you can see the station from where you are sitting. Waitresses are the new scammers–they have a machine and they run your card and it copies the electronic information. This is how they reproduce your card. They don’t need a pin number. Memorize the 3-digit security code on the back then scratch it off. That way the clerk has to ask you for it.
by Allison Brennan November 20th, 2008 at 11:29 amAllison, I know what you mean. When we got off the bus from school, we were often let off at the opening of our neighborhood (unless it was storming–then she’d drive us closer in). We walked several blocks down that long street in to get to our house, but we knew people on every block and everyone watched out for everyone else’s kids. Right now, I have neighbors two blocks either direction I have never met and wouldn’t have a clue about.
We live in this very weird time when our true “neighbors” may be the people online–the groups and gatherings. Communities are there… they’re just not necessarily close by. I wish we could have the best of both worlds.
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pmI ordered flowers for my mom one time with 1-800-flowers and about 5 minutes later I got a call saying the credit card hadn’t gone through right. So, stupid me, I gave them the number again. Next day we had an extra $5,000 on the card. Thankfully the card company took the amount off and issued us new cards.
by Amanda November 20th, 2008 at 1:04 pmAmanda, wow, I had not heard of that one. And I would have given them the card, too, because I would’ve assumed it was legit. Geez! So glad you caught it.
by toni mcgee causey November 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pmToni, excellent post. One new scam that I’ve heard of is preying on the elderly, as many of these do. This couple got a phone call saying, “This is your grandson, and I’m in jail. I need you to wire me bail money.” They panicked, wired the money, then found out it was NOT their grandson.
Stupid scammers.
by Natalie November 20th, 2008 at 5:22 pmSloooowwwww brain today. The Civilian Police Academy had a seminar on Crimes Against Seniors (although all ages can be affected) and I posted a link to the fbi’s site. If I screwed up the html, here’s the complete link: http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm
If anyone wants the details, you can search my blog for the series starting on Sept. 18th. http://terryodell.blogspot.com/
by Terry Odell November 20th, 2008 at 5:59 pmGreat Blog Toni. Sadly people are to ready to believe the most stupid claims, so I stick with the simple adage, “If it sounds too good to be true…” well you know the rest.
While a lot of people shred their credit card offers to avoid identity theft, so people just tear out the name/address portion and throw the rest away. Beware, credit card companies are making it even harder, now your name and address appears at least twice in each offer, on the opening letter, and at the bottom of the attached application.
In small town radio I am pretty connected with the local law enforcement officers. I am mind boggled with how often we are asked by them to run an alert or a news story warning people of the most recent scams being run in the area and how many people fall for the scams. The majority of residents here are elderly and far too trusting.
Sadly as time goes on, society grows wide, and we need to be more protective and vigilant.
by Cele November 20th, 2008 at 7:41 pmI’m on the list serve (emails) from the State Attorney General’s office, so I get alerted to the latest scams.
Have you heard about the ‘you won a new car, you just need to wire money to pay for the shipping’ one? Friend of my mom’s is still trying to convince his mother-in-law that that was a scam.
by Arlene November 21st, 2008 at 10:54 am