Happy new year tellows friends!
As we heard a lot about robocalls in the US last year, measures were taken by the end of the year as President Trump has signed legislation giving authorities to the right to identify and block robocalls.
According to First Orion, also sited by Federal Communications Commission report,almost half of the calls received in the US will be a spam in 2019. According to a caller ID and blocking company in the US, it stated that there were 26.3 billion robocalls made in 2018. All these figures point to a skyrocketed trends of spam calls and especially for robocalls, that bothering almost half of the residents in the US. We have all received spam calls more or less before, but what are these Robocalls and how do they get so popular?
What are Robocalls?
Just imagine you receive a phone call one afternoon from THE US Federal Grants Administration and you think to yourself, what could they possibly want with me? You receive the news of a lifetime – you have been awarded a grant to initiate any project or further your education of your choosing, all at a total value of $8000.00!*
Does it sound too good to be true? The latest scam to sweep across America is the Government Grant scam and unfortunately my friends, this one hasn’t landed anyone thousands of dollars richer. What usually happens to the contrary, is that the caller claims himself to be a representative of the US Federal Grants Administration and attempts to lure the recipient to believe that they have qualified for a government grant. In order to retrieve this “free money,” the caller firstly requires the person’s bank account number or a small figured deposit.
We have some beneficial information with what you might hear, see and expect, to help easily recognize this Government Grant Scam and useful tips for proceeding with the phone call.
Most of us now are glued to our mobile phones. Kids can be playing in the other room but by golly our phones are always within arms length or even closer. Have you ever asked yourself how you ended up with missed calls on your phone? Surely, you would have it heard it ring. And then we sight this phone number we’ve never seen before. Once upon a time we would just simply hit the call back button but we live in different times now, a time where we need to move with caution and implicate security measures with almost everything we do. We have another reason why.
Before we give you our Most Annoying Numbers for the week, here’s a list of institutions that can help you deal with a scam:
1. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has consumer advisories on international and text message scams.
2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides information on phone scams and spam.
3. The National Fraud Information Center (NFIC) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
4. All major U.S. wireless companies can help you with their spam blocking technologies.
And so this week for our top 3, we have a Spanish autodialer with 11 comments and 2085 search requests; we have a spammer looking for k.smith because her debit card has been locked, and lastly, we have our resident caller telling you to claim your Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise prize. Remember guys, don’t fall for it!
tellows is once again receiving several comments regarding Carribean numbers, this time from Montserrat, with code number 664. The scam starts by calling anyone, usually during late hours, so one would think that it is an emergency and would then make a return call. Unfortunately, it is often just a recording generated by a computer system with the purpose of making the victim stay on hold for a longer time. Apparently, it is coming from a „pay-per-call“ line (similar to area code 900 numbers in the US) that charges high fees including international rates.
This scam has been going on since the 90’s and because it is not a US-based number, it is not under US regulations. It would be difficult for those people who were scammed to get assistance and ask for a credit or refund from its local phone carriers since for one, they did make the call, and second, it is already another foreign company in the Carribean that they should be dealing with.
It’s one of those late night calls that you were not able to pick up. You called back early in the morning thinking that it was an emergency. Unfortunately, you heard obscene moaning and realized it’s a scam. Then your phone bill arrives, and there goes an extra $100 charge.
Due to the huge amount of complaints received, police departments across Utah are warning people not to answer and not to call back numbers from the 473 area code. Apparently, some residents in the area who just picked up the phone and did not even return the call were getting a $19.95 charge on their phone bill.
| For some the Caribbean Sea equals paradise, for others, the sole notion of the Grenadian area code 473 forebodes only waking nights and sleepless nightmares. A new phone-fiend has arisen on the small island of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea and pesters unwitting people with dozens of silent calls a day.
Our fellow tellows users complain about an increasing number of automated calls from Grenada. Usually the calls are most numerous in the morning, yet afternoon calls and bellowing phones at night were reported as well. Yet no one actually ever talked to the caller. The tellows user thereby conclude that the callers agenda is primarily aimed at tricking people into calling back. |
Danglt reported the number 4735209795:
Seems to be a ping call from grenada. Even without any fees for a service number the reaming fee will be high enough to cost you some dollars
As we know, when it comes to thinking of innovative ways to rinse you of your money, scammers are tireless; and as rhyme would have it, one of the big schemes reported on tellows.com at the moment involves spoofing Verizon Wireless.
Positive adjectives where positive adjectives are due, this is quite a sophisticated scam. Here’s a quick run-through of how it’s set up…
1) You’ll get a call from Verizon. (Read: Not Verizon.)
2) The automated voice will inform you that you are owed an obscure amount of money (usually amounting to a couple of hundred dollars) as a bill rebate and instruct you to log in at www.vzw***.com (*** being the 3-digit figure you’re supposedly owed) to collect it.
3) You enthusiastically hop online and go to the web address provided, which will look, incidentally, EXACTLY like Verizon’s own site.
4) You happily tap in your log-in credentials, hit Enter, and bish bash bosh, the scammers have your vital account details.
Bonnie was called from 8006001228 and gives us a clue what happens next…
Message said to log into www.vzw81.com to receive $81 off my next bill. I had just got the phones, so I went there and created an account (since I had not yet). A few hours later, my phone is suspended. I called verizon, and they informed me that it is a new scam. They get your login info and then they activate Blackberrys for international calls. I am now sitting on hold with the fraud dept to get my phone unsuspended (only been 1.5 hours so far) .. ugh
Fortunately, Verizon is aware of the scam, but it sadly doesn’t mean that they are able to stop it. The perpetrators are also spoofing 8009220204, a number that actually belongs to Verizon, to complete the picture of authenticity. However, it’s worth being aware that this is a number that Verizon doesn’t actually use to make outgoing calls.
Luckily for some, like all dirty dealers, they’re not always top of their game. Following a call from 8006006358, ‘Duh’ offers the following testimonial:
They have called me several times telling me I have a $331 credit to my account. Only problem is, I don’t have a Verizon account. Maybe they will just send me the cash. Should be close to 10 grand by now.
Well, noone’s perfect. A fraud ring was recently arrested for the self-same scam – this was a momentary triumph, but the Verizon gig seems to be such an attractive technique to fraudsters that somebody is still out there conning people out of their hard earned dimes. As always, we urge you to second-guess unexpected or unlikely-sounding phonecalls or emails and always contact the company directly if you’re unsure about anything at all. Keep reporting your experiences with unknown numbers on tellows and help the online community in the struggle against telephone torment!
Well then, boys and girls. As a closing note, we’d like to leave you with these summative words from ‘Complaint’.
8008889599 IS NOT VERIZON WIRELESS. The pre-recorded voice instructs you to visit www.vzw625.com to collect a $625 bill credit. DO NOT visit this website, it is a scam. This is not verizon wireless.
In case you didn’t catch that, these numbers are NOT Verizon Wireless.
‘Til next time…
Your tellows team
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: scammers really do know no scruples. The scheme we’re looking at this week preys on senior citizens.
Often living at home alone, Grandma & Gramps may feel isolated or vulnerable; so when a scammer comes calling from ‘Senior Safety Alert’ with an offer of an unbelievably cheap in-house alarm system for break-ins or medical emergencies, they will probably jump at the chance.
Ironic, considering that sieges on their security are exactly what they’re trying to protect themselves against.
The call starts with a recording offering the deal: a system worth hundreds of dollars, fitted for you, on a $30 per month contract. The potential ‘scammee’ will then need to press a number to indicate their interest and will be transferred to a ‘customer advisor’, who will take their credit card numbers and personal information and scam them for all their worth.
You, faithful tellows users, seem to be on the ball enough to show these fraudsters what you’re made of. It helps that they don’t seem to have the facility to filter their target market.
User ‘vanity-affair’ got a call from 2126775122, claiming to be ‘Medical Alert Systems for Seniors’ (which might be bona fide but is suspiciously one of the names famously used by bogus callers).
I’m not a senior but the calls are still annoying. I’m not interested in buying something over the phone.
Meanwhile, ‘grandma’ is having none of it: with a dismissive flick of what I imagine to be an immaculate perm, she terms the call she got from 5412003592 as
the classic medical alert scam.
Things to look out for…
The caller will identify him or herself as an employee of a company to the effect of Senior Safe Alert, Medical Alert Systems, etc. etc. There are, of course, legitimate companies that offer these systems but they will NOT, repeat NOT, ask you for your social security number, credit card details, outline of your genetic makeup, etc. etc. during a sales call! Other warning signs include a refusal to disclose any details about the company (e.g. address) or an unwillingness to provide any authentification documents.
As always, take care of yourselves! And don’t forget to er… raise the alarm, if you get one of these calls.
Keep reporting your number experiences on tellows and have an excellent week!
Your tellows team