Ash Ketchum

Two weird calls lately:

I got a call today on my land line, automated message, saying I had to call them back about "time-sensitive personal information." They did not identify the agency or company calling, but provided a reference number and a phone number in my area code. I recognized the reference number and found that it was identical to the account number on a recent bill I got from a radiology center charging me a large amount of money for a procedure I had last month, a bill that was supposed to go to Medicare. I had already called up the billing department and straightened it out, or so I thought. Was this a collection agency calling? So I called the billing department of the radiology center again and they didn't seem to have forwarded the bill to Medicare yet, so I reminded them to do that, but they also said it had not gone to a collection agency. So what was that weird automatic call? Of course, I did not call that number back. Any thoughts on what this might be?

I got a voice mail message on my cell phone from a young woman who gave her name and phone number and said I'd called her and wanted to know what it was about. She sounded perfectly friendly. I didn't recognize the name or number and it was certainly not a number I'd ever called on my cell phone. Had she just dialed a wrong number? But if she was calling back a number that had called her, wouldn't that make a "wrong number" impossible? Unless she wrote it down instead of having the phone make an automatic callback. Still, I'd never experienced that before with my cellphone.

I also get a lot of messages on my cellphone in Chinese. What's that about?

E Unit

Sounds like Chinese people are calling you. Unless they identify themselves immediately, I just hang up. If it’s a number I don’t recognize the number, I usually let it go to voicemail. I have T-Mobile, and they have a pretty good system that recognizes a “scam caller” whenever a unusual number calls me. It’s been pretty accurate so far.

Kevin Phillips

For the second call here's a possible scenario: Scammers spoof random phone numbers when they call people. Your number may have been spoofed when they called that lady. Then she innocently called you back.

The Bus

This is why I never pick up my phone unless I am awaiting an urgent call or I have the person in caller ID.

MLBFan24

If you're not in my Contact List, I don't answer. I cancel the call and block immediately, which doesn't really matter if the phone number is spoofed by a bot, but I'm not dealing with that shit.

If it's legitimate, I will get a voice mail.

Abob Teff

^This ... my wife got into a pissing match with some lady by text one day. The lady texted my wife saying my wife had called her. It escalated for absolutely no reason (“No, I didn’t” — “Yes you did”) until I told my wife about number spoofing and explained to her that was probably what happened.

The common strategy for the number spoofers is to use an area code and a prefix the same as yours. You are more likely to answer it if you think it is “local”.

Oh, and ...

TheDude

I've gotten so many scammers calling me I've lost count. I never answer the phone unless I know who's calling, under any circumstances. Sometimes these people leave messages, but most of the time they don't.

One afternoon some asshole kept calling and leaving me these scammer messages - at least once an hour. I finally temporarily turned off the answering machine - and when they called again, they couldn't leave a message. They never called back after that.

Pricks.

story

I've been getting more solicitation calls lately, and now texts. The other day I got a wrong number text and didn't respond because I don't want a solicitor to get a response. Hope Mike P. got a hold of Jamin about the warehouse.

Max Bottomtime

I used to answer them and ask them to hold for a second, then set my phone down. After thirty minutes or so I would hang up. If they want to waste my time I will return the favor, costing them money.

Kurt D

Mike P here. No I did not get ahold of Jamin. Unfortunately because of this, her warehouse of OOP Criterions burned to the ground.

whotony

Like most of you I won’t answer if I don’t know the number.

When I have answered and it wasn’t who I thought I would put the phone down in front of the tv and just let them listen to the tv until they hung up.

davidh777

I never answer if I don't recognize the number. The only scammers who leave messages always warn me in heavy accents that I'm in severe violation of tax rules and will be subject to stiff fines unless I call them back.

Bandoman

That's what I do as well.

Nick Danger

I have to answer the phone lately although I don't know the number. I'm getting calls from three HR departments and two insurance companies, as well as the local medical facilities.

The only calls I can ignore are the ones from my local telephone exchange. If it's the same first three digits as my phone number, I know it's a spoofed number. No real people in my neighborhood call me.

Brian Shannon

People actually answer their phone?

rw2516

Do you get a lot of junk mail from AARP wanting you to join?
Since you mention Medicare I'm guessing it's an insurance provider for Medicare Part D. Sign up time is rolling around.
Even if you already have Part D, companies will try to get you to switch to their plan.
I'd check that reference number against reference/account number of any other bills to see if it's the same or unique to that bill.
Your Medicare number is same as SSN and nobody should have that.

"time sensitive information" is a standard marketing ploy to get you to open a letter or return a call.

It's normal to get a bill for a full amount even if you have insurance. File it away. Later you will receive an amended bill for what you owe.

Ash Ketchum

Thanks. This is helpful.

davidh777

Hope things are OK.

Paff

Does anyone get this one? "Hi, may I speak to Mary?". When you say it's a wrong number, they go into their spiel, "Oh, well maybe you can help me. You see, I'm with...."

I go all Mitch Hedberg "What about the Dufresnes?" on them, asking about Mary, and if they've heard from her, if she's alright, etc.

JimRochester

My number has been spoofed in the past. I started getting 10 calls a day from people insisting I just called them. I try and ignore most calls from numbers I don't recognize but since I'm in sales, I never know if a customer is calling me from a personal phone instead of an office phone. I love getting the car warranty calls. I tell I'd want to extend my warranty then ask them which car has expired. They then ask my about my cars, to which I answer they must know since they called me about the expiring warranty. We go back and forth a couple times before they realize I'm fucking with them and they hang up.

Max Bottomtime

fumanstan

Like others, I also basically never pick up unless I know the person. If it's legit, they'll leave an actual message but usually its crap anyway.

DVD Polizei

Pretty much, this. If anyone wants to talk to me, it's either after leaving a message via landline, or sending me a text mssg via mobile where the number is clearly in my contacts.

Giantrobo

A couple weeks ago I got the "IRS is seriously gonna arrest your ass if you don't call us back NOW!!" phone scammer. Yeah right, FUCK YOU. On my work phone i always get the "You have been chosen for a trip to Mexico because of your association with this resort!!" call. One day I hit "1" and spoke to a girl who tried to get me to give them my CC# for $600+ to "reserve" a Mexican trip to see TIME SHARES. When I acted like I might do it but asked a lot of questions about why I would just give my CC# for a trip that's "good for 2 to 3 years" they got a "supervisor" aka "closer" on the line and she tried to sell it even harder...I just hung up.


I block and block but they call from different numbers.

Giantrobo

Don't most legit folks just text anyway these days? I can see how they scam the Elderly with this shit.