by Dr. Eowyn
There is a phone scam that you need to know.
As the video below explains, phone calls are made from people you don’t know. When you answer, a voice may ask: “This is (name). Can you hear me?”
If you answer, “Yes,” your voice is secretly recorded.
Then you’ll get another phone call demanding payment for the purchase of some goods or service, using your voice saying “yes” as proof that you had made that purchase.
As I had posted before, registering your phone calls with the federal government’s Do Not Call registry means very little these days because robo-callers are ignoring and circumventing the registry, and the federal government does not have the personnel to actually administer and police the Do Not Call registry. The registry is really an honor system that depends on merchants honoring your “do not call” requests, but countless and increasing numbers of unscrupulous merchants simply ignore our requests.
What can you do?
- Phones are now equipped with caller ID. When you get a call from someone you don’t recognize, don’t answer the call. Do not be fooled by the caller ID identifying the caller as having your area code — robocallers have found a way to fake area codes.
- Get Nomorobo, a free online service that will block robocalls to your phone. I did many months ago, and it works! Whenever my phone rings once and then stops, that’s Nomorobo blocking a robocall. To sign up, go here. Nomorobo for landline phones is free, but there is a fee for cell phones.
- NEVER ever give out personal information on the phone, such as your credit card number, social security number, or bank account number.
H/t John Molloy
~Eowyn