Telephone Scams . . . “I don’t do business over the phone.”
A few years ago, when my son was in college, he took a pick-up job at a telemarketing firm selling magazine subscriptions. His description of the job was telling. He would walk in, sit at a table lined with telephones and computers, log in, and then wait for the computer to connect him to his next prospect. Whenever his sales pitch led to an order, he would get up, reach over, and ring the brass bell.
After a couple of months, his conscience started to bother him. He felt he might be selling things to people who didn’t need them and may not be able to afford them. Although the extra money really helped, he quit. He didn’t want to be part of that operation.
The blunt truth is that people who try to sell you things over the phone are NOT your friends. They simply want to ring a bell.
Now, however, the situation has gotten much worse. Thieves are out there trying to get enough information to steal from you. Some may operate in the states, but others may be connecting to you from overseas. Moreover, if their computer reconnects through a 900 number, YOU are paying for the call.
There are steps you can take to protect yourself.
*First, register your telephone number with the Federal Trade Commission’s DO NOT Call Service. This service removes your number from the lists of most tele-marketers. If you don’t wish to use the link or do not have an email address, you can register by phone at 1-888-382-1222. You should register all your phone numbers, but especially cell phone numbers.
*When you pick up and hear the dead silence of a delay (the computer is transferring the call to a worker), hang up. The computer won’t mind. It will dial the next number on its list.
*If an actual person is on the line asking you to do some sort of business, simply respond that you don’t do business, ANY business, over the phone. Tell them to mail you their request. If they do not already have your address, it is NOT a valid request.
On a telephone or on a computer, it is quite easy to mask the identity of the source. They can say that they represent some wonderful charity, or are simply trying to help you with your interests, but you have no way of validating that information. Even if it is a charity I know and the person sounds genuine, I do my business via the mails . . . NEVER over the phone.
Recently, my wife got a new cell phone with a new number. We registered the number with Do Not Call right away. After a couple of months, she started receiving computer calls from a “lawyer’s office that wanted to talk to her about a very important business matter.” Using Google to research the phone number of the Caller ID, we learned that it was a scam. I simply reported the number to Do Not Call, and they never called our number again. It works!
It is a shame that there are so many scams today, but that is the world we live in. As a consequence, “I never do business over the phone.”
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