Phone Scams Alert!
Scammers use the phone to separate senior citizens from their money.
How can you tell if the person on the other end of the line is trying to scam you? Listen for these tell tale statements.
“Did you get the winning lottery check we sent you?”
“I can help you get back all the money you lost in the stock market.”
“I’m from the fraud department of your credit card company. We need you to confirm your credit card number.”
“I have two bidders for your timeshare.”
“I work for the IRS. We have a tax refund for you. I need your social security number to be sure we’re sending the check to the right person.”
“This is a one-time offer. You have to make up your mind right now.”
“The minute we receive the cash, we’ll send you the product.”
“Great news! There’s been a change in the Medicare prescription plan. We need your personal information so we can lower your drug costs.”
“I’m with the security company hired by your bank. You account number was stolen. To clear this up we need you to verify your bank account number.”
“Congratulations. You’ve won a free round trip to Mexico for two.”
When you even suspect a scammer is on the other end of the phone, simply say and do one of the following.
“My hemorrhoids are acting up. Gotta go. Bye.” Hang up.
“I lost it all to Madoff. Good bye.” Hang up.
“Can’t talk. The Feds have this line tapped.” Hang up.
“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.” Hang up.
“My heart’s palpitating. Must have air.” Hang up.
“Does your mother know what you do for a living?” Hang up.
“Young man, I’m a doctor. And I can tell from the sound of your voice that you have syphilis. You should get help, soon.” Hang up.
“You talk too fast for me. Bye.” Hang up.
“I was born before they had social security numbers.” Hang up.
“I don’t know where my check book is. I’ll call you back when I find it.” Hang up.
If a phone scammer calls back, skip directly to the hang up part.
If you want to cut down on normal telemarketing calls, here’s the link to the National Do Not Call Registry. Of course, scammers simply ignore this Registry.
And if you have your own favorite scammer lines or response, please share them.
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