A new phone scam?

[robordon]

Got a voice mail that my doctor needed to make an appointment for me, I ignored it. Another phone call today from same local area code number.

"Hello, your doctor would like you to schedule an appointment."

"Which doctor?"

"Before I can tell you that I need some information from you."

I then hung up. Normally I don't take calls I don't recognize but I wanted to see if it was from a doctor's office. I call doctors for appointments, doctors don't call me for appointments. When they do call, they identify what office they're calling from, which shows on the caller ID. The caller also had an accent, make what you will of that.

Anyhow, this is a new one on me. I have also gotten calls from a hospital on a balance due from a recent visit. I did have a recent visit, but between my Medicare and BCBS, I am 99.9999% covered. Same thing, I need some information so we can settle the past due, I then say send me an itemized statement in the mail and I'll look into it. Bye.

 

[Michael Z]

Probably a scam. If it was indeed from your doctor's office, they would have all the information on hand. I just got a call for a checkup - they made the appointment and needed NO information from me other than my choice of day and time.

 

[Jules]

Those scammers are getting better at it all the time. I can believe people will really think it’s a doctors office.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

I just ignore all of those calls and they go to voicemail. The other day, one message said I was being sent to a collection agency for a medical bill. They gave no specifics about the bill - just a phone number to call them back. When I do a reverse lookup on the number, nothing comes up. I have no outstanding charges. Besides, if I owed anything to the doctor, they would send a bill first, then probably several past due notices before ever sending it to a collection agency.

 

[DailyArtsyCrafter]

I don't answer any #s I don't know or have saved in my Contacts. It's not hard for me to do because I don't want to be bothered. Like @MACKTEXAS said, it then goes to voicemail if they choose to leave a msg. I then search the #.

I check the first 3 pages of search results. If I don't see anything associated with the # that is important to me, I block the # and without ever listening to it, I delete the voicemail. There are so many challenges with security today that I don't know if something harmful can't be downloaded from a voicemail.

This screening technique has been working very well for me. Most of the #s come up in search results as scams, spams and phishing reported by others. Only once over the years has a search revealed that the unknown # was from a company I was expecting to hear from. It was from an extension that I did not have saved. That's why I started searching the unknown #s before deleting them.

 

[horseless carriage]

"Which doctor?"

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