The Scam that hopes you will miss-dial

[Murrmurr]

There is an online broker who sells the last 9 digits of phone numbers with the prefixes 866, 888, 833, etc., rather than 800.

Several scam organizations buy those 9-digit combinations and give them an 800 prefix.

So, for example, if your credit card customer service number is 866-274-4567, and you mistakenly dial 800-274-4567, your call goes to the scammer, who simply answers something like "help desk, this is Tom Jones."

You think you called your bank. And no matter what issue you're calling about, they can definitely help you....get signed up for a bunch of subscriptions that'll cost you about $20/mo auto-payments each. And these organizations intentionally employ people in, say Calcutta, with really thick accents, and tell them to talk really fast, except when asking for your information, of course.


Make sure to double-check that 3-digit 8-something prefix, and make sure you dialed it correctly.

 

[Michael Z]

Good to know. Thanks for posting!

 

[Myquest55]

Thanks for that head's up! Usually we worry about the bank giving out our information but if we think we're talking to them...it would be easy to get it wrong.

Our Credit Union will ask us to provide them with a member number and then THEY will ask us to provide a secret code (letters and/or numbers that WE provide). Thus, they will not give out any information if that code is not correct. Perhaps you could ask your bank or credit union to code your account.

They also ALWAYS answer with the name of the Credit Union. I would assume that most institutions do the same?? I am terribly suspicious - especially if something seems off.

 

[Murrmurr]

Thanks for that head's up! Usually we worry about the bank giving out our information but if we think we're talking to them...it would be easy to get it wrong.

Our Credit Union will ask us to provide them with a member number and then THEY will ask us to provide a secret code (letters and/or numbers that WE provide). Thus, they will not give out any information if that code is not correct. Perhaps you could ask your bank or credit union to code your account.

They also ALWAYS answer with the name of the Credit Union. I would assume that most institutions do the same?? I am terribly suspicious - especially if something seems off.

My bank never asks for my card number on the phone, only my name and DOB. Then they pull it up and read it to me for verification.

A lot of banks and CC companies are coming up with better ways to help prevent us from being scammed, but it still comes down to us, right?

I think all senior communities and assisted living centers should give classes on what to look for and when to hang up, and so forth.

 

[Olivia]

There is an online broker who sells the last 9 digits of phone numbers with the prefixes 866, 888, 833, etc., rather than 800.

Several scam organizations buy those 9-digit combinations and give them an 800 prefix.

So, for example, if your credit card customer service number is 866-274-4567, and you mistakenly dial 800-274-4567, your call goes to the scammer, who simply answers something like "help desk, this is Tom Jones."

You think you called your bank. And no matter what issue you're calling about, they can definitely help you....get signed up for a bunch of subscriptions that'll cost you about $20/mo auto-payments each. And these organizations intentionally employ people in, say Calcutta, with really thick accents, and tell them to talk really fast, except when asking for your information, of course.


Make sure to double-check that 3-digit 8-something prefix, and make sure you dialed it correctly.

Oh. Yes, l have always been careful about that.