Scammers

[Shirlv]

Received a call supposedly from Amazon stating my order will be delivered tomorrow and my account charged $1000, if you placed this order do nothing if not press 1. I have no pending order so did nothing. Checked Amazon and saw nothing. Hope I am safe. This was a new one. Anyone else receive a similar call?

[Bethers]

I wouldn't have made it to the end of the call if I'd even answered. But the scams now are so scary.

[Shirlv]

Beth, I don’t usually answer calls either but this was a local number. I reverse checked and it came up a local address, about 10 miles from my house and a familiar last name. Did not state scam as usual. Scary

[Cudedog]

Beth, I don’t usually answer calls either but this was a local number. I reverse checked and it came up a local address, about 10 miles from my house and a familiar last name. Did not state scam as usual. Scary

Shirl, if you do have an Amazon account be sure to report this to Amazon. They take such things very seriously.

Anne

[Bethers]

Beth, I don’t usually answer calls either but this was a local number. I reverse checked and it came up a local address, about 10 miles from my house and a familiar last name. Did not state scam as usual. Scary

I almost never answer anything in my phone's area code unless I know the number/person. That's where 90 percent of scam calls to me originate. But that you can backtrack it to someone local... I'd report this to the police.

[Shirlv]

The phone number appears to belong to a nurse and her prominent business owner husband. Can scammers manipulate telephone number to appear local when it isn’t?

[JudyJB]

I have had three very similar calls in the last month. All claimed they were notifying me that the several computers and iPads I had ordered had been sent out for delivery and that my account had been charged a couple of thousand $$ or so. (It was different computers and different amounts each time, but always over $1,000.) All were local Detroit area numbers, probably because my cell phone is a Detroit area number. I blocked each one, but they were different numbers from different suburbs. I hung up on each one.

I checked Amazon when I got the first one, and they confirmed that they NEVER ever call a customer to confirm a delivery or a purchase. They send emails only. And if you did order something, it would be shown in your list of online orders on the Amazon site.

I have to answer all phone calls because I give my cell phone number out to students. However, I have NEVER had any of them misuse it, so they are pretty considerate, other than the very occasional student who calls me at 5:30 am, not knowing I am in Pacific time!

[Bethers]

The phone number appears to belong to a nurse and her prominent business owner husband. Can scammers manipulate telephone number to appear local when it isn’t?

Yes, that can be done. But it might be able to be tracked which is why I would call the police in this instance. Many police depts have special training on this. And you have enough info to possibly track it.

[snowball]

my theory is if not in my contact list I don't answer the phone if they really have a reason to call and want to speak to me
they will leave a voice mail...
so never answer unknown phone calls
sheila

[chalet05]

I’m with Sheila on this! Using another’s number is called ’spoofing’.

A few years ago a woman called my cell and asked why I had called her. I hadn’t so apparently I was spoofed.

[dpf]

I haven't received a phone call but I did get either a text or email with the same message. I called Amazon and asked about it. They took the information and replied to me that it was a scam. It's best to contact Amazon and let them know.

[MandysMom]

If I don't recognize a caller ID name (name not local number but actual caller name) I know, I don't answer, unless I know I'm expecting a call. They can always leave voice mail. Our local PD says they don't have time or personnel to track these calls which, though they look local, are routed and rerouted through various servers to hide their true identity. Amazon just doesn't do that period. And I can bet the caller ID didn't say Amazon! Couple days ago I got a local call, not just my area code but my 3 number prefix as well. Just out of curiosity I called it back ( I hadn't answered it). A local lady answered and we chatted several minutes about how all day she had gotten call after call by people saying why did you call me? She had been keeping her phone off, yet people were getting calls that appeared to be her. I suggested she call her phone provider and ask for a supervisor because the first one to answer would probably just say change your number!
Velda

[BarbaraRose]

The phone number appears to belong to a nurse and her prominent business owner husband. Can scammers manipulate telephone number to appear local when it isn’t?

Yes they can. That happened with my dad. The scammers were in Jamaica but the area codes of their calls were local to him. That is why he thought it was legit.

[Colliemom]

Those are “spoofed” calls whereby scammers use somebody’s number to call and many from your local areas. I have been getting a number of them over the past couple years. I make it a point not to answer, even if they are a local number, unless I know the number or the person who is calling. I have an answering machine on my phone. I figure if they want me bad enough, they can leave a message. Plus I have also noticed that they ri g xactly 3 times and that’s it. I am also getting emails about being selected for this that or the other or my order has been shipped or I have a gift card coming from Walgreens, Costco or someplace. I don’t do business with any of them and I rarely order online. If I do, I know from where and whom. Right into the trash they go. I’ve noticed that if I ignore them, after a while they don’t bother me anymore.

[Shirlv]

Lesson learned, thanks everyone.