I may be the winner of a free Disney vacation! Microsoft support tells me my computer has been hacked, but they can help me out with a little personal info. Rachel let me know there are no problems with my credit card account, but if I press something I can get a lower rate.
My home phone land line has morphed into a receptacle for an endless stream of scammers who will do anything to empty out my bank account. This continues to happen several times per day, often repeatedly from the same bogus automated or boiler room callers that may not even be where my caller ID says they are and perhaps even in another country. Unwanted phone calls are an increasing intrusion into my home and privacy. It's gotten totally out of control. At least with email phishing schemes I just have to avoid clicking on mysterious looking attachments to avoid malware choking my computer. With my sometimes very early work hours, I often ward off sleep deprivation by coming home to grab a nap early in the afternoon before going back out to finish up what I have to do. I always have to wonder whether a phony phone call is going to jolt me out of a refreshing catnap or break my concentration on work I am doing in my home office.
Yes, I have put my number on a national Do Not Call registry. Criminals are not deterred by that. I do have a call blocking feature, but that doesn't prevent the first scam call and the phone will still ring once before blocking a repeat scammer. I often Google the numbers and they invariably contain complaints about the same few scams. They usually hang up before your voicemail picks up. If you call the number back, you often get a "no longer in service" message anyway, so don't bother. Of course, many "legitimate" companies buy or share phone lists based on your giving the most basic information by entering a contest or responding to a survey. The real hardcore scumbags will target the elderly who may be on fixed incomes. A few years back, my mother was the target of con artists calling from the 876 Jamaica area code. Fortunately, they never got access to financial information. ABC News had reported that some Jamaican gang members would actually kill each other to get ahold of these phone lists the same way gangs fight for drug turf. They were especially unpleasant solicitors who have thankfully gone away. My mother had a slightly more optimistic view of human nature, thinking they can't all be liars. In this scammer underworld, I'll stand by my more jaded view. And no, the IRS won't call you for owed taxes. Just hang up.
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