I got a call, confirmed my information and when asked for my ssn I told her that I don't give information over the phone unless I call them. Ended that call.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by KathieI

Yesterday I received a recorded phone message that came from TECO (The gas company supplier for the villages area around Lake Sumter, I guess). The message stated that I was extremely late in paying my bill and that many charges were accumulating to the point where I might need financial aid to pay my bill. It was very alarming and after a minute or two, I was concerned because my bill is an auto deduction from my checking account and I worried that something was wrong with my C/A. I called the number they gave me and spoke to a real person at TECO, who after verifying who i was, checked my account and told me that no, everything was okay and there was no issue with my payments. When I expressed my concern about this call, the operator told me that they are getting many complaints like this and someone has started this scam. I guess they were hoping I had actually answered the phone and was an older person (which I am) who is not too savy to this type of stuff and given them my credit card # to stop the charges from multiplying. It was interesting that they gave me the actual gas company number to call back.

Please folks, if you get any calls like this from any utility company or account, please double check before you give out your credit card number. I loathe these type of people who pray on the elderly and perhaps folks with memory issues and hope that I have helped even one person here from avoiding this scam.

Thanks, Kathie

Just curious, you called the # they gave you. What if they did say you were late & they told you, you could pay it right now? Would you? Man I would of never called the number they gave me, that could of been a worse disaster. Glad it worked out for you, whew!👍

[mollypeanut]

Originally Posted by ALadysMom

Sounds as if the waiter at the CC took a photo of your card then he/she used it to buy themselves lunch or they sold it on the dark web.Either way, a new card will stop new charges but I would report it to local police. The thief probably did it to other customers too.

That was my feeling.. scary part is if that was the case they waited more than a month to do it.. charge was April 18, I did not see it till my May statement.. thats 2 months!! I don’t think many people go that long without using their cards.. So most would not catch it..
But I did cancel the card immediately..

[ALadysMom]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

I get calls for lowering credit card interest rate all the time and even pressing the opt out button does not help. Also for extended warranties for cars we do not own. Not to mention windows calls and tells me my computer is sending out viruses.

Someone suggested and like the idea of messing with these crooks.

See how long you can keep them on the phone. I walk around my house when doing this so getting exercise and fun at same time.

By pressing “opt out” you are confirming your number is owned by a human being and that’s why you keep getting more of the same. Even answering confirms your number is active. it’s a sorry, sad business.

These are not honorable people. They are like an evil Wizard behind the programming curtain so nothing is as it seems nor as they say it is.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by ALadysMom

By pressing “opt out” you are confirming your number is owned by a human being and that’s why you keep getting more of the same. Even answering confirms your number is active. it’s a sorry, sad business.

These are not honorable people. They are like an evil Wizard behind the programming curtain so nothing is as it seems nor as they say it is.

Good point, sad that being on the do not call list is so useless.

Since we moved here earlier this year and changed our landline number much less robo calls as they have not found us yet. Starting to get more junk mail though.

[Dahabs]

Originally Posted by Dilligas

Better than a credit card you should set up Electronic bill pay with your bank. You control who gets a check, you can set up auto reoccurring payments (same effect as creditor drawing from your account, but you control) for bills that are the same every month (like mortgages). I also set up reoccurring for credit cards at a small amount to cover any minimum payment level, to avoid missing a payment and getting a late fee charge. I don’t trust any company to tap into my checking.

I have always declined having utilities draw directly from my bank account. When there is a billing mistake I prefer to have it corrected and then pay the proper amount. I do receive their invoices electronically and typically pay them immediately.

Did some consulting work for a utility a number of years ago and I have seen first hand the horror show when the billing software /application is badly designed.

[ronjon309]

Never call back on the number they give you. Check your bill or the company web site for the correct address/phone number. You were smart to question the call. Surprising they gave you the real customer service number

[bob47]

Originally Posted by Dahabs

I have always declined having utilities draw directly from my bank account. When there is a billing mistake I prefer to have it corrected and then pay the proper amount. I do receive their invoices electronically and typically pay them immediately.

Did some consulting work for a utility a number of years ago and I have seen first hand the horror show when the billing software /application is badly designed.

Some years ago I was having a recurring charge drawn from a Citizens Bank checking account. I changed providers, called the bank to stop the authorization, and was told that the company I authorized to draw the monthly charge must turn it off. I could not. Is this correct?

That doesn't sound right. With recurring charges going to a credit card, I can stop them at any time.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by ALadysMom

Sounds as if the waiter at the CC took a photo of your card then he/she used it to buy themselves lunch or they sold it on the dark web.Either way, a new card will stop new charges but I would report it to local police. The thief probably did it to other customers too.

I agree, you don’t know what happen when you let someone take you’re credit card yards away and behind counter. Besides I don’t like paying interest on crap.

[jebartle]

Originally Posted by KathieI

Yesterday I received a recorded phone message that came from TECO (The gas company supplier for the villages area around Lake Sumter, I guess). The message stated that I was extremely late in paying my bill and that many charges were accumulating to the point where I might need financial aid to pay my bill. It was very alarming and after a minute or two, I was concerned because my bill is an auto deduction from my checking account and I worried that something was wrong with my C/A. I called the number they gave me and spoke to a real person at TECO, who after verifying who i was, checked my account and told me that no, everything was okay and there was no issue with my payments. When I expressed my concern about this call, the operator told me that they are getting many complaints like this and someone has started this scam. I guess they were hoping I had actually answered the phone and was an older person (which I am) who is not too savy to this type of stuff and given them my credit card # to stop the charges from multiplying. It was interesting that they gave me the actual gas company number to call back.

Please folks, if you get any calls like this from any utility company or account, please double check before you give out your credit card number. I loathe these type of people who pray on the elderly and perhaps folks with memory issues and hope that I have helped even one person here from avoiding this scam.

Thanks, Kathie

Most scams will not go to voice mail, I never answer phone unless I recognize caller.

[JoMar]

Wow, I feel so lucky. We have Robo call so lots of scam calls don't get answered, only answer calls that we recongnize on caller ID, for the last 18 years have paid all utilities, mortgages, credit card payments cable and telephone with direct payment....bank pays nothing except what we signed up for and won't accept any change in direction so the bad guys can't send it someplace else. We check our CC charges every couple weeks plus the CC fraud department reaches out if the see something odd. We also use paypal for those that accept it. Since we started we have had zero incidents...ever. Have two issues with credit cards and they were handed quickly including FedEx the new card. I have no family or friends that have had serious issues. I carry one credit card, drivers license, Villages ID card and less than 50.00 in cash all held together with a binder clip. Guess we are lucky

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by bob47

Some years ago I was having a recurring charge drawn from a Citizens Bank checking account. I changed providers, called the bank to stop the authorization, and was told that the company I authorized to draw the monthly charge must turn it off. I could not. Is this correct?

That doesn't sound right. With recurring charges going to a credit card, I can stop them at any time.

Some years ago? Maybe you should call the bank now to see if that is correct.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by jebartle

Most scams will not go to voice mail, I never answer phone unless I recognize caller.

I don't answer an unrecognized caller's # either.

Unfortunately though, while a lot of these would-be scammers won't leave a voice mail message, they WILL keep your number on their list...as long as your voice mail just comes on.



Here are some good tips.

Scammers/Robocalls (pick up here)

Scammers often use caller ID spoofing to mask their true location, making it appear that they’re calling from a legitimate or local number to raise the odds that you’ll pick up. (In the AARP study, 59 percent of respondents said they are more likely to answer if caller ID shows a number with their area code.)

Whatever the message, don’t engage. Doing so can lead you to a real live scammer, who’ll pressure you to make a purchase or pump you for personal information, like a credit card or Social Security number. Even just pressing a key or answering a question alerts scammers that they’ve hit on a “live” number, and they’ll call it again and again.