Scams and rip-offs usually come and go in a bell curve manner. First they start small with a few people using the idea, then because it’s new and it actually works, a lot of scam artist start using the same con. After it becomes prevalent, people eventually figure out it’s a scam and quit falling for such things, and then the usage of that method to scam an individual fades away and is replaced by a new means of fleecing people. There’s a new scam with collect phone calls that the FCC has begun to investigate, and if you fall for it, it can be rather damaging to your pocketbooks. Here’s how it works.

A scam artist, usually residing overseas, will somehow get personal information about one of your close friends or family members. They don’t need much, just their name, and the fact that you probably care about them. They can collect this information from websites, social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, or perhaps a data breach from a large company that has your personal information anywhere.

After they know what your name is, the name of a close friend or relative, and have your phone number, the scam can begin. You’ll receive a phone call, often during a strange time of the day. The scam artist will place a collect call to your number using your friend or relative’s name. Chances are you’ll think your friend are relative is in trouble and might need your help, so you take the call. As soon as you get on line with the scam artist, they tell you that they made the call in mistake, and end the phone call.

You might hang up the phone, go on with life, and not think a thing of it. A month or so later when your phone bill arrives, you’ll see a charge for anywhere from $60 to $100 for the call! You really don’t have a ton of recourse, and since the amount isn’t really worth fighting over, you’re just stuck paying the charges.

In order to protect yourself from this scam, make sure that you only accept a collect call when you actually hear the person’s voice ahead of time before accepting the charges. In addition, make sure that when your friends or relatives travel overseas, make sure they purchase a prepaid international calling card. You could even purchase one for them since they can be had for $10.00. This way they will have a lifeline to you and won’t have to make a collect call under any circumstances.

This scam is relatively new and unknown, but it is out there and becoming more prevalent, so be on the lookout!



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