Don’t fall for scam
I am writing in hopes that you can touch on the subject of phone scams. This is the first time I ever received a call, and I really didn’t know what to do at first. The lady on the other end had a foreign accent and was talking really fast. She stated that there was an $8,000 U.S. grant for me. I needed to verify name, address, phone number. Once I verified this information she then proceeded to tell me that it would cost two installments of $57.
First, she needed to verify my account number through my bank, at which she knew the name. She then said my routing number; I told her that I did not have access to that information. I went against my Christian belief and lied. But I knew it sounded too good to be true. She kept persisting, asking do you have a monthly statement or MAC receipt, anything that could verify my account number. I told her that my husband takes all of that information to work with him, and everything else gets locked up in a firebox.
She asked if I could call my husband to get that information, and I told her that he is working and would be in a meeting until l0 a.m., so she said she would call back in 45 minutes. Once we hung up I thought about everything she said and immediately checked my caller ID and tried to call back the number. Much to my surprise the number didn’t even ring, so I believe it is a toll free number that can’t accept calls.
I then called my bank, and the manager informed me that anyone could get access to the account routing number; it is the same number for a wide area of customers. For example, the same routing number is for customers from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. I was unaware of this. Consumers need to know this and they need to know that the government is not going to give you money unless you have applied for it. They are not going to call you and say I have money for you.
Consumers need to know that no matter what, they should never give out their account numbers over the telephone, unless they have placed the call to give it away to pay a bill, which will ensure safety.
This scam has been around for a very long time, and consumers will continue to get calls unless we do something about it.
Christina Sullivan
Perryopolis