Whenever I want to have a chat with some folks from far away places, all I do is respond to the urgent calls about the cancellation of my social insurance number, or the alarming fact that my credit card was used to purchase $2,899.99 worth of computer equipment, or even find out when my Amazon package will arrive at my doorstep.
When you press 1, 3 or 8 – or whatever number the absolutely un-accented charming female voice, or the authoritative male voice tells you are told to press, you will be greeted with a heavily accented, “Hello! My name is Eric (or William, or Ralph, or Cynthia…).”
My reply is, “No, it’s not, it’s Ali, or Mahmoud, or Yusuf…”, but what I say is ignored, countered with “And how can I help you?”.
I ask them, “From where are you calling?
“I am speaking to you from the city of New York…” No. Actually, he’s speaking from New Delhi, or Suvhash, or Gujanwala … When I suggest he’s calling from his mother’s basement, my scammer either hangs up, or hurls a truckload of #XX!*//!!! in my direction, or doggedly continues with ominous messages such as, “We have noticed some suspicious activities on your Visa card…” or “Your Social Insurance number has been cancelled…If you do not call this number immediately…” One I haven’t heard lately is, “We are pleased to tell you that you are the only surviving beneficiary of the late Peter Johnson’s estate…”
Here are the ways some people react to calls. “Threatening callers terrify me.” Another tells me this: “I have caller I.D. If I don’t recognize the number, I don’t pick up the phone. If the phone rings, I never answer it. I check to listen to what’s on the answering machine.” Another said, “I tell them to buzz off and hang up.”
“I let them talk on, and on and on, until they realize I’ve gone out to take the dog for a walk.”
What’s your way of coping with scammers?
