Beware of Phone Scams

Monday, January 19, 2009 10:40 AM

Prince George, B.C.- Phone scammers are trying to get you to part with financial information. A number of residents of Prince George have received calls from people claiming to be from a company that is offering an extended warranty for vehicles.

Speaking on the Meisner program this morning on 93.1 CFIS FM, RCMP Constable Gary Godwin says they sound slick “I received two such calls over the Christmas holidays. Each time I threw something at them like, I don’t have a credit card, or, my wife has the bank book and she’s not home, they transferred me to someone new who could handle the variance. They didn’t even seem upset when I finally told them I was a police officer, they still persisted.”

The current scam making the rounds offers to sell you an extended warranty for your vehicle. The callers are usually from out of country and, if asked, do not know what kind of vehicle you have.

“The real reason they are calling is to get access to your bank account or to your credit card. Do not give them this information” says Godwin.

Constable Godwin says since the calls are coming in from out side the country there is little police here can do other than make residents aware of the problem. There are also calls offering free cruises and trips to people ,but all the “winner” has to do is give a credit card number up front to receive their prize. Godwin ads that it’s the same old rule “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

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Posted on Monday, January 19, 2009 10:40 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: MrPG on January 19 2009 11:26 AM

These scammers are slick. Even if they get a .001% response rate, they're making money.

I wonder how they sleep at night knowing they ripped off some trusting individual or grandma or grandpa?

Posted by: rayban68 on January 19 2009 1:12 PM

Phone scams? does that mean Shaw digital phone is not real? Or is this a reference to the 'pay for incoming text messages' scam?

Posted by: BCRacer on January 19 2009 2:32 PM

rayban68, I am not sure what your beverage of choice is but if I were you, I think I would look at finding an alternate because what ever you are drinking has you in some other world that the rest of us..
and there are lots of the sicko's out there just waiting for a chance to pounce on the unsuspecting.
Emails arrive daily with some sob story or another...all looking for personal information and or credit card info or banking info.
We all got to be vigilant and keep others informed ...
Thank you Ben Meisner and Cst Godwin...

Posted by: rayban68 on January 19 2009 3:24 PM

Sense of humor nonexistent on a Monday, or are you one of the smart ones that sent your life savings off to Nigeria?

Posted by: Junco on January 19 2009 4:05 PM

I registered with the Do not call serviceand found out that charitable organizations can still call and was dismayed to see that there are 80,000 registered. The following is an wxcerpt from the site.

Who Can Still Call You?

Consumers should understand that registering on the National DNCL will reduce but not eliminate all telemarketing calls. There are certain kinds of telemarketing calls that are exempted from the National DNCL Rules.

The exemptions include telemarketing calls made by, or on behalf of:

Canadian registered charities;
Political parties, riding associations and candidates; and
Newspapers of general circulation for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions.
Telemarketing calls from organizations with whom you have an existing business relationship are also exempt. You are considered to have an existing business relationship with a telemarketer if you:

Purchased, leased, or rented a product or service in the last eighteen (18) months from the telemarketer;
You have a written contract with the telemarketer for a service that is still in effect or expired within the last eighteen (18) months; and/or
You asked a telemarketer about a product or service within the last six (6) months.
Telemarketers may also call you if you have provided express consent to be called. Express consent includes:

Your permission on a written form, electronic form, or an online form; or
Your verbal permission.
The National DNCL Rules do not apply to telemarketing calls made to businesses.

Posted by: BCRacer on January 20 2009 5:50 AM

I also signed up Junco, my nusance calls have gone from 2 or 3 a day to 1 a month. And charitable organizations will not call you back if you request it. At least any I have talked to won't.
The system is not perfect, but it sure helps.

Posted by: Junco on January 20 2009 6:13 PM

Right on BCRacer, the less the better, if I hear one more call saying "This is your captain calling" I will scream. Mind you if there is a bright side to nusiance calls, they do provide a bit of exercise running for the phone, lol.