Another day, another scam – or two.
WEIS Radio has been contacted regarding a number of different scams hitting the Cherokee County area recently. One resident reported receiving a call from someone promising her a lower interest rate on credit cards; the caller ID listed the number (573) 586-9589 as being a wireless number from Ft. Leonardwood Missouri and the caller had what the complainant called a “very heavy foreign accent”.
She told us it was obvious from the start what was going on, and when that man asked for a credit card number, she simply started making up numbers. Sometimes too many and then sometimes not enough, sometimes repeating the numbers when asked, but changing half of them. Needless to say, he finally got the message and decided to cut his losses, hanging up.
Yet another local resident stated that they had been approached by someone claiming to be with Reader’s Digest. That return number was (876) 478-0907; the caller even went so far as to “assure” the woman that this was NOT a scam (which it was, topped by a lie), and said she had won somewhere in the neighborhood of $950,000 BUT first, she would have to pay the taxes and fees associated with her winnings – and that’s when she hung up.
The Better Business Bureau warns that many, many scams are associated with the 876 area code, which is actually from Jamaica.
Some simple reminders when it comes to these type calls include:
IF YOU DIDN’T ENTER A CONTEST, YOU DIDN’T WIN ONE
Pretty simple, eh?
NEVER PAY ANY MONEY TO COLLECT SUPPOSED SWEEPSTAKES WINNINGS
Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to pay “insurance,” “taxes,” or “shipping” charges in order to collect your winnings
NEVER WIRE MONEY
Once the money’s gone, it’s gone.
NEVER PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION
By stealing your identity thieves can clean out your bank accounts – and run up tremendous debt overnight.
To avoid being a victim, all you have to do is hang up.