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Tired of Spam Calls? You’re Not Alone
Scams, spoofs, and sad stories
I checked my cell phone before I started typing this story, and I had two missed calls. No voicemail left, and unrecognized numbers? Yep, it’s spam.
I wrote a story about this topic almost a year ago, and it is still my most read piece. Yet the problem is just as common today.
In some aspects, it’s even worse. I’ve seen news reports locally of elders who were scammed out of thousands of dollars. A lot of these scammers cast a wide net, hoping for someone (maybe with a little bit of a memory impairment) who can be coaxed or threatened into wiring money or mailing a check. It’s sickening.
If you haven’t lately, check in on loved ones in your life, especially elderly relatives and friends, and warn them about the signs of scams. Ideally, if you don’t recognize a number, you can let it go to voicemail, but some people still have the habit of picking up all calls.
One common scam is a phone call saying that you must send money to the IRS right away. Well, the real IRS will send you a letter, and you can call them directly to confirm any overdue taxes. They’ll give you longer than 24 hours to write a check, too.
Another scam is that someone has won a vast sum of money, but must send thousands of dollars first…
