From a concerned neighbor:
Yesterday I received a phone call from someone that sounded like an Iranian friend of mine that lives in Arizona except that his accent was heavier. He asked if I knew who it was and my response was, “Is this ….?” He said yes and that he needed my help. He had gone to Connecticut for a friends wedding, gotten in a car wreck. Had a busted lip and a broken nose and was in jail. The caller gave a case number of B 27484317A and was insistent that when his court-appointed attorney named Robert Johnson called me, I should give him this number. Of course, I became suspicious and before I could call my friend in Arizona, the ‘court-appointed’ attorney called ME.
There was an immediate demand for information which I would not give. This person got a little belligerent so I hung up.
I called my friend in Arizona and of course, he was not in jail and assured me he did not have a broken nose or busted lip. We had a good laugh over this but then it occurred to me that this is the same scam that people use to call “grandma” and pretend to be a grandson/granddaughter.
I called both of these numbers today and both were answered by the same person with a very slight accent. The broken nose and busted lip were very clever to disguise an unfamiliar voice. I think I am street smart enough to not fall for such a scam, but I must confess, I was concerned enough to call my friend In Az. What kind of investigation or who should this be reported to? The more I think about it, the madder I get.
[sep]
If this were to happen to you, remember to use Google as a resource. The first phone number (supposedly from jail) was 878-208-1802 and the second number was 702-405-3525.
Type the numbers into Google and check out if there are any scam reports.
In addition, please report these numbers to the FTC! https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1
There is a Scam/Ripoff category and then Impostor Scam (someone posing as family or friend)
4 comments
The scams have been really bad lately. Got two calls from the “IRS” this past week claiming that that they were about to “freeze my bank accounts” and have me “thrown in jail” for delinquent taxes.
It would be amusing, except for the same point that the article author brought up. Someone might fall for this.
How to report a scam?
@1 Chris Houlihan
The IRS would “never” call you nor threaten you over the telephone. That is the first red flag. They will always correspond by mail.
My problem is telemarketers using phone numbers that look familiar to mask who they are. Got one the other day with an MCV Hospital phone number and even came up as MCV on the caller ID so I answered thinking it was about an upcoming appointment. How are they getting these numbers associated with people we call?
Yesterday, I received two calls. The telephone numbers are 800-433-2222 and 878-208-1802. The story is similar to the one I read this morning on telephone scammers. A family member is in custody and needs bond money. I was concern but, I had some doubts.
I figured out this morning that the first thing was to enter the telephone numbers into the computer system. Instead, I spent my time yesterday, researching names in the computer and calling relatives before, I realized that it was all a scam. I did not forward any money but others have. Please, educate the public and law enforcement agencies what to do in a situation like this. These people are sitting behind the computer probably from prison and making a lot of money and causing innocent people to panic. More, should be done to protect us from these thefts.