Lately I've been getting the feeling that with all the "working from home" stuff of the last couple years a lot of people have concluded that the best way to work from home is to run phone scams. I've had numerous calls from "Publisher's Clearing House," "the FTC" (said they were holding my prize from PCH from a couple of years back and all I needed to do was pay the storage on it), "XCel Energy" (wanted to lower my monthly bill, all they needed was for me to tell them my bank account number), "Medicare," and probably a few I've forgotten. And they all seem to believe that if they can just talk to me long enough I'll suddenly lose my distrust and give them what they want. Even when I hang up on them they keep calling me back! And that doesn't include the email scams - I can't even count the number of emails I've received saying that I've ordered an iPhone from Amazon and I'd better click on the link if I want to cancel it.My most recent was:
Hello, may I speak with Mrs. Surette?
This is she, but the last name has changed.
Oh. Well, this is Mr. Smith with XYZ Collections. We are calling about your debt with EZCheck.
I've never used EZCheck.
Well, ma'am, our records show that you borrowed $2,500 from EZCheck which was deposited to your bank account with WF Bank on September 3, 2013.
Hold a moment. No, I'm looking at my bank statements for August, September and October of 2013, and no such deposit was made.
Can you send me copies of those statements? (and my "I wasn't born yesterday either" grew wings and flew)
No, I cannot. However, I will be happy to meet you in small claims court with them. Have a good day.
I think the "gentleman" was shocked that I had those banks statements on hand, and could find them so quickly. Old ladies are not supposed to have all their financials saved in files on their computers! Honestly, normally I'd have deleted that file at the beginning of this year. I'll be holding on to it for a bit longer, i think.
I also get the feeling that they feel somehow "betrayed" because I'm in my late sixties but I'm not an easy mark. (poor dears).
Margret