Last Updated on: 5th October 2014, 12:30 pm
Wow. This is just weird. Apparently, some scammers have started phoning and emailing people pretending to be Regions Bank. They ask them to call this other number and give out their credit card number, expiry date and other info. But what’s the weirdest part is when the scammer phones, people’s caller ID’s have been popping up the words “this is a scam,” and the people who provide the caller ID databases can’t seem to explain why that’s happening, or at least that’s how I understand it. Maybe someone can straighten me out.
Here’s the point where I go on my old tyrade. If you get a call from a number asking you to give personal data, don’t give it like an obedient little sheep. Google is a wonderful tool, as is your bank. If the call you receive asking for data is automated, hang up on it and google the number if you have a caller ID. If you don’t have caller ID, call your bank and ask if they need you to renew information, or go visit your local branch. If there’s an actual human on the other end of the phone asking for info, say you don’t give personal data over the phone and let the human have a nice meeting with the dial tone. If you don’t google the number or ask your bank, just go with your gut. If something feels wrong, it probably is, and you’ll be a lot better off if you just don’t respond. If the bank really wants to get a hold of you, they will send you a letter in the mail, or you’ll find your credit card has been frozen until you give them what they need, or something. The bank doesn’t just go away. These scammers will give up.
I have to admit the people perpetrating this scam are persistent. Not only do they have the person’s phone number, but their email address, which makes me wonder how much data they’ve stolen already. I could see some people thinking “well, the bank does have both my phone and email address, it must be real.” So I could see a lot of people falling for this one. All I know is if you have caller ID, and your caller ID says “this is a scam,” and you still call it and give out the data, you’ve just crossed over the victim/retard bridge, never to return.
