Last Week I Received a Scam Phone Call
And how I reported it
Have you ever had a call like this?
Recently, my phone rang, displaying an area code from approximately 55 miles from where I live. I don’t usually answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize. But since I am helping a relative with her financial matters, I wondered if this call was related to that, so I answered.
The call began with a recording stating that I was listed as an emergency contact for my stepson, who lives in another state. A man’s voice said that their legal department needed to contact him concerning a pending legal matter and a possible court date.
The recording indicated that if I could contact my stepson, I should press the #1 key to speak with him; it provided a man’s name “from the legal department.”
I pressed #1, which led to a female operator. I told her I was responding to the message about my stepson. She asked for his name, checked it, and stated that the legal department needed to contact him regarding a pending legal matter possibly involving a court case. She asked if I could reach him and have him call them.
Why I was suspicious
I sensed something fishy about this. I asked what the legal case was about, and she said she couldn't give that information, as it was confidential. I asked for the business name, and she said she could only give that to my stepson directly. That was my signal that this was a scam call.
I played along, saying it is difficult to reach my stepson, but I would try. I asked what phone number he should use to contact them. She gave me a number with an 833 area code. This was not the number from which I received the call. I told her he would not likely return the call, said goodbye, and hung up.
My investigation
I did a reverse phone number lookup. The number from which I received the call was listed for a woman far away in Georgia. Next, I entered the 833 number. It showed no listing for that number.
Then, on my computer, I opened Perplexity.ai. I gave details about the call and requested information on the two phone numbers. The AI responded that it was likely a scam call. Neither of the numbers was associated with any business. The 833 area code is not associated with any specific geographic area, but is used by certain companies for marketing or customer service purposes. However, many scam phone calls come from that area code.
It also explained that some debt collection companies illegally use this tactic of telling contacts that a legal matter is pending, in order to intimidate them into divulging information or providing contact details.