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Did I just get scammed?
tallgeeze
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, this number has been calling my cell phone for the past couple of weeks, but never left a message. I have been having voice mail trouble lately, so I thought that was the reason. This morning the same number calls and I pick it up. It is an automated message concerning my vehicle warrenty expiring. The thing is that I just got a new car, so I thought it was legit.
The automated message tells me to press 1 to speak to an operator. Some girl comes on saying my extended warrenty is gonna expire if I don't activate it. I tell her the make, year, and milage of my car. I then ask her if this was some extra stuff offered by the dealership. She then proceeds to transfer to some other lady. The new lady says she is has gone over my records and basically tells me the same thing I just told the first girl. I give her my name and address and then she transfers me to some guy. He comes on and I keep pressing for details for this warrenty and possible extra costs. He puts me on hold and after about 3 minutes of hold music it just stops. No one picks up or anything.
I google the number and come to find out this is some telemarketers people and possible scammers. How much potential shit am I in since I gave them my name and address? I did not give them my social or any financial info, but who knows what they can do with the stuff I did give them.
The automated message tells me to press 1 to speak to an operator. Some girl comes on saying my extended warrenty is gonna expire if I don't activate it. I tell her the make, year, and milage of my car. I then ask her if this was some extra stuff offered by the dealership. She then proceeds to transfer to some other lady. The new lady says she is has gone over my records and basically tells me the same thing I just told the first girl. I give her my name and address and then she transfers me to some guy. He comes on and I keep pressing for details for this warrenty and possible extra costs. He puts me on hold and after about 3 minutes of hold music it just stops. No one picks up or anything.
I google the number and come to find out this is some telemarketers people and possible scammers. How much potential shit am I in since I gave them my name and address? I did not give them my social or any financial info, but who knows what they can do with the stuff I did give them.
tallgeeze on
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You really can't do much with knowing what car you drive, either.
Are you sure you didn't give any other information?
You may have learned this now, but never, ever, give out information to people who call you. You did good asking if it was tied to the dealership, but you should have hung up as soon as you got that scammy feeling.
In general though, I don't give out information to people on the phone unless I can verify that they are actually who they say they are, especially not if they're calling constantly and it's an automated message. Instead, get the information from them (company/phone number/etc) and look it up and call them back if they are actually legitimate.
In the future, if you start receiving calls from a number you don't recognize, Google it first before you call them back - chances are the number will come up someplace like whocalled.us, unless it's a regular person that just dialed a wrong number or something.
That aside, the whole warranty thing is definately shady - I recently got a letter in the mail from some "Dealer Services" place in St. Louis, trying as much as possible to look like official mail from Hyundai and telling us that our 2007 car's 10-year warranty was due to expire soon
I'm guessing this is a supplemental warranty extension and they're using particularly sleazy practices to get you to sign up for it;
Owner: "Okay Barbara, this is your practice run. I want you to call James and tell him his car warranty is about to expire."
Barb: "How do we know that?"
Owner: "We don't, we're just going to assume he's got a car and he's paranoid about not having it under warranty. This way we can rake in money without doing anything!"
Barb: "Isn't that illegal?"
Owner: "Who's to know, we're offering a warranty extension that's not even part of the vehicle warranty that covers roadside assistance that they'll never use because they have to call us directly to use it!"
Funny thing is that they called me again during my lunch hour.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Wow, holy shit that's cold.
"-calling about your account. There's no problem, but please call us soon about lowering your interest blah-blah"
You get the idea. But my machine gets messages fine from everyone else and this thing calls me once a week.
If it's an automated machine don't trust it. If it was something important about your car or credit cards or whatever, they would have a person call.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Looks like I was probably right.
I've seen people send back more than the envelope!
http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/bulkmailer/
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/truthaboutcellphones.html
above and beyond the do-not-call registry, they cannot call your cell with an automated service (unsolicited).
and yes, i got a bunch of calls from that scammy scammy company until i talked to someone.
This I did not know. I've been getting these to my cell.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
On occasions where I actually answer TM calls, I always try to make them feel as bad as possible. So for car warranties, I suggest telling them you sold the car aafter your infant son died in it - after your husband/wife/other left him in the driveway all day in the sun.
http://www.donotcall.gov for the US
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk for the UK
If you put yourself on this list and then a company calls you unsolicited, they get a hefty fine. It's also great for getting them never to call you again. As soon as you tell them you're registered, they'll hang up as fast as possible.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
EDIT: Hah.
Federal Do not call list, Register now kids
http://www.donotcall.gov/
http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/3602105060
Isn't it illegal to do these kinds of calls to mobile handsets?
Is there a place to report it?
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