The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday a scammer is using technology to manipulate caller ID systems, making it appear the call is coming from the Sheriff’s Office before asking for money.
The caller is posing as a Sheriff’s Office employee, telling people they have an active warrant and telling them to immediately make a payment to avoid legal consequences, typically through gift cards.
The department said law enforcement agencies will never demand immediate payments over the phone or threaten arrest for unpaid fees or fines.
Authorities also remind people to never provide private personal information.
Have fun with them. Using my wit I humiliated 1 scammer so bad it has been over 3 years since anyone has tried to get my social security number. Waste their time so they can’t scam other people while they are speaking to you. Here are some suggestions:
-Why is the government accepting gift cards?
-Can I use my Playboy gift cards to pay?
-It was not me, it was my evil twin. Go get them.
-The police station is just down the road. I will go and pay cash there.
-Guess the crime. Ask if I get a discount if I guess right? Use your imagination. It’s okay to suggest something perverted. Or make it personal like the time you ran over that Indian family.
Remember these are thieves so you can say ANYTHING.
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I’ll express ALOT of interest to pique their enthusiasm and then ask to put them on hold, only to leave them there.
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They’ll usually hang up within a minute or two.
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LOL.
If we don’t recognize the number we don’t pick up the phone.
I receive about 10 calls a day to lower my rates for PG&E, AT&T and others. Play along with them until they get pissed off and hang up. My thinking is that the longer I tie them up the less likely they can con others.
I think AT&T makes money from those calls and that’s why they don’t stop them.
If you never give out your phone number, or e-mail address, you won’t be getting any scams. A lot of times, a store clerk will ask me, “do you have a phone number on file with us?” My answer is always, “no.” Why would I give a complete stranger my number? So I can get points? Big deal, I can live without them. Businesses sell your information, that’s how unscrupulous scammers get your number.
Give them an old work number or your favorite song that has a number in the chorus, The Blues Brothers sang 634-5789. Your info is collected by websites and your emails are read and sold to data aggregators. We have no privacy anymore.
It’s essentially an on-the-fly IQ test. With almost immediate consequences.Good thing I never answer my phone. 😁