Scams abound. The Annapolis Police Department warns us. The Anne Arundel County Police Department warns us. Maryland’s Attorney General Brian Frosh warns us. And even Maryland’s Comptroller Peter Franchot warns us.
But, despite the obvious falsity of the call, many people must fall victim to them as they keep on coming back for more.
This afternoon at 5:17pm I received a call from Sylva, NC and the number on the caller ID was 828-477-4472.
I decided to call it and see what happened. I fabricated a name, date of birth, and a social security number (I verified that the number was not legitimate from the Social Security Number Verification Service).
From the heavy accent of Officer David Brown (Badge ID LS143100), I was able to determine (I think) that my number had been suspended because of a huge amount of cocaine and money found in a car rented in my name in El Paso in 2008. I also learned I had 11 bank accounts with more than $50,000 in each account (I wish)! Eventually Officer Brown transferred me to Officer Robert Carter to help me resolve this issue.
Here’s the recording for your entertainment, and so you don’t fall prey to a scam like this.
Remember, any legitimate debt collector, creditor, utility, law enforcement, government entity will not ask for the type of information asked for over the phone. The best way to avoid being scammed is to hang up. If it is legitimate, you will get something in the mail, certified mail, or (in the worst case I guess) a law enforcement official at your door with proper ID. If you are not sure, hang up and YOU call the source to verify.
