Have You Ever Gotten A Call From Your Own Phone Number, It’s A Scam!

Here's another one!  It seems like Ken and I are warning you of a new scam every week!  Being aware and knowing how to handle it should help you avoid a lot of headache and potentially save you a lot of lots $$$.  The latest scam that I read about on the Federal Trade Commission's website involves you and your OWN phone number.

You're out enjoying the day and your phone rings.  You pick it up and the number looks familiar to you.  It should, IT'S YOURS!  According to Bikram Bandy, Do Not Call Program Coordinator, FTC, it's an illegal robocall and it's a scammer looking to gain personal information from you.

Even if you have signed up for the DO NOT CALL list or use call-blocking, scammers can get to you by using your own phone number.  Technology has made it easy for scammers to do their work and while we have road blocks up to deter them, it only slows them down and makes it necessary for them to find new ways to scam us.

As far as receiving a phone call from you own number, scammers hope your curiosity gets the best of you and you pick up, but the FTC says, "Don't do it"!  They could be calling from anywhere in the world.  When you get a call from you own number you need to realize it is an illegal call.  They say if you pick up or press buttons to be taken off the call list or to talk to a live person. That just leads to more calls.

What should you do?  Ignore them.  That's easy and doesn't take much of your time and energy.   Keep your guard up, be aware and don't give out personal information without verification!