# Is This A Scam?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 21, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070 "2008-05-21T04:24:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/1 "2008-05-21T04:24:25Z")
I didn’t pay anything, let’s just get that straight up front. Here’s the story:
Yesterday I missed a call on my cellphone and I pressed the button that makes it call them back. A voicemail answers claiming the other party to be Sprint, my provider. It asked me to put in my zip code, which I did, and then the message says that I owed $35, and if not paid within 24 hours, my phone service would be cut off. It then instructs me to get my debit card and enter the number to pay the bill.
First of all, the Sprint account is not in my name- I’m on a friends-and-family plan, so they wouldn’t be calling me in the first place to pay the bill. Secondly, my friend who holds the account paid the bill on the two phones (mine and his) in full last week. Thirdly, he went to a local Sprint office yesterday and they know nothing of a delinquent amount and says they have no idea who called.
I’ve googled the phone number, and it does pop up on some of those “who called me” sites, but the consensus seems to be split on whether it’s legit or not. It seems an incredibly easy way to scam someone- I imagine a great many people would hear the message, panic thinking their phone was getting cut off, and pop their debit card numbers right into the phone.
What do you think?
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/2 "2008-05-21T04:34:26Z")
It’s a scam. For one thing, there’s no way you would ever get an automated request for a card number. At most, you would get redirected to a customer service number and a live person.
For another thing, the company _told_ your friend it was a scam.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/3 "2008-05-21T04:36:36Z")
Incidentally, has the question “Is this a scam?” ever been asked on this board (or anywhere else, for that matter) where the answer was no?
A great rule for life, if you have to ask if it’s a scam, it’s a scam.
Another rule, never give a credit card number over the phone if you aren’t 100% sure who you’re giving it to.
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### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/4 "2008-05-21T04:37:32Z")
A simple check in such situations is to **look up the number** of the company claiming to be trying to collect a debt, and ask their Customer Service Department about the status of your account.
I’m with **Dio** no legit automated service should be trying to get your credit card numbers.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/5 "2008-05-21T04:38:00Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
For another thing, the company _told_ your friend it was a scam.
[/QUOTE]
Well, yeah, there’s\* that\*. I was sure it was a scam, but the lack of information I found made me doubt myself there for a second. There doesn’t seem to be much information about it out there, but I was in a hurry.
It seems like someone should be doing something about this. What would one do, if one were so inclined? Call the attorney general’s office, or what?
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/6 "2008-05-21T04:39:14Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
Incidentally, has the question “Is this a scam?” ever been asked on this board (or anywhere else, for that matter) where the answer was no?
.
[/QUOTE]
Ha, yeah, that’s a good point.
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### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/7 "2008-05-21T04:42:51Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon]
Call the attorney general’s office, or what?
[/QUOTE]
That’s one place to start.
A couple of others: Call Sprint, and give them the contact information of the people claiming to represent them.
Finally, there’s the [Federal Identity Theft Task Force](http://www.idtheft.gov/). I don’t know, off the top of my head whether this qualifies to be reported, but when I first heard about the task force they were clear they were eager to take reports from people who had been approached by scammers, even if they didn’t fall for the scam.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/8 "2008-05-21T04:48:26Z")
I’d suggest calling the FTC as well.
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### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/9 "2008-05-21T04:54:39Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
I’d suggest calling the FTC as well.
[/QUOTE]
The FTC is part of that Federal task group I’d linked. IIRC it’s a partnership between the FTC, FBI, and the other law enforcement groups.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/10 "2008-05-21T05:05:06Z")
I just filled out an FTC Complaint Form. I’m sure nothing will come of it since I didn’t actually get scammed, but I did my part by reporting it. It was reported to Sprint earlier today.
I can just picture some little old grandma getting a call like that and scrambling for her bank card so she can continue to get calls and pics from little Susie. I hate scammers.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/11 "2008-05-21T07:21:45Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
Incidentally, has the question “Is this a scam?” ever been asked on this board (or anywhere else, for that matter) where the answer was no?
[/QUOTE]
Probably, but today is not that day.
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### Author:  [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/12 "2008-05-21T18:29:53Z")
Also, Sprint doesn’t call you when you miss a payment. They let you accrue charges until you reach your personal credit limit with them (between $250 and 1000, I’d say, for most people) and then they cut your phone off.
Jaade, Sprint customer for eight years
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam/450070/13 "2008-05-21T18:53:24Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon]
Yesterday I missed a call on my cellphone and I pressed the button that makes it call them back
[/QUOTE]
Never do this without checking the number: a common scam is to dial from a premium-rate number which charges a large amount per unit. So when [del]people[/del] suckers ring you back, they pay handsomely for the privilege