# Just got a scam call that hit close to home. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 8, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667 "2013-08-08T02:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/1 "2013-08-08T02:44:47Z")
I got out of the hospital a week ago. I have a fairly serious illness, that, while self-limiting, can be fatal. Because of this, I’ve had to contact a couple medical equipment companies this week. I’m doing very well and expect to make a full recovery. But, my husband is scared to death about it. Just now, I got a call, from a local number, saying my emergency response device is ready for delivery. I was so angry, thinking my husband did something, albiet out of concern, unnecessary and expensive. I hung up on the person. Well, I felt bad, so I \*69ed it and called the number. It was fake! Not only that, when I googled it, it seems the same number calls people all over the country about this and other scams. Not only that but it seems it was a recording. :smack: Now, I really feel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/2 "2013-08-08T02:52:44Z")
Don’t feel stupid. You did the right thing: you hung up on it! PS hope all goes well with you. And be glad your husband is so scared; what if he didn’t care? ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/3 "2013-08-08T14:54:17Z")
Don’t feel bad…you were sick and missed the whole thread we had about those calls! And they are very believable. There have been huge full-page ads in newspapers around the country warning people about these calls and clarifying that they are NOT from the company they purport to be from. My elderly mother has been getting lots of them, and of course this was right when we were deciding she really needed one of those systems after her last collapse, so the only thing that saved her from getting scammed was the fact that she couldn’t push the right buttons on the phone. It has taken us weeks to get her to just hang up…she really feels that is impolite! Glad to hear you are on the mend, and aren’t you glad you have someone who only cares about keeping you safe from harm? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/4 "2013-08-08T18:27:43Z")
Prayers and best wishes for your full recovery. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/5 "2013-08-08T18:31:06Z")
Yeah, cut yourself some slack. More prayers and wishes for you and yours. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/6 "2013-08-08T20:15:14Z")
Thank you. My husband was more upset about this than I was. He wants to go hunt them down and… I don’t know what. He tends to act before he thinks. I guess the scammer is lucky to be anomymous. 😃 I’m getting better each day. My team of doctors are quite surprised, since I’m old. I keep telling them I’m good, peasant stock. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/7 "2013-08-08T22:16:19Z")
My best to you, **picunurse** , and I’m glad you avoided getting scammed. ---
**Author:** ![londono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@londono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/londono)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/8 "2013-08-09T04:55:47Z")
I know where you’re coming from. I’ve received several calls like that, too. The latest was last Thursday. I was unable to answer the call but the caller left an automated message saying the medical alert device was ready for shipping and I should call them to confirm delivery. LOL! Only a fool would return the call. It’s a shame that the call was recorded. I would have loved to mess with them. ---
**Author:** ![londono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@londono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/londono)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/9 "2013-08-09T05:00:17Z")
By the way, I reported the scam and posted the phone number at [http://www.callercenter.com](http://www.callercenter.com). With almost 100 000 visitors on the website daily who can see the phone number, let’s see how those scammers would feel when they also get a surge of annoying anonymous calls, too. ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/10 "2013-08-09T14:53:40Z")
If only we _could_ f\*ck up the robo-scammers by keepng their phone lines busy. The numbers that show up on caller ID are invariably “spoofed,” and I’ve never had any success attempting to phone back … The good news is that the person who left a message on my voice mail stating my name and address and threatening my life never showed up on my doorstep, as (s)he’d informed me (s)he intended to do … I am now getting the Medi-scam calls “only” once a day or so … ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/11 "2013-08-09T17:09:01Z")
> [@londono](#): > > By the way, I reported the scam and posted the phone number at [http://www.callercenter.com](http://www.callercenter.com). With almost 100 000 visitors on the website daily who can see the phone number, let’s see how those scammers would feel when they also get a surge of annoying anonymous calls, too. I actually did call back. The message said something like, Message one, this number is no longer in service. It didn’t sound like a normal number out of service message. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/12 "2013-08-10T01:44:18Z")
So what’s the scam here. How are they going to make money if they robocall and you can’t call back? But it sounds like some medical equipment company is selling the phone numbers of people make inquiries. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/13 "2013-08-10T01:52:15Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I actually did call back. The message said something like, Message one, this number is no longer in service. It didn’t sound like a normal number out of service message. Either it’s the scammer’s machine or they spoofed the number. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > So what’s the scam here. How are they going to make money if they robocall and you can’t call back? If you answer, they gotcha and you get transferred to a human (barely human). > [@](#): > > But it sounds like some medical equipment company is selling the phone numbers of people make inquiries. Or it could be a coincidence. Call a hundred numbers and somebody is bound to be sick. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/14 "2013-08-10T18:16:25Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > But it sounds like some medical equipment company is selling the phone numbers of people make inquiries. No, we get the same damn call all the time, and we have not contacted anyone like this. Picunurse, I hope you get well soon, good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/15 "2013-08-10T18:40:09Z")
Sorry you are ill. Yes, disturbing. Especially the timing. Sometimes I wonder. I was diagnosed with a medical condition about ten years ago and nearly immediately began getting mailings and phone calls offering services related to that condition. Seems it would have had to be a leak at the clinic or lab. Get well soon. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-scam-call-that-hit-close-to-home/665667/16 "2013-08-10T19:33:04Z")
Doesn’t have to be a leak. Somewhere in the reams of paper you were supposed to read over discussing your rights and treatment and whatnot is a nice little bitty paragraph or so talking about how you’ve given your doctor permission to release treatment information to their “advertising partners” or “pharmaceutical companies” - which, once THEY have it, they in turn sell onward to other people. All unfortunately (barely) legal, if irritating as hell.