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One of our residents reports that at about the time his AT&T promotion ended, he received a call “Allegedly from an AT&T representative.” The caller told him that he would be receiving a “Big discount” if he paid his AT&T bill four months in advance, using $280 dollars via Amazon gift cards. The Caller/Scammer further instructed the resident to go to either CVS or Walgreens to obtain the cards, then to call him back with the numbers on the cards.
The resident complied and was told he would receive some type of rebate in three or four days. The resident waited five days, no rebate!! He called the “800” number given by the original Caller/Scammer. The Scammer answered, sounding like a very official “AT&T” representative with an excuse as to why no rebate. The resident later called the AT&T number on his bill and was told that this is a Scam; however AT&T, after hearing his story, gave the resident a discount on his bill.
This is one of many types of “SCAMS” being directed at our community. Be wary of any call or email you receive from some person you do not recognize!! When in doubt, contact a relative, friend or neighbor for advice, before you send any money or give out any personal information!!
WARNING SIGNS:
1…ANYTIME THE CALLER WANTS PAYMENT VIA GIFT CARDS .
2…ANYTIME THE CALLER SAYS YOU HAVE TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE DECISION.
3…ANYTIME THE CALLER ASKS FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
4…NEVER CLICK ON AN EMAIL LINK THAT YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE.
If you want to call a business, use the phone number on your statement. Do not use Google to find the phone number; this can lead to a phony number.
You can cut down on robocalls by registering at nomorobo.com It won’t stop all calls but you will notice the difference. Free for landlines; approximately $2 per month for cell phones. Your phone will ring once and then be diverted so do not answer on the first ring.
Click here to see our flyer about scams.
Barry Johnson
Neighborhood Watch Public Safety Liaison