"Accident in the last 2 years $$$" scam calls?

[ERD50]

I've been getting scam calls on this topic lately, sometimes several a day. It starts with a 'robot' with a prerecorded script and flowchart, looking for a response ("Hello?"), and then asks if you've been in a car accident in the past two years, and are waiting for compensation? If you respond, it transfers you to a live person.

I usually hang up early on, but once in a while I'm curious about the scam. I usually get 'funny' with them, and they hang up. But a few times, I've tried hard to play along and sound authentic, and they hang up! Maybe I'm being too obvious?

Anyway, I'm curious what the scam is? They give up so easy, I wonder how they ever latch onto anyone?

 

[athena53]

"Ambulance chasers"? I could see it as a way for plaintiff's lawyers to troll for potential business.

And this is why DS got out of being a Claims Adjuster and switched to doing actuarial work a few years ago.

 

[Koolau]

I used to get calls about credit card "problems." Same thing, if I played along to find out who they were or what they were actually selling, they hung up.

What is the old saying? "You can't cheat an honest man."

 

[Walt34]

I just got a call this morning from a number I didn't recognize and on a whim, answered it anyway. The guy with a foreign accent asked if I'd received my new Medicare card yet. I responded with the question: "Is your mother proud that you're a liar and a thief?" No answer for a couple of seconds and I hung up.

 

[Aerides]

I hear about people playing along and messing with scammers, but I know someone who did, and within days they were being bombarded with spam calls from everyone and everywhere.

I don't answer anything, and I for sure don't engage if I answer by accident.

 

[RunningBum]

I hear about people playing along and messing with scammers, but I know someone who did, and within days they were being bombarded with spam calls from everyone and everywhere.

I don't answer anything, and I for sure don't engage if I answer by accident.

I think that's the best course.

I got away with it once years ago. I'm sure I've told this story before, short version is someone from "Microsoft" with a thick accent called about my computer problems and in increasing volume and desperation and worsening intelligibility I pleaded with him to fix it for any price, and hung up. The guy called right back, and started with "Hey you MFer" and I picked up the whistle I had by the phone and blew it in his ear. And that was the end, no repercussions that I noticed.

I've retired unbeaten. Years of keeping that whistle nearby finally paid off.

 

[OldShooter]

I have no idea what kind of spam calls we get. If the caller is not on our Ooma white list the call is dumped to voice mail where a 4-second (blank) message duration is my clue to just delete it. We get one or two a day I think. I really don't keep track.

 

[rk911]

For about a week we had daily calls from an "unknown" number that went straight to voice mail but all that was said was..."Are you there?" We would block that number but the same call from a different spoofed number but with the same voice would happen the next day. Either they gave up or we blocked all of their spoofed numbers".

 

[Al18]

I don't answer calls from an unknown phone number.

If you answer the phone and say anything, you've confirmed to the scammer that there's a person associated with the number, which makes the number more valuable to the scammer.

 

[jollystomper]

We recently put in a landline phone (yeah, we are luddites, back off, people! ) that requires any received call not in its phone list to enter an access code. If they do it prompts us on whether our not we want to answer the call. I think we are down to getting one potential scam/spam call every 10-14 days.

 

[dmpi]

They're not lawyers themselves, rather they're a marketing firm that generate leads to sell to other lawyers. Your phone number is probably worth $10!

 

[ERD50]

We recently put in a landline phone (yeah, we are luddites, back off, people! ) that requires any received call not in its phone list to enter an access code. If they do it prompts us on whether our not we want to answer the call. I think we are down to getting one potential scam/spam call every 10-14 days.

Yes, I need to look into that. One concern, the auto-systems for Doctor appointments and such, will those get shut out? I get it, if I can listen in I could accept it, but if we are out, will it go to voicemail?

 

[ERD50]

I don't answer calls from an unknown phone number.

If you answer the phone and say anything, you've confirmed to the scammer that there's a person associated with the number, which makes the number more valuable to the scammer.

Yeah, I wonder if answering at all puts us on a "living, breathing human" list, attracting more calls?
You'd think a negative response would tag us as "he's gonna waste your time" list?

 

[ERD50]

..

What is the old saying? "You can't cheat an honest man."

That was W.C. Fields, and there is a lot of wisdom in that. Most scams involve the 'patsy' wanting something that's too good to be true.

 

[Koolau]

Yes, I need to look into that. One concern, the auto-systems for Doctor appointments and such, will those get shut out? I get it, if I can listen in I could accept it, but if we are out, will it go to voicemail?

So far, the scammer/spammers haven't been able to counterfeit our medical providers' exchange number. When we see that number, we answer since all our doctors/offices start with that number. Otherwise, if we don't know the number, it goes to voicemail.

We answer that exchange because if we let it go to voicemail, we have to call back and go through voicemail hell on their end.

 

[jollystomper]

Yes, I need to look into that. One concern, the auto-systems for Doctor appointments and such, will those get shut out? I get it, if I can listen in I could accept it, but if we are out, will it go to voicemail?

On our system, it does not go to voicemail if an access code was not entered; it will go through and not be subject to the access code screening if the number is in the phone phone book. hopefully the practices uses their same number every time . It does, however, show the number in the call log; when we return home we can see what calls were received that were not blocked but an access code was not entered, and if we find out it is a known source we can add it to the address book.

 

[ERD50]

On our system, it does not go to voicemail if an access code was not entered; it will go through and not be subject to the access code screening if the number is in the phone phone book. hopefully the practices uses their same number every time . It does, however, show the number in the call log; when we return home we can see what calls were received that were not blocked but an access code was not entered, and if we find out it is a known source we can add it to the address book.

Thanks, but if it was just a doctor office number, that's workable. But you get sent to specialist, or a lab, and who knows what number they will call back on? We got automated calls for an appointment to pick up something we were returning to Costco, but it was from a number we didn't know about.

I get calls from the delivery people, but it is their phone, and not the corporate number. I can't predict this stuff, and I don't want to miss an important call.

Recently, I joked with my wife - wow, we just got two legitimate calls in a row. I almost hung up on one, figuring it was spam.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Unknown callers go to voicemail. It’s annoying when I’m waiting on a callback from a business and have to temporarily disable that feature.

I don’t mess with these jerks; they’re criminals who have your contact info after all.

 

[jazz4cash]

Yeah, I wonder if answering at all puts us on a "living, breathing human" list, attracting more calls?
You'd think a negative response would tag us as "he's gonna waste your time" list?

I ways envision the scammers track time and day on the living human list.

 

[jazz4cash]

My phone sends unknown callers straight to voicemail and that helps alot. I get 3-5 unknown callers per day. Most hangup or leave the telltale empty 8 second voicemail. For the past six months or so I get spammers leaving long detailed voicemails related to assistance with back taxes. They have a script and they sound kind, not threatening. I am so curious to know how it works. I called back one time but the callback number was not working. I’ve received a hundred or more of these calls! I can’t block them because it’s a different number every time and they never call back.

 

[5Miler]

As I'm sitting here drinking coffee and reading this thread, I received a message on my Apple Watch that my vehicle has been involved in a toll road evasion violation in some unnamed jurisdiction at some unnamed time/place. It seems it never ends.

Fortunately for me they provided a handy link to make payment more convenient.

 

[jazz4cash]

As I'm sitting here drinking coffee and reading this thread, I received a message on my Apple Watch that my vehicle has been involved in a toll road evasion violation in some unnamed jurisdiction at some unnamed time/place. It seems it never ends.

Fortunately for me they provided a handy link to make payment more convenient.

I got one of those last week from an international number.

 

[aja8888]

My phone sends unknown callers straight to voicemail and that helps alot. I get 3-5 unknown callers per day. Most hangup or leave the telltale empty 8 second voicemail. For the past six months or so I get spammers leaving long detailed voicemails related to assistance with back taxes. They have a script and they sound kind, not threatening. I am so curious to know how it works. I called back one time but the callback number was not working. I’ve received a hundred or more of these calls! I can’t block them because it’s a different number every time and they never call back.

This is me exactly. I have no "home" phone for this reason .....MORE SPAM CALLS!

 

[jollystomper]

Thanks, but if it was just a doctor office number, that's workable. But you get sent to specialist, or a lab, and who knows what number they will call back on? We got automated calls for an appointment to pick up something we were returning to Costco, but it was from a number we didn't know about.

If you have been sent to a specialist and a lab, just be proactive, contact them, and ask "if you send out automated notification calls, what is the number you will be calling me from so that it does not get blocked?" They will either provide you with a number, or provide you with other notification options (like email). Been there, done that . Not really much work, to gain the advantage of eliminating scam calls.

 

[ERD50]

I've still been unsuccessful in getting anywhere with these 'accident' calls. I try to sound genuinely curious about getting some money, and I did have a fender-bender ~ 6~9 months ago (no police or insurance report, but I did get an estimate, maybe that info is available to others?). But they just hang up after I've acknowledged that I had an accident, and have not received compensation for it.

One explanation I came across - they are just looking for leads for 'ambulance chaser' type law firms. So maybe once I say, yes, they have all they need - a phone # and an 'hot lead'. Maybe they get $10 from the law firm for this info?

But AFAIK, no lawyers have contacted me. And you'd think there'd be some co-ordination to mark me as "already got this one".

I think I'll give up, and do my usual pickup and hang up (if NOMOROBO doesn't catch it first), they can call back if legit.