The Better Business Bureau is warning about an old scam that has a new twist. Scammers are using robocalls to steal people from their hard earned money, but this time the scammers are using hot political issues.
The scams include recorded phone calls from high-level politicians like President Trump or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In these scam calls they ask for funding for political issues like border wall funding.
One woman in Columbus, Georgia told WRBL that she received the following voice mail after not answering her phone: “To secure the border and stop criminal gangs, drug smugglers and human traffickers, its a tremendous problem. President Trump wants to send bricks to Chuck and Nancy for every donation of at least $35 right now. That’s why we need your help, now more than ever to get these bricks sent, so Chuck, Nancy and the Democrats know you’re serious about helping President Trump secure the border and fund the wall. So please press 1 now to support President Trump by donating and getting your brick sent to Chuck and Nancy. Again press 1 to donate, that’s on your keypad to donate now.. press 9 to unsubscribe.”
The BBB is reminding you to take three steps to keep from getting scammed:
- Screen your calls. If a call comes in from a number you don’t recognize, don’t answer. Even if the number looks familiar, be wary. Check the number on Whitepages.com (a BBB Accredited Business) to see if it’s been flagged with a fraud alert.
- Don’t respond to unsolicited calls. If you receive an unsolicited call that seems to come from a legitimate business, be cautious. Scammers can fake caller ID, and businesses are only allowed to call you if you give them permission. If someone is calling you out of the blue, it’s most likely a scam. Best practice is to hang up the phone without interacting with the caller. Don’t “press 1 to be removed from our list;” that just confirms to the scammer that your number is good.
- Register with the Do Not Call Registry. This step won’t prevent scammers from calling you, but it will reduce the number of legitimate marketing calls you receive, which will make it easier to identify the fraudulent ones. If you live in the US, call 888-382-1222 or register online at gov.
Click here to learn more about the warning from the BBB.
