So over the last week or so I've been getting a whole bunch of random phone calls from different numbers starting with area code 778. This is the same area code as my cellphone so I found it weird but most of the time it only rang once or twice and then hung up before I could answer. I finally answered one of the calls the other day and it ended up being one of those stupid pre-recorded "WestJet" things where I was apparently picked for a survey or something - except that I haven't flown WestJet before so I just hung up since it was clearly a scam of some sort.
Yesterday morning I get a phone call from some random guy.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I've been getting a pre-recorded message from you for a few days now...."
"You have?? I'm not sure how....this is my own personal cellphone."
"Huh. Really?"
"Is it a WestJet message of some sort? If it is, I've been getting the same thing for about a week now..."
"Yup, it is. I'm getting super annoyed so I decided to call the number back and give the company a piece of my mind."
"Haha, I don't blame you! It's super annoying, hey? I wish I could help you stop them...but like I said, this is just my personal cellphone."
Anyways, our conversation continued for another minute or so in which I became totally freaked out because this guy knew my first name. He said he was able to look up my number and find out my name.
Right after I hung up with him I called my service provider. I explained what had just happened and the conversation I had just had with this guy. I was totally freaked out! The lady told me that it's not actually that uncommon. Apparently anyone can steal a person's number and make it so that that number displays on the caller ID instead of the actual number they are calling from. For these stupid survey things, or scams, or whatever, they just take random people's numbers and make it so they show up on the caller ID - it increases the likelihood that someone will pick up the phone. How many times have you not answered because it's a 1-800 number? I know I have....
As I continued to talk to my service provider, she told me that there was nothing I could do but that it wasn't really going to affect me either. They're not actually using my number so my phone plan isn't compromised or anything and there's *apparently* no privacy issues either; the only information people can get is anything listed in a directory or whatever information I have allowed to be public.
Needless to say, I'm still a little creeped out by it all but I'm really not sure there is anything I can do. If you google "fake caller ID" or anything similar it shows all sorts of websites that tell you how to change the number on your caller ID so I suppose it's just another area of technology that's becoming more popular. Gone are the days of avoiding people's phone calls....they can now just change the number they're calling from and trick you into picking up. Ugh.
Has this happened to anyone else?
It hasn't happened with my phone number but I have definitely gotten junk calls that showed up on my caller ID as a personal name and number (vs a 1-800). Now I know why! Super gross.
ReplyDeleteYep, now you know! I had no idea that it was even possible to do so, but perhaps I just choose to be ignorant towards the shady things that can be done with technology.
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