Active Telephone Scams

This is a little different then our normal blog.  But these were recently sent to us via Florida Department of Insurance as active scams:

• “Can You Hear Me Now?” – Callers claiming to be from the IRS ask the question, “Can you hear me now?” The scammers record the consumer’s response and if the consumer says “Yes,” the caller hangs up and calls back. During this second conversation, the caller asks the consumer if they are aware of money that is owed and that the consumer must provide payment. The caller then uses the previous ‘yes’ recording to manipulate the phone records to show false proof of the consumer acknowledging and agreeing to provide the payments.
• Grandparent Scam – Callers claim to be a grandchild who has been arrested in another country and needs money to get back to the U.S. Callers warn that telling mom or dad can make the problem worse, and consumers are asked to wire money to any number of overseas locations.
• Debt Collection – Via telephone call or postal mail, phony debt collectors demand money to cover unpaid debts. Often times, consumers are threatened with legal action if payments are not made.