Camarillo Life & Real Estate

Pretty scary Mana Tulberg, most of us will catch on to these games though.

Wow, thanks for the warning. Always some new way to steal money from others.

Mike, My son has a friend who's mother is deaf, whenever she calls me she has to use an assistant. It comes through a 1-800 #. This phone call could have been her or anyone like her.

Thanks for the heads up.  I often don't answer calls from a strange looking number, but, we can all be caught off guard.  I do feel sometimes that as much good as all these websites are, we are putting a lot of information about us out there for the whole world to see and we all have to be careful with communications. 

Mana. thanks for the information. I will spead it. Royal..

Well that's information I'm glad you shared; I haven't had that happen yet but I will definitely keep this in mind. It's amazing how much useful information is shared on the Rain and how applicable it winds up being at some point - you probably answered a question that may come up for folks in the future. Have a great day.

Wendy, You are welcome. There are some sick people out there.

Amy, With everything good in life there are some headaches we have to deal with as well and this one was one of the few.

Mana- That is an interesting scam, as realtors we often call back people if we think the phone drops the call. I will be more careful. Thanks.

Royal, You are welcome.

Jennifer, I have learned so much in the Rain and continue to learn everyday. Thank you for reading.

That is scary!  Thanks for sharing...There are some mentally ill people out there.

That is scary!  Thanks for sharing...There are some mentally ill people out there.

Pam, I think they know that!!!!!

Zeny, Yes there are. Thanks for commenting.

Hi Mana,

Thank you for taking the time to post. Everyone should be aware of these potential callers.

Hi Mana....Never heard of this scam before, thanks for posting...By the way, I heard we are going shopping the end of May! Yeah, baby!

Mana...  That is certainly a clever way to scan real estate agents.  There are so many times I receive calls from  agents that just hit redial after they fail to pick up.   As far as shopping you two have to remember the weekend is all about running!  Gifts should be useful for the Marathon Men! LOL

Mana ~ Thanks for sharing your experience and what you found out.  Unfortunately, since I find I was getting a lot of advertising phone calls, I now do not answer restricted or no phone number displayed calls, as well as out-of-state calls.  If it is important or someone who truly wants to speak to me about my business, and/or me working for them, they will leave a message. 

I have been getting nuisance calls for the past couple of days too.  These are claiming I have registered on their web-site and asked them to call.  I just hang up.  I called Verizon about it and they said they have been getting reports on this too.  Nothing they can do except change the phone number.  So a word of warning, if someone calls and asks to speak to you by your full name and it isn't a number you know, don't spend a lot of time on them because they are just spam calls.  I have reported three of them to the Gov. No Call list too because my cell number is registered.  Be careful out there everyone, we are pretty public people and there are some crazy and unscrupulous people watching us. 

Mana, I flagged this for a feature, I try to pick up my phone when a number comes through. I use to not do this if I didn't recognize a number but with all the talk on AR about "pick up your phone", I do it now. This is scary, I probably would not have thought   to dial that number back like you did. I am assuming Verizon revered the charges? 

Darn Mana!!! What will they think of next? I would say this is incredible but I guess it's not. Scammers are very smart people. Another reason why I don't answer 800 or unknown numbers.

Wow. Thanks for sharing. There is some sick people out there.

Hello Mana,

Thank you for the heads up! Anything to make a buck I guess. Gee whiz. :(

Hal, You are welcome and yes we should all let each other know about people like this.

Sandra, If I can make it baby I am going to show you how to shop San Diego Style!!! LOL

Dan, Yes I remember, we are going to run as we shop. LOL

Kathy, I don't answer out of area phone calls either, but that day one of my clients told me they had referred a friend of theirs to me from out of our area. I was expecting this guy's phone call all day and when the phone rang I just looked at the first few numbers. Only latter on did I notice it was a 1-800 #.

Sandra, I have not registered my cell phone. I should jump on that right NOW. Thank you.

Missy, Thank you. I hope a lot of our members get to read this post. Verizon did reverse the charges and they were very apologetic about the whole incident.

Broker Bryant, People are sick. I don't usually answer such calls, but I was expecting an out of area phone call from a big prospective buyer.

Jeffrey, You are so welcome. Yes, some people would do anything to make money.

Mana, that's some scary stuff.  Glad to hear that the charges were reversed.  I heard about some of these companies using long-distance numbers in the Bahamas or elsewhere and then racking up your cell bill.

That is so true.  Whenever I meet someone for the first time I always try to get them to meet me at the office.  If they for some reason cannot, I always let at least two people know where I am going, what the person said their name was and their phone number.  So far, I have met only good people, but we have become very "transparent".

They know our names, phone numbers and locations, as well as what we look like.  Self defense classes would be smart -- and some pepper spray too.

HUH..they can charge you for calling you? That don't sound right. Not saying you are wrong, just seems odd. Hope it doesn't happen to me.

Sean Allen

Interesting.  Maybe it will turn out to be an actual buyer and it will turn into something great for you!!

Wow... thanks!!!! I typically only answer "local" numbers anyway... but, it pays to know that!!!!

Lori, You are welcome. Some people would just do anything.

Brian, I had not heard about the cases you mentioned, but these calls I hear can come from anywhere.

Kelly, Self defense classes are sounding better and better every day.

Sean Allen, Yes they can. That's how they make their money. I hope it doesn't happen to anybody.

Dawn, I don't think so.

Bernie, Just be extra careful now. Sometimes we answer our phone without looking who the caller is.

Mana, thank you for the warning.  I probably would have done the same thing you did and thought the conversation was for real. My numbers are ont eh DNC list too, and I would report them like you did. Hefty fines! 

Well that's pretty deceptive---Luckily this hasn't happened to me YET.  It was good that you reported it.

Mana - Very interesting call you got. I haven't heard of this one yet but good info for us to watch out for. Thanks for the heads up. Bob H 

If you receive a phone call from a toll free number most of the time it will be sales related.  Legitimate businesses never call out on their toll free numbers, most of the time a toll free number is just a front number to a real number, they are used mainly for inbound calls.  Most of the time when an 800 or any toll free number pops up it's going to be a sales service or collection agency which are mandated by law to carry a dedicated toll free number.

The rule in my house is to never answer a toll free number on the cell phone or the land line for that matter.

Great Post Mana,

jc

Mana - Yes the internet is such a wonderful thing but with the good comes the bad and that leaves any information your post online to the public's eye will indeed somehow might fall into the wrong hands.  Good awareness post Mana!

I'm at home minding my own business.  Phone rings and she asks if I'm Barbara Duncan.  She wants to know if I'm familiar with "Emily's List".  I say no and she starts to tell me all about it.  I hang up.  I feel somewhat guilty because she's working but I hate telemarketers trying to get me to donate to something. Good blog

Vickie, I hope they are fined. Thanks for reading.

Diane, I know, especially that I know someone who is deaf so I was thinking that this might be one of their friends.

Bob, You are very welcome. They are always coming out with a new and deceptive way to get honest people.

Mr. Loan Guru Officer, I don't usually answer 1-800#s either. However on that very day I was expecting a call from a new client from out of the area. I had just received one phone call after another and when I saw the 1-80 I assumed it was the new client (starts with the same #s). I paid for it heavily, but believe me not I learned my lesson.

Justine, I know and I know that in order to survive in what we do we have to be online. Thank you for commenting.

Barbara, I can not stand telemarketers. It's hard not to feel bad once you hang up on them.

Thanks for this post... I think it is very important that we remember to be careful in all situations.  Thanks for the reminder

Mana, being a woman and in real estate you need to be careful. That just show you how easy it is to get your number and find you. Stay safe.

Thanks for telling us about this scam, Mana.  I just hate this kind of thing!!!  You were smart to call on it right away.  Clever girl!

I never heard of this scam before but it sound interesting thanks for the heads up.

Oh my gosh, I've never heard of this. What a rip off! Good call reporting it immediately!  Thanks for the warning.

That's just crazy! Thanks for the heads up. I will look out for this. Yike those scammers are getting creative!

Cindy 

Why are people so malicious...I hate stories like that...I will pay attention as you are right, our info is out there everywhere...

Crazy.  Thanks for the notice.

Anything to make a buck.  Sorry that you got caught in the middle.  So appreciate your giving us the heads up.  Gina

Wow, I would have never thought of this...  Thanks for the heads up, it seems like everyone is trying to get a piece of us.

Mana ~ That is so crazy that you would receive such a call. Yes, we must be careful. I sometimes worry about all of my information being out in the public domain.

Hi Mana,

Those scammers are pretty clever, i'm so glad you let us know about this. :)

Dan, You are welcome. Take care in our crazy world.

Greg, That is very true. Thank you for commenting.

Elaine, I do too. Some people have nothing better to do.

Ryan, There is always something new and cunning out there.

Elizabeth, I was shocked as well. Only if they would put all this brain energy in good use.

Cindy, Creative and sick they are for sure.

Patrice, I wish I had an answer for that. Thank you for commenting.

Tracy, You are welcome.

Gina, Yes, anything to make some money. You are welcome and take care.

Debbie, It does seem that way. You are welcome and thank you for reading this post.

Darleen, It's the nature of our business that we be available to everyone and advertise as much as we can, but with all of that there is a price to be paid.

Hi Mana,

Thanks the heads up. You're right, people know so much about us today, too much at times. I don't think we can ever be too cautious.

Suzanne, They are just a bunch of people who have nothing better to do with their life.

Lynda, You are so, so right, we can never be too cautious.

I don't get it.  How are you scammed?  Because they are running up your minutes on your cell phone that you are having to pay for?  Long time ago when cell phones were new scammers could use your phone number to make their calls but I didn't think that can happen now.

I have SunCom the unplan so I never know how many minutes I use up per month because it doesn't matter my bill is always $62.00.  I live on my phone.  This month Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are all advertising their unplans all around $99.00.  SunCom was just purchased by T-Mobile so they must have lost their patten on the unplan.  I would highly recommend this plan for all realtors.

I will pass this on. thanks for the heads up.

I answer all calls, but thanks for the tip.  I won't return that call.  I don't want to pay for that one.

:)  Jason, above has been spamming people all over the rain.

Spam as a blog comment, what else will they think of.  I've been receiving numerous spam mail but nothing on my cell phone so far.  Always something new!

Mana--They are getting craftier aren't they? Hope you were able to have the charges removed from your bill. Thanks for the heads up!

Useful tool - its free and it is called Reverse Lookup -- it is a virtual "phone book" where you enter the phone number and it tells you who it is registered to.  It can be helpful if you receive suspicious calls to validate the caller.  Just search online -- I would recommend the White Pages version since it is free.

Wow, thanks for the tip! You can google phone numbers and it usually brings up a 'Who Called Us?' website and people share their experiences in regards to these specific numbers. Might be worth checking out.

Yes, I can't stand it when a salesperson calls and they ask like they know you and they are good buddies with you and you don't even know them.  That's what gives salespeople a bad name.

So weird.  I'll be on the lookout for that kind of call now...

That's a scary thought. I try not to pick up numbers on the cell phone I do not know. However curiosity gets the best of us sometimes.........Definitely going to be more cautious after reading this though. 

The white pages definitely help, I use it a couple times daily. Unfortunately it will only give you the area and provider. If you want more information you are re directed to a site you pay to use. I have been trying to find a free detailed reverse lookup site for some time now.

 Jason R -   To each their own. To avoid stepping on toes (done it myself as a new AR regular) get a blog together with some info. If someone is interested it's available and you avoid spamming everyone else. Just a thought........

 

Thanks for the heads up. It is sad that these are things we have to be on the lookout for!

Good call on dialing *611. Most would not have thought of that. Although if your cell phone is registered on the do-not-call list you could have had them fined, I suppose.

I don't answer 866 or 800 number calls on my cell phone, and now I have another reason.

Mana, I never heard of this!!  However, I usually don't answer 800 numbers on my work phone.  Its usually somebody who got my number of here or my website and are trying to sell me overpriced services that I dont need.

Wow!  I never would have thought that those lines would be able to call you and then charge you for the airtime!  All of the 800 numbers I've answered have been business solicitations, which I decline.  And if it's unknown or blocked -- straight to voicemail.  Thanks for the warning!

Unfortunately this happens and there seems little that can actually be done about it.

I hesitate when I see an 800 or blocked call for that same reason.   Most often it is an unsolicited, useless phone call. 

Donna, After talking to the operator today and some more people at the Verizon store I was told I was not charged for the time she kept me on the phone, but I was charged for the call I made to her in the thousands.

Missy, I took care of Jason.

Mana....Whatta mean if you can make it????  Otherwise I will have to watch Dan's race : )

Sandra, My foot is still keeping me close to home.

Mana...I had hoped your foot was better by now...You need to take care of yourself, otherwise I'll have to send Dano over.

That's creepy and really ticks me off. I hope Verizon takes any charge off of your bill that you may have encountered.

I've never heard of anything like this. That is horrible. Why would someone want to do that ? Can they do anything to stop it?

Sandra, You are so sweet. I am starting to take care of myself. Don't sent Dano over. LOL

Sandra; Verizon did reverse the charges. At first we thought I was charged for both calls, but today at the Verizon store I discovered that I was charged for when I called her back. It was in the Thousands.

Christy, I really don't know why people do such sick things. From the comments above I learned that you can give your # to the Do Not Call List and if someone like this calls you and you report them, they can get a big fine.

Mana...WoW.. this is strange... now di you get cherged when they call you or you call then back ? Did Verizon say ?

Roland, For when I called them back.

Wow.. thats crazy. They can charge you for those types of calls... ones you didn't even make! Thanks for the tip and glad to hear you were having lots of potential buisness calling :)

How freaky is that, never heard of this scam. Scary stuff.

Mana - that is scary - I would have hit send to call them back too... thanks for the warning - and congrats on the star

So our little Kim is a bit of a scam artist!  I answered an  888 call yesterday on my cell, and it was someone trying to sell me a web site.  And I'm on the "do not call" list!

Thesa, I think that is something just out of courtesy most of us Realtors do, .

Patricia, I was wondering if that do not call list worked or not and now you answered my question. Thank you.

Now that is a scary one. thanks for giving us the heads up. -- Carla

Carla, You are welcome.

Thanks for an informative post.  Amazing what people think up. Especially today with all the technology and information out ther.

All the best!

Kevin, As technology moves forward the scam artists find ways to adjust as well.

Great post....I was not aware of this scam.  I do not answer 800# calls or other out of state calls either.   Like previously mentioned, leave me a message if it's that important...and they typically don't. 

Abby, Now you have more reason not to answer those #s.

Just hang up and move on......

Wow!!  Another reason "not" to answer the 800 #'s Mana.  I rarely do, unless I know it's from one of my BRO "ugly yellow signs" or MY 800 #'s coming in.  Fortunatley we can track those by storing the number in our phones. 

THAT would've been scary!!  Ugghh!!  I wonder if she was even a woman after all....  YIKES!

That is unbelievable!  Just another reason that we need to take caution with every client we meet and every call we recieve.  Thanks for the heads up.

Mana- That is very interesting. I have received a couple calls in the last several weeks from a male who says a version of the same conversation. Asking me, don't you know who i am? Remember me? blah, blah. The last one was a few days ago. Mine are coming up private though. Sound totally similar, wonder if it is the same kind of scam?Grrr...

Robert, Next time I am not even answering.

Susie, "wonder if she was even a  woman after all.." You crack me up. I have a 1-800 number as well so you can see how confusing this whole thing was.

Andrea, You are very welcome. Good luck out there.

Vanessa, Oh my gosh, I think it is!! Be careful.

Mana, I also never answer any 800 callers. If its truely important they will leave a message I can call them back. Usually just a telemarketer. Next voice mail...

Burt, I have learned my lesson. Now they all go to voice mail. Thank you for commenting.