How to Know When Scammers Are Calling
Most telephone sales calls are made by legitimate businesses promoting legitimate products or services. But where honest firms look for new customers, so do scammers. Phone fraud is a multi-billion dollar business involving the sale of everything from bad or nonexistent investments to the selling misrepresented products and services. If you have a telephone, you are a prospect, becoming a victim is largely up to you.
There is no way to determine positively if a sales call is legitimate simply by talking to someone on the phone. No matter what or how many questions you ask, skilled scammers have practiced answers. That’s why sales calls should be treated with caution. People or companies that are unknown to you should be checked out before you buy or invest. Legitimate callers have nothing to hide.
Phone scammers are likely to know more about you than you realize. It depends on where they got your details. They may have everything about you including your age, hobbies, income, medical records, address, purchase records and other vital personal information. They usually put up questions you cannot resist like having more income; you are ready to help people in need, knowing well that you cannot resist the bargain and you will not be rude to anybody calling you over the phone. As good as the portraying characteristics are; scammers use this to penetrate their victim. Scammers also exploit less admirable characteristics, such as greed.
Fraudulent telemarketers have one thing in common: They are skilled liars and experts at the verbal ‘snow job’. Some may call and say they are your HVAC contractor and trying to solicit an appointment to get into your homes. A male individual (possibly using the name Rich) has been cold-calling people and say he is coming to their homes on a given day to perform furnace servicing/duct cleaning. Maybe a (206) area code. He does not name a company, but if you reveal the name of your business, he will agree that he is that company.
He is quite insistent. Please know that Air Handlers does not conduct phone solicitations whatsoever. If you take part in our maintenance program, residential customers will only get a reminder postcard from us. Please be careful, diligent and aware out there!
The person has been doing this for over three weeks now; please note that it is a must you ask for contractor’s license number if anyone comes to you and check them out before you commit.
Never consent to their bargain if otherwise, we have an official of contacting our clients. Be aware.