Cold callers preying on the misfortune of others
@sprite1950 (30461)
Corsham, England
January 6, 2020 2:07am CST
Yesterday I got a call from an unknown number. I don't normally answer them but it caught me offguard. They asked for me by name but I pretended I wasn't there and they then asked who I was. I didn't reply and they then told me they were ringing about the "death of my family member" and used our family surname.
Since no one has recently died in my family I knew it was someone trying to sell something, maybe funeral services. They had probably gone through the obituary column and seen someone of the same name as me and then gone through the phone directory to see if they could find the person's family.
I think this is so wrong for strangers to try and profit from the death of a grieving family. I promptly slammed the phone down on them.
13 people like this
14 responses
@xFiacre (14802)
• Ireland
6 Jan 20
@sprite1950 The appropriate response to such offensive nonsense is “Oh thanks for calling, now that my grandfather is gone would you be able to come round and apply my haemorrhoid cream? He always did it for me and I’d be ever so grateful”.
3 people like this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
I will know another time but at that particular moment I felt annoyed and put the phone down.1 person likes this
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
6 Jan 20
What have here are callers that inform you of an accident of a family member. Money is needed in the hospital so you are instructed to bring cash and valuables in a meeting place. You can guess what follows next.
2 people like this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
That is just so low. We have people who try to gain control of our computers. They tell us we have a virus and must perform certain actions to clear it.
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
@Alexandoy Yes they try all sorts of ways to scam people, I was never fooled by it though.
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
6 Jan 20
@sprite1950 that's like the ransomware that scared computer users.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
I have a caller display on my upstairs phone but I was downstairs and thought it might be my partner as I cannot tell on that one who is calling.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
@LadyDuck Cold callers usually have weird numbers. I always reply to local numbers or mobile numbers that I recognise.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502812)
• Italy
6 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Sometimes I cannot recognize the number, but when I see that it is a local number I reply because it could be our doctor of someone I know.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
7 Jan 20
Isn't that terrible? We don't get that here but some people question what these fund raising charities are doing with the money they collect. You have to be so careful these days. It's no wonder people are reluctant to donate now.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
8 Jan 20
@noni1959 Yes I notice on facebook people often have these gofundme charities popping up on a birthday but I never give to those as I don't trust them.
1 person likes this
@noni1959 (13061)
• United States
8 Jan 20
@sprite1950 I see so many gofundme accounts popping up too. Some are truly needed but others try to take advantage.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
7 Jan 20
If someone really was grieving it would have been upsetting. I would say the call was coming from some kind of call centre, probably in another country as I could hear them in the background
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
8 Jan 20
@porwest I do wonder sometimes that if I was destitute, had no money coming in, would I take on a job like this to feed my family? Would any of us?
1 person likes this
@porwest (112929)
• United States
8 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Probably, and yes...in the event someone was indeed grieving, the timing would have been horrible.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
7 Jan 20
Isn't it. I felt angry when I realised what the guy was trying to do. A genuinely bereaved person could have been really upset,
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128842)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jan 20
I get three or four scam calls per day, which is why I won't answer my phone at all. In my voicemail greeting, I clearly state that I am screening calls, and for legitimate callers to leave a voicemail message so I can call them back. The scammers won't leave voicemail messages, or if they do I can clearly distinguish between them and legitimate callers.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
8 Jan 20
It that on a house phone or a mobile? I get them on both but I usually block them on my mobile.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
8 Jan 20
@moffittjc I think I should say cell phone if I'm talking to you
. It's easy to block them on a cell phone.
. It's easy to block them on a cell phone.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128842)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Mobile phone. I don’t have a house phone.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
I've never been caught out online but I was caught out on the phone once when I was trying to sell my car. I paid money for them to do a quick sale for me and it turned out to be a scam. I can't believe I was so naive.Yes it's a beautiful picture isn't it.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
6 Jan 20
@sprite1950 
You can’t be too careful these days. How awful.
Love the photo!
You can’t be too careful these days. How awful.
Love the photo!1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
7 Jan 20
@DianneN Yes it's not one I took myself but it has great atmosphere. Yes I was annoyed that someone could do this as it would be upsetting for a person who had really lost someone.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22287)
• United States
8 Jan 20
Yeah that's wrong. I had been getting burial arrangement calls. I always hang up when I get them. My uncle already had arranged for my burial, my mother's, and his. I did get a call one time from a supposedly collect agency asking if I knew a man who supposedly put me on their list to call. I didn't know the guy. I don't know that my grandfather's side of the family anyway.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
How disgusting. How do these people sleep at night?
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
25 Mar 20
@sprite1950
That is horrible that they do that just to make a profit.
@Butterfingers (66603)
• India
6 Jan 20
Yes they try to scam with every possible way
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
It's wrong. I hate cold callers and don't understand how people can earn a living that way.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
6 Jan 20
Yes they are. It made me angry when they called.
1 person likes this
