Scammers, Watch Out!

I am surprised that with all the warnings and precautions thrown in all forms of media, scammers still do exist. Perhaps it’s because there are still willing victims out there who think they would really get something out of it.

I received a call in the office yesterday. This isn’t the first time that I received this kind of call. Well, opening lines pa lang, you’d already know. I never entertained them. I usually brush them off. But some are also very persistent, like the one who called yesterday.

So, to sample the MO of these scammers, I will recap here our conversation.

Caller: Good morning Ma’am! We are pleased to inform you that you will be receiving a privilege reward from Visa and Mastercard. It’s a medical insurance valid for 1 year and you will receive the policy within 7 working days.

Me: Really? What’s the catch? *At this point, I’m the jolly-cheerful-accommodating me pa.

Caller: What do you mean, Ma’am? *Patay-malisya lang talaga.

Me: How much will you charge me thru my credit card for the medical insurance?

Caller: It’s absolutely for free, Ma’am.

Me: Okay, thank you!  

Caller: But before we send you the policy, we need to verify some information. What card are you using?

Me: Teka, if you’re rewarding me, then you should already know what card I have.

Caller: We only need to know if it’s Visa or Mastercard that you are using.

*Medyo hindi ako busy so I decided to go along.

Me: Hmmm, Visa.

Caller: Do you have the card with you, Ma’am?

*Nakow, eto na! This should be the red flag in any similar calls that you might receive.

Me: I don’t have it with me now.

Caller: I’m sorry Ma’am, but for us to give you the reward, we have to ask you some details about the card. I’ll call you again tomorrow, please bring your card with you.

Me: Okay. Tomorrow would be a great time for you to call me. I can still have time to verify from my credit card company about that reward that they wanted to give me after this call.

Caller: Okay, Ma’am. Good day! *Hangs-up!

Saya no?

The day is about to end and I bet that she’ll never call me back. ~sigh!~ 

Sayang yung “medical insurance” ek-ek. ~sarcasm undertone~

Echos! Hahahaha!

So friends, be very careful in giving away your personal information to any random callers who post as representatives of any bank or insurance companies. If they are legit, they won’t mind if you ask them information about themselves that you can verify from the company that they are supposedly representing.

Always remember, if you are offered something that is too good to be true, it might not be true at all!