Scammer number: 1+(940) 732-1777
Scammer website: Unk.
Any other scammer information: These folks don’t seem to know what their scam is, but I’m pretty sure they’re scamming. It started as a robocall about some “pre-authorized purchase.” Pressing 1 went to a woman agent who seemed to answer in a language other than English. (Maybe she was talking to a colleague, and didn’t know I was on the line, or maybe she forgot she was on the night shift.) Asking her if she’d been speaking Hindi put a quick end to that call.
When I tried calling the number from a spoofed number, I got a robovoice that said “Congratulations, you’ve won a $100 Walmart gift card.” Pressing 1 got an answer from “Joseph,” who had some kind of accent. I think he said the company was called “Collecting My Rewards,” and when I asked about Walmart, he said the card “could be used anywhere.” After a little verbal sparring, in which he acted vague about “Hindi,” he told me to stop wasting his time, and hung up. (Maybe he wasn’t Indian, or didn’t hear me call him a couple of rude names in Hindi.) I was able to record that call.
Update: Apparently it’s “Click My Rewards,” and today “Leo” told me they’re in Orlando, FL. He also knew that 90210 wouldn’t be the right ZIP Code for Trollstein, Michigan. (Thanks to JayBeeTV for that town name.) The answering recording still says “Walmart card,” but Leo said there’s a choice of shopping or dining cards. It still smells scammy to me.
I also noticed that the Caller ID on my phone said “PROBABLY FRAUD,” the same as NumLookup shows when doing a revere lookup on the calling number. I’ve never seen that before, and I’m wondering if it’s something the CLEC which issued the number does to numbers that are assigned to them but not yet issued to a subscriber. If so, I like it, and wish more carriers would do it.