A former Spooner resident sent DrydenWire.com a message on our Facebook page today stating that she had received a phone call on her mobile phone that showed up as being from a Spooner mobile number.
"Calls coming from this Spooner number are a scam", stated the person that messaged us.
"I tried to call it back... the number is not good and I actually answered the call (I'm originally from Spooner) and the lady on the other end [sounded like she] was from a foreign country (judging by her accent) I asked where she was at and she hung up on me. They claim to be from Marriott hotel and my number has been selected...etc."
The scam to which our messenger is referring is the Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt Hotels Vacation Call Scam (more on that below). However, in the message to DrydenWire, the person stated that the prefix on her mobile was 939; the same as the prefix from the caller/scammer. DrydenWire asked a few other people if they have received any calls from a 'Marriott' and two people responded that they had as well. One of the two sent us 2 screen shots of the numbers they had received calls from:
The 2 other's to whom we had spoken stated that their mobile prefix was 214, again, the same as the spam callers prefix. So it seems the spam callers are using the prefix of your mobile number to show up as a 'local' call in the hopes that you will answer your phone.
All 3 people with whom we communicated stated that the information posted from Spam-Detector.com was exactly how the scenario played out...
The phone rings. You see a local number, so you pick up. An automated voice informs you: "Because you've been a past customer of the Hilton Hotels --or Marriott or Hyatt-- you qualify for a free vacation with our company. Press 1 to hear more". As a 'free vacation' sounds pretty interesting, you press 1. From there you are connected with an operator who takes the call live and asks if you are over 18. Similar to the Expedia, Air Miles, or WestJet scam, this is followed by a series of questions asking for personal information, which unfortunately victims are willing to share. The operator also puts you through an agent who presents you the deal, which - he says - is only available today! Well, the "deal" is available tomorrow, and the day after, and everyday for that matter, for every victim. This self-called Alejandro will ask you to go to a website, Luxury Getaway Group, to see the trips the company is offering to Mexico. You are asked to pick one and they will throw in a "free" second vacation, which comes with a bunch of unexpected taxes and hidden charges.
The website continues to state that Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott don’t have an automated call outreach, so to NOT fall for this scam! Instead, if you receive a call, report it to The FTC Here
Has this happened to you? Or, have you received a call from another phone scam that used your mobile phone prefix? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page.
Last Update: Mar 09, 2017 1:49 pm CST
