Archive for the ‘Travel News’ Category
I first learned of reverse phone lookup after I received a series of unsettling phone calls. I recall clearly the frustration I experienced in dealing with the man on the other end of the line. In a heavy Arabian accent he introduced himself as “Bob” from Washington DC. He claimed he was an attorney that was hired by an private party who had loaned me money over the internet; a debt which he accused me of being in default of.
When I denied this on the grounds that I have (1) never borrowed any money over the internet and (2) thought all of this sounded like a scam, he proceeded to provide me with a frightening amount of personal information in an attempt to prove his legitimacy. Angrily, he threatened that if I did not pay him an outrageous sum of money immediately that he would “freeze my social security account.” Obviously, this man was bonkers.
Where exactly did he get the last four digits of my social security number? How on earth did he know the name of the name of the bank in which I keep my personal accounts? These things I will never know. One thing is certain, however. I am not alone in having this particular sort of experience. It seems that there is a host of scam artists who have nothing better to do with their time than to try to bully unsuspecting persons out of their hard earned dollars. Fortunately, a quick search in a reverse phone number database easily confirmed my suspicions. I was able identify the caller, block the number and notify the authorities. It was fairly simple; there are many websites that offer this service for a nominal fee.
Since then, I have found several other situations in which reverse phone lookup has been singularly helpful. Whenever I receive an unlisted call or SMS message, I look it up and find out exactly who it is who has interrupted my day. Whether they are telemarketers, political surveyors, charities, or non-profit organizations, I can identify any number I don’t recognize quickly and easily. Call me anal, but I find it gives me peace of mind to not have to wonder who just called and hung up on me or disconnected when I answered. So, next time some strange number calls and doesn’t leave a message, look it up! Don’t you just love the age of technology?