Scammer using my phone number

[Dhizzlefrizzle]

I got a call from an unknown but local number, when I answered the woman said she has received two calls from my number in the past week but she didnt pick up. She said the call display said it was a caller from Brampton but I am 6 hours away from there. I have never called her number before. Could someone be trying to hack my number and use it to scam people??

[Anonymous]

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@LurganIeUk wrote:

On occasion I do answer those calls....I say.....does your mother know what you do for a job?  They hang up on me!😏😏

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Or...yeah..my mother runs the scam.

[LurganIeUk]

On occasion I do answer those calls....I say.....does your mother know what you do for a job?  They hang up on me!😏😏

[dixonpete]

I'm in Windsor and these Service Ontario scammers are a plague right now. Last Friday they called my phone 7 times. I had one guy call me and swear at me for calling him (they had spoofed my number - a random pick I suspect).

I called back on one of their numbers, they used a different 226-350- number every time and reached a very sleepy, pleasant fellow, and we had a good talk about the problem.

For now I just press 1 and try to come up with a new insult for them every time I have the time. The only solution to avoid being disturbed by them is to turn off the ringer and vibration, but that's sort of letting them win, isn't it?

[LurganIeUk]

I too have called the numbers back, only to find they are not in service. Those numbers to use can be found by checking carriers for what numbers are available (thus out of service)  Those scammers should be congratulated for NOT using a legitimate currently is use number. For example check here for numbers available https://voip.ms/phone-numbers/canada?state=Ontario

[Naepalm]

@Dhizzlefrizzle 

Public Mobile will not be able to do anything about this. The technique they are using is they call from a different number but ensure the displayed number is not the one they are calling from. They can do this with any number including emergency services. 

I have had a few local numbers call me lately than not leave a message. When I call back the numbers are not in service. They are ghosting their number by using a different number. 

Advice from me would be don't pick up unless you know the number if it is important they will leave a message.

Here is an older article about this:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/police-warn-of-fraudsters-using-station-emergency-phone-nu...

[gblackma]

@Dhizzlefrizzle  someone spoofed your number. They tend to move on after a few weeks, and there's no guarantee that changing to a new number will stop this from happening again.  Hunker down and wait it out. Welcome to the community.  Stay safe. 

[LurganIeUk]

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@Dhizzlefrizzle wrote:

I got a call from an unknown but local number, when I answered the woman said she has received two calls from my number in the past week but she didnt pick up. She said the call display said it was a caller from Brampton but I am 6 hours away from there. I have never called her number before. Could someone be trying to hack my number and use it to scam people??

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See highlights in red. 

My Public Mobile Call Blocking

Just keep blocking. Eventually you will get it under control.

Keep in mind you may be blocking legitimate numbers as these callers “may” use legitimate numbers. It is called “Spoofing” which consists of altering the caller ID to show a different other than the one actually being used for making the telephone call. This is frequently done to mislead the person receiving the telephone call into believing that the call is either local, or from a trusted organization. Spoofing a Caller ID is very easy to do with a VoIP phone account and I have had calls from supposedly my own personal number. I have a VoIP Account and use this option to call over an APP using my VoIP land line number account so the person I call....calls me back on my caller ID which is my PM phone number. There are both honest and dishonest ways of using this option. And that is how large companies have a number for each phone but the calller ID is same for all. 

So before you block check your contact list to make sure you are not  blocking a number you would expect a call from. Also Google 800Notes and can confirm, sometimes, if it is a call that you absolutely don’t want. I have had a call from my own number. They spoof a number that is in your calling area to make you feel more confident to answer. 

I don’t recommend registering with a DO NOT CALL LIST. It puts your number on a list that callers CAN call you. SEE HERE

THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL IS TO CONTROL YOURSELF.

Also....be very suspect of a SCAM call if your caller ID only shows a number and no name. The name often comes from YOUR contact list on your device.

Keep your contact lists up to date AND block, block and block some more!!

😀Changing your number is not a good idea if it was previously used. 😀

I too would also suggest to use the DO NOT DISTURB settings on your phone as well and make sure you set what options work best for you. If iPhone see here. 

Also SEE HERE for more information on blocking calls on both Android and iOS devices.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2019/11/15/how-to-identify-block-spamc-calls-ios-android/

Copyright 2020

[Triguy]

You might want to report it to a moderator

Here’s when and how to contact the Moderator Team:

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to the Moderator Team. Click here to get started.
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You may want to change your phone#.

[Carniam]

It’s a common scam to spoof a number to appear local. No number is safe, though scammers generally don’t use the same number long, and might have moved on already.

[hairbag1]

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@Dhizzlefrizzle wrote:

I got a call from an unknown but local number, when I answered the woman said she has received two calls from my number in the past week but she didnt pick up. She said the call display said it was a caller from Brampton but I am 6 hours away from there. I have never called her number before. Could someone be trying to hack my number and use it to scam people??

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If you want, you can change your PM phone number ...there's a button in the self serve area to do so.