Someone else used my phone number? How?

[wjgao]

1) Someone from Vancouver sent me a message yesterday saying "Can I call you later?", I had never contacted that person/number.

2) I just got a phone call saying returning my call, but I didn't call her.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

[J-L]

As others have mentioned it is easy to spoof numbers. There are many scams out there where the caller is trying to get you to call back. You will be charged a hefty bill if you do. There are also scams where they hope you will answer and they ask yes or no type questions hoping you will say "yes" which they record and use your recorded voice to set up false accounts and credit card charges. Some of the scam calls will even make it sound like someone is in distress and then hang up hoping your Good Samaritan instincts will get you to call back to find out what is happening/ see if you can help. Do NOT call back unknown numbers. I do not even answer numbers I do not recognize. If they are legit they will leave a voice mail.

I have been getting a lot of calls over the last several months from various numbers that I do not recognize, many from other countries some even appear to be Canadian numbers. They are scam numbers. I just got a call this morning from area code 473.... This is a repeat scam that was occurring several years ago. It appears that the scams repeat in cycles.

Here is link to an article published in Forbes a few years ago that explains some of these scams. Looking at the list of area codes they say not to answer or respond to, I have received calls from many of them plus others in Africa and all over the world in recent months. So, do Not call back or text unknown numbers. Here's the link to article if you are interested  https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2014/02/01/dont-return-calls-from-...

[chukdefatey]

@Triguy , Why would you suggest contacting a Mod? They have no control over who calls your phone. 

[esjliv]

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@wjgao wrote:

1) Someone from Vancouver sent me a message yesterday saying "Can I call you later?", I had never contacted that person/number.

2) I just got a phone call saying returning my call, but I didn't call her.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

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@wjgao Wrong Number perhaps?

Remember the old days..."Oops, sorry wrong number"

[softech]

this trick is easy to do these days.

In order to make people believe a "valid" number is calling, those telemarketers these days can easily do "Caller ID spoofing" ( altered to match the first 6-digits of your telephone number  so that it looks like a local call) .    

So, the old rules apply, unless you know the incoming number, DO NOT PICK UP.  Even those the number looks real.  If it is urgent, they will leave you a voicemail.

[will13am]

@wjgao , just ignore it.  I don't recommend contacting the moderators.  It is a waste of everyone's time to do so.  They cannot answer to what happen, nor can they prevent recurrence.  Is your account is working, errant messages/calls are not within the moderator's scope of control.  

[dabr · Accepted solution]

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@wjgao wrote:

1) Someone from Vancouver sent me a message yesterday saying "Can I call you later?", I had never contacted that person/number.

2) I just got a phone call saying returning my call, but I didn't call her.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

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@wjgao    Numbers can be easily spoofed these days so it's most likely this person received a call from your number by someone who spoofed it.  You can let this caller know that it wasn't you calling them too if it happens again.

[Triguy]

You try contacting a moderator for them to investigate.

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.
• Alternatively, you can send a private message to the Moderators by clicking here. You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.