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I don't know about you, but at my store the phone is constantly ringing and the majority of the time it's automated or someone wanting the owner "to change phone service" or "verify information." It really sucks because we have several lines and often they all get hit up at once. The story I'm about to tell, though, is a real scam:
Me: Thank you for calling ......
Scammer: Yes this is W***** E****** and I need to change my flight {we have a travel agency in my store}
Me: Ok do you know who your agent was?
Scammer: no
{I put him through to an agent, and my boss notices the number and says the guy sounds like a scammer and I agree. Very English name, VERY foreign accent. After helping a customer, I go to the agency to check on the agent)
Me: So how's the scammer call going?
Agent: { to guy on phone} Hold on, my computer is slowing up. {Puts him on hold and talks to me} This guy wants to change his ticket to another flight and buy 3 tickets from Africa to New York.
Me: He just doesn't sound like a W***** E******.
{At this point, another agent hears the name and tells us that this is one of the OTHER agents' father's name. That's right, this guy stole the father's information, possibly at the airport and called the agency to buy tickets, never knowing he was pretending to be was the father of my coworker}
Agent: {Back on phone with scammer} I'm sorry sir, but the computers have completely frozen me out, can you call back in an hour?
She gets off the phone and we have a frenzy of phone calls going to the Agent, her father, the police here, and the police where the call originated (horray for caller id! and they called from a land line) Sadly, our cops wouldn't do anything, and the cops there couldn't do anything until the father was back in town ( he's in Canada on his trip). However, the cops there at least attempted to call the number and kept getting hung up on.
So far nothing has been done and it makes me mad that we caught the guy red handed and he'll probably get away with it because by the time the father is back, they'll have cleared out.
Me: Thank you for calling ......
Scammer: Yes this is W***** E****** and I need to change my flight {we have a travel agency in my store}
Me: Ok do you know who your agent was?
Scammer: no
{I put him through to an agent, and my boss notices the number and says the guy sounds like a scammer and I agree. Very English name, VERY foreign accent. After helping a customer, I go to the agency to check on the agent)
Me: So how's the scammer call going?
Agent: { to guy on phone} Hold on, my computer is slowing up. {Puts him on hold and talks to me} This guy wants to change his ticket to another flight and buy 3 tickets from Africa to New York.
Me: He just doesn't sound like a W***** E******.
{At this point, another agent hears the name and tells us that this is one of the OTHER agents' father's name. That's right, this guy stole the father's information, possibly at the airport and called the agency to buy tickets, never knowing he was pretending to be was the father of my coworker}
Agent: {Back on phone with scammer} I'm sorry sir, but the computers have completely frozen me out, can you call back in an hour?
She gets off the phone and we have a frenzy of phone calls going to the Agent, her father, the police here, and the police where the call originated (horray for caller id! and they called from a land line) Sadly, our cops wouldn't do anything, and the cops there couldn't do anything until the father was back in town ( he's in Canada on his trip). However, the cops there at least attempted to call the number and kept getting hung up on.
So far nothing has been done and it makes me mad that we caught the guy red handed and he'll probably get away with it because by the time the father is back, they'll have cleared out.
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