(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

Yesterday I was surprised to hear the sound of my phone receiving a text message, which has happened only thrice before in the three years of its existence. I had two messages at once, one of which was simple spam. The other, from “UNKNOWN,” said this:

This is an automated message from Lafayette Federal Credit Union. Your ATM card has been suspended. To reactivate call urgent at 866-587-1721.

This struck me as odd on many levels. Why wouldn’t they inform me by email or a vocal call instead? Why was my card suspended, and why didn’t they explain? Why didn’t they specify the bank from which I got the card? What’s with the bad grammar in the last sentence? Do I even know of this union? (My dad usually helps me with economic matters like this.)

Nevertheless, I dimly dialed the number, being predisposed to give the benefit of the doubt. It was an 866 number, after all. But instead of giving a hello or any identifying introduction, a faulty and unprofessional recording immediately asked me to enter my card number. That’s when I got smart and ended the call.

Incidentally, it was just about time for me to visit the ATM anyway. I did today, and the card worked fine.

Nice try, Loserbait Fraudulent Credit Union.

Comments

[ccdesan.livejournal.com]

Glad you had the good sense to hang up, and ignore all such future scam efforts.

Hell is going to be a busy, busy place...

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

Careful with those phone calls, even the ones with harmless-looking prefixes can charge you big bucks on your phone bill if they make certain arrangements with the phone company.

[carlfoxmarten]

Unfortunately, some toll-free numbers actually forward to 900 numbers, turning a free call into a really expensive one.

I've received several calls (before I put my number on the Do Not Call List) that started with "Congratulations!", after which I usually hung up...
(is anyone else now getting charged for receiving text messages as well as sending?)