I've heard of the callback scam as well. The way I understood, was that an out of state or out of country (where billing laws are different), calls your phone (likely randomly) with one ring. You call back and are charged some ridiculous amout. The longer you stay on the line "trying to get to the bottom of the problem", the more they can charge (added per min).
Recently, a person who calls himself Nick Steele (what a fake name!), applied for receiving insurance solicitation using my cell number. I've been getting off insurance call lists for months, but I'm nice to the solicitors because it's not their fault.
So now I never answer numbers I don't recognize and if curiosity gets to me I put the number in Google, and like this number who called me, I find out who they are.
A LIVE REAL person, female, called and would not answer my questions. She insisted on staying on her script. She could not/would not answer my question "who are you looking for?" even after I asked her FOUR times. They're pitching health insurance with the new "affordable" care act. Finally told her she reached a cell phone which is on the Federal DO NOT CALL list and she got all apologetic. Must have been the first day on the job for her.
I'm getting calls from unknown numbers all the time. To make it stop (for awhile anyway), I'll answer and when I get an actual "live person" (thickly accented person) I'll say very calmly and sweetly, (lol, I've got my ways) "yes? who's calling?" they ramble off some crazy random [***], and I scream loud and quick "STOP CALLING MY [***] NUMBER!! "NOW"!!".
Try it you guys. It will make you feel better. lol