Caller ID says "winner". I've had several calls from my old pal "winner" in recent weeks. I never answer. It is so annoying to get these calls, amongst others. Grrrrrr
They called before on a diffrent number, Winner was on caller ID. recorded meassage said something about home security and then it stopped, why would I take a home security system based in washington when I live in TN. This is a scam and for your own protection, never press a number they tell you, some might be legitimate, pressing 1 NO way, when you do that you could be connected to a long distance over seas number you'll be charged for, this is one of the ways these scams make their money, even if you hang up they don't care they made money by you having to pay for that call. Only press numbers of a place you know for sure (or bank etc or a number you called that is legitimate)- and again that red flag should go up when offered a big prize for a few seconds up your time. I just hung up, I hope you do to.
On my called ID it Winner NOTE:
If the area code is 284, 809 or 876, you've called Jamaica, the Dominican Republic or the British Virgin Islands, new hotbed homes of telephone scams. Similar cons are also run out of other Caribbean islands.
For these calls, you'll typically pay $1.49 to $3.99 per minute, depending on the plan and carrier. You're never told this, but the numbers function like American "premium rate" lines that use the 900 area code, with sky-high rates that are split between phone companies and those who operate the lines.
Dial one of these Caribbean numbers and chances are you'll get pitched for some scam. But the thieves' real goal is often just to keep you on the line as long as possible and maximize their take. You'll endure long holds, frequent transfers and lots of small talk. Result: A call lasting just a few minutes can cost more than $20, a charge you discover only when your phone bill arrives.
Thanks to autodialers that can cheaply send out thousands of phone calls every minute, the number of robocalls — calls with recorded messages instead of live people — has spiked. And many of them are illegal: companies can’t call with a recorded sales message if you haven't given your written permission. Learn more with two new videos at ftc.gov/robocalls. Have questions? . The FTC also is hosting a robocall summit in October to look at enforcement, education, and tech issues related to stopping illegal robocalls.