These particular "drug hotline" scammers are extremely persistent, with a new angle. They've now called me at least ten times in less than a week: three times today alone, and it's just midday here. Today, they've used two phone numbers so far: this last one was spoofed to look local. They've awakened me twice this week from naps, and interfered when I am busy Doing my volunteer work, including just now. They're all Filipinos claiming to be calling from "The National Drug Abuse Hotline" or something to that effect. I normally ignore CIDs that look "scammy," or long distance from places where I know no one, but these guys keep getting under my radar because if it looks like a real number, because of my emergency volunteer work, I have to answer. Believe me, it's not my first time at the rodeo, I've gotten scam calls for about two years now, and generally I can easily identify and ignore them and let my screening feature do the work for me, but this time I've had to interact with them. They have a lot of CIDs.
They've got a new, truly reprehensible scam angle: combining right wing politics with what is a very serious, purely medical problem. Their motto is "make America safe again," which coattails on last year's platform of one of the candidates. They've been saturating TV airwaves with their patriotic red white and blue ads that are intended to scare the viewer. When I looked on 800notes for one of the other CIDs they had called me from this week, a woman who commented before my own entry, said she had called the number back, and it was a right wing political talk show radio station, and that because she had not punched in the station's call letters first, she was then automatically rerouted to a drug abuse hotline.
This smells. First of all, they're scammers because they violate Do Not Call. Secondly, they keep saying they'll take me off the list, but you and I know they're lying, so they're scammers harassing people. Thirdly, I worked as a drug abuse counselor for about twelve years, and real medical clinics don't solicit this way, don't violate DNC, and certainly none of the real clinics combine politics with a serious medical problem. I can guarantee you that when a person has a drug abuse issue, the last reason they'd ever consider as motivation for finding help, is that they don't want to be unpatriotic, and the TV ad is all patriotism and the flag. People have lost family, friends, health, money, a place to live, self esteem... they aren't waving an American flag, they just cannot live that way any more, don't want to feel sick or die. They're bottoming out. This scammers' TV ad pushes the patriotism angle for recovery, which is hooey. When people are sick, they need a doctor, not a right wing radio talk show host.
And lastly, the callers are all Filipinos. I could hear people in the background, a boilerplate room. Scammers. The last number they used today looked local. Most looked out of state. Normally I let these calls ring and just ignore them. They've called me about ten times already this week. And it hasn't even been a week, yet. Vultures. If I didn't do my emergent volunteer work, I wouldn't answer and normally, I can guess which calls are valid, and which aren't. These people are sneakier. Look, folks: if you need treatment, please: call your city resources, or your county mental health center, or your local United Way, they all have resource lists, both inpatient and on an emergent basis. Don't fall for these reprehensible Filipino scammers, they're headed for some really bad karma.
These particular "drug hotline" scammers are extremely persistent, with a new angle. They've now called me at least ten times in less than a week: three times today alone, and it's just midday here. Today, they've used two phone numbers so far: this last one was spoofed to look local. They've awakened me twice this week from naps, and interfered when I am busy Doing my volunteer work, including just now. They're all Filipinos claiming to be calling from "The National Drug Abuse Hotline" or something to that effect. I normally ignore CIDs that look "scammy," or long distance from places where I know no one, but these guys keep getting under my radar because if it looks like a real number, because of my emergency volunteer work, I have to answer. Believe me, it's not my first time at the rodeo, I've gotten scam calls for about two years now, and generally I can easily identify and ignore them and let my screening feature do the work for me, but this time I've had to interact with them. They have a lot of CIDs.
They've got a new, truly reprehensible scam angle: combining right wing politics with what is a very serious, purely medical problem. Their motto is "make America safe again," which coattails on last year's platform of one of the candidates. They've been saturating TV airwaves with their patriotic red white and blue ads that are intended to scare the viewer. When I looked on 800notes for one of the other CIDs they had called me from this week, a woman who commented before my own entry, said she had called the number back, and it was a right wing political talk show radio station, and that because she had not punched in the station's call letters first, she was then automatically rerouted to a drug abuse hotline.
This smells. First of all, they're scammers because they violate Do Not Call. Secondly, they keep saying they'll take me off the list, but you and I know they're lying, so they're scammers harassing people. Thirdly, I worked as a drug abuse counselor for about twelve years, and real medical clinics don't solicit this way, don't violate DNC, and certainly none of the real clinics combine politics with a serious medical problem. I can guarantee you that when a person has a drug abuse issue, the last reason they'd ever consider as motivation for finding help, is that they don't want to be unpatriotic, and the TV ad is all patriotism and the flag. People have lost family, friends, health, money, a place to live, self esteem... they aren't waving an American flag, they just cannot live that way any more, don't want to feel sick or die. They're bottoming out. This scammers' TV ad pushes the patriotism angle for recovery, which is hooey. When people are sick, they need a doctor, not a right wing radio talk show host.
And lastly, the callers are all Filipinos. I could hear people in the background, a boilerplate room. Scammers. The last number they used today looked local. Most looked out of state. Normally I let these calls ring and just ignore them. They've called me about ten times already this week. And it hasn't even been a week, yet. Vultures. If I didn't do my emergent volunteer work, I wouldn't answer and normally, I can guess which calls are valid, and which aren't. These people are sneakier. Look, folks: if you need treatment, please: call your city resources, or your county mental health center, or your local United Way, they all have resource lists, both inpatient and on an emergent basis. Don't fall for these reprehensible Filipino scammers, they're headed for some really bad karma.
I am SOOOOO tired of these idiots calling. I get many "scam" calls each day, but these people are relentless. I googled "local rehab assistance" two maybe three times, in concern of someone we knew, to find resources, and were happy to find they had already be in a recovery program. However these scammers CONTINUE to call, even though we have repeatedly asked them to stop.