Scammers use Raleigh woman's phone number for relentless calls
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- No one likes unwanted calls, especially when the phone just won't stop ringing.
Karyn Hall said a scammer has her phone ringing off the hook.
"It's been kind of a nightmare. I get calls, 30 to 50 calls a day, over and over and over again," Hall explained.
The people calling Hall claim she called them first. Hall, who owns a small landscaping company, said she didn't call anyone. Somehow, a scammer got a hold of her phone number and used it to call others. It's known as caller ID spoofing.
READ MORE ABOUT CALLER ID SPOOFING HERE
Hall said some of the people were understanding when she told them she didn't call them, and scammers got a hold of her number. Others were not so nice.
"He was like 'I called the police. I contacted the feds,'" Hall recounted.
Another caller said to Hall, "Why do you keep calling this number?"
Hall wishes she could stop it, but according to her phone provider the only way to do that is to change numbers.
"I'm not going to let these people win. It's just not right."
After a few weeks, Karyn's phone finally stopped ringing, as the scammers moved on to another number. The best way to protect yourself is when you get a call and you don't recognize the caller ID, don't answer it. Often scammers are just phishing for a legitimate number, and when you answer the phone you prove you have a working number.
