At least half a dozen times a day I hear pitches on the telephone. Some pitches come in email or in other ways. The telephone scams often come in a recorded “machine call.” In other words, there’s no real person at the other end of the line, but I am invited to press some number key to get connected with one of their “specialists.”
Most of these pitches can be recognized as a classical logical fallacy, like the half truth, or a psychological trick such as a “guilt trip.” People keep falling for these pitches or the scammers wouldn’t keep trying them. Local people have lost thousands of dollars to email scams. Hundreds of our Northside neighbors have lost their homes in foreclosure through manipulative sales pitches.
Here are a few typical lines I’ve heard pitched, and you can add more:
“This announcement concerns your eligibility for the government’s new…” A government agency won’t be contacting you by telephone in this manner.
“This is the second notice (in a scolding voice) that the warranty on your automobile is about to expire.” Here’s a classic guilt trip. The dealership where I bought my car told me to hang up, if anyone else calls about the warranty. When you license your automobile in Minnesota, your telephone number and address become a public record.
If you have Caller ID, check if the caller’s name “jives” with the nature of the message. I received a call from some warranty service that informed me they had found a very inexpensive family health insurance program! Do they sound qualified and honest?
Listen to this! “I am absolutely sure your loan application will be approved for 1.5 percent financing.” Well, I hadn’t applied for any loan. Or, how would I know if the caller was even a legitimate lender?
After a while I even started to recognize the voices of the callers. “This is Sally of… We are a collection agency intending to collect a debt.” “Sally” has called me before about warranties, etc.
This one I’ve heard over and over: “This is [name] of card services. There is nothing wrong with your account, but…” How do I know if this caller has an account with me?
Even when you are hard pressed, keep a cool head about the facts, and don’t bite!