Scary New Phone Call Scam Hits The QC

It seems like there's a new scam targeting consumers every week, but this one is particularly frightening.

The other day, I saw one of my Facebook friends make a post saying she received a phone call that popped up as her husband on her cell phone's caller ID. She answered, but it wasn't her husband on the line. It was another person's voice, and the actual number of the caller then popped up.

How is this possible? According to NBC News, "spoofing" a phone number is the latest way for thieves to steal your information.  As explained in their video, the technology now exists to not only mimic your area code, but the numbers of your loved ones.

This scam is particularly threatening to seniors since the scammer could pretend to be you asking for personal information, and the criminals know it's easier to fool older people. For example, someone could spoof call your elderly grandmother and ask for a family member's social security number and date of birth. Would your grandma hesitate to answer if she thought it was you? I know mine wouldn't.

Make sure to warn friends and family members that this scam is going around. Not only was my Facebook friend targeted, but my husband regularly receives robo calls from our hometown's area code and he's answered several times, thinking it could be a friend. You could prevent someone's identity from being stolen just by giving them a head's up.