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sanctareparata
Guest
What an unnerving thread, Sam!!!
I’ll be praying it all works out well in the end …keep us posted.
I’ll be praying it all works out well in the end …keep us posted.
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MaryB23
Guest
I agree. Could the police tell you if there’s a person by that name at the address he gave?
:hug1:
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paradoxy
Guest
That sounds good! Praying for you.Just got off the phone with the jail, and the lady I spoke with thinks that it’s not a scam :dancing: She’s going to listen to the call and call me back. She said that so many people have the block on their phone that the inmates sometimes have a real hard time trying to get in touch with anyone and want to do a 3 way call. Thank you all for your prayers! I hope that everything turns out fine and that I truly was able to help a neighbor in need (but I probably won’t do this again).
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CatholicSam
Guest
The jail blocked my number and the guy turns out to be from a neighboring town. She said it’s probably not true that he lives on my street. Seems like he just wanted to get in touch with that lady and for some reason he can’t (she may have blocked him). The jail worker told me that he was just trying to find someone to get in touch with her. I didn’t mind that. If I were in that situation I would want someone to help me, you know?
Thank you all so much for your advice and prayers.
Thank you all so much for your advice and prayers.
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BlestOne
Guest
There could be a good reason like a restraining order why he can’t call directly. I pray it isn’t so…
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HouseArrest
Guest
I got a call from “a prison inmate” that was collect just last week. Actually it was July 11th. I did not accept the call and then worried that someone I knew was in prison. I hit *69 and it gave me a number in Texas. The exchange was from Houston. I tried to call the number but I could not get through. That’s when I dropped it thinking it must be a scam.
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Ray_Scheel
Guest
I just read this, as I saw the first parts I was thinking it sounded like someone in a city or county lockup, easy access to pay phones are common in those setups. At this point, you’ve done what you reasonably could, they guy isn’t going to come pay you back the few bucks, and I think cutting off further contact is wise enough. He probably grabbed the whtepages and dialed a number looking for one that took collect calls still…
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Zooey
Guest
Yup! I had somebody try this with me…But I remembered my great-grandmother telling me,
“troit en der Herr, 
nein en der herren”. ( Trust in the Lord, 
never trust in a man).I called my phone company. This is a scam that the phone companies are not able to keep up with, they shut it down one place, & it starts in another.
Roughly, it goes like this: Prisoners have a very limited number of people they can call. The guy on the prison switchboard (another prisoner), however, can call most anybody, once…This guy will call numbers randomly, & get someone to call back. Once you call , you go on that person’s approved calling list. You also become someone who, they can charge calls to…
These people have numbers all over the country that they use, to run up a phone bill on somebody else’s dollar…My guess is, your problem is going to be with the woman you called. She is part of the ring, & once you called her, you went on a list.
These people run up calls all over the place…I got a graphic demonstration, some time later. A friend’s exwife is remarried to an excon. They had the kids (illegally), & used this scam to keep their location a secret. (The older kid called his dad’s cell phone, & told him where they were, & they are OK).
But the exwife’s calls were coming in, on caller ID, as coming from several midwestern states, as well as Texas & Florida. Somebody was paying for those calls, & it was NOT the person making them. It was another innocent person who made the mistake of being too trusting.
Changing your phone number would be ideal. However, since you have informed all possible authorities, you may be OK. I would still check every single charge on every single phone bill…indefinitely, until (unless?) you change your number.
The guy is not going to turn out to be someone on your street. He is someone who is very, very good at conning people. Hopefully, your phone bill (& possibley, other bills) will not reflect a slew of money for you to have to hassle to get off your bill…My provider (AT&T) will allow me to remove up to 10 calls a month through an automated system, no questions asked, whether its for a quarter, or rather its $100. Other companies have diiffering policies, & you need to find out what it is.
Best of luck to you!!
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CatholicSam
Guest
I will see about changing my phone number. Do you think if my number is blocked for collect and 3rd party calls the scammers won’t be able to “steal” my phone number to run up a big bill? I think I will call them today and set up the 3rd party/collect block.
I am never talking to someone in jail again, unless they identify themselves as someone I really do know! And to think all of this happened because I didn’t want the “poor prisoner” to “waste” his phone calls on a wrong number!
I am never talking to someone in jail again, unless they identify themselves as someone I really do know! And to think all of this happened because I didn’t want the “poor prisoner” to “waste” his phone calls on a wrong number!
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Maryam
Guest
That’s why I asked you whether you gave him any clues as to whether you live close to a local mall, Pharmacy…etc in your conversations with him. A good con artist can get this out of you without you even noticing it…I will see about changing my phone number. Do you think if my number is blocked for collect and 3rd party calls the scammers won’t be able to “steal” my phone number to run up a big bill? I think I will call them today and set up the 3rd party/collect block.
I am never talking to someone in jail again, unless they identify themselves as someone I really do know! And to think all of this happened because I didn’t want the “poor prisoner” to “waste” his phone calls on a wrong number!
Although he gave you another address on your street that didn’t mean he knew your actual street address. And even if he already did know he was probably verifying for himself if your address is still correct by getting you to say something like “yes, your home address is near mine…” or along the same lines…
This is an important lesson in that you NEVER give out any clues even if they seem to know your street…
I hope you’re not listed… better to change and get the number UNLISTED and as added security register your phone number with the governments "National Do Not Call Registry" so that even Telemarketers cannot call or give your phone number to others.
donotcall.gov/default.aspx
Prayers and God bless
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CatholicSam
Guest
I’m already on the Do Not Call registry
In retrospect, I would have said “Oh, you know my husband? Describe him. Oh you live on such-and-such street? Which house? What? There’s no brick house on our street! Get lost!”
I am 99% sure he knew my address, as that was pretty much one of the first things out of his mouth (sort of his introduction). It wasn’t a “Oh, wow, I live there too! What a coincidence!” type thing. As I said earlier, I searched just my street name and got 13 names, addresses, and phone numbers of many of the people on my street. I think it’s highly unlikely that they would have just known my husband’s name, telephone number and *street name *(without the house number).
And as it turns out, it really seems like just a guy in prison trying to get in contact with someone–even to the police and jail worker who listened to the recorded calls. I was thinking that maybe this all happened to cause awareness of such things among some of the other CAF users and my family/friends in real life. This time it seems like everything is fine, but the next person who encounters something like this may not have the same outcome.
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stayathomemom
Guest
Hi Sam!
You are such a kind-hearted person to do something like this! I would have NEVER been brave enough to do what you did.
I got an email a couple of months ago, and I thought it was a hoax until I tried it out…and found out it DOES work. …
If you go to Google, and type in your phone # in the search box (ex. 5552221000), your name, #, and address will pop up if it’s a listed phone #. Furthermore, if you click on map it, map quest will give you a map to the exact location.
The good news is that you can have your info blocked, but that can only be done if you actually know about this. I was terrified when I found this out because now perverts across the country can solicit any phone # from an unsuspecting child and then find out their address . I did block mine, thankfully I knew about it. It’s so sad that our children have to watch who they give out their # to. So scary.
You are such a kind-hearted person to do something like this! I would have NEVER been brave enough to do what you did.
I got an email a couple of months ago, and I thought it was a hoax until I tried it out…and found out it DOES work.
…If you go to Google, and type in your phone # in the search box (ex. 5552221000), your name, #, and address will pop up if it’s a listed phone #. Furthermore, if you click on map it, map quest will give you a map to the exact location.
The good news is that you can have your info blocked, but that can only be done if you actually know about this. I was terrified when I found this out because now perverts across the country can solicit any phone # from an unsuspecting child and then find out their address
. I did block mine, thankfully I knew about it. It’s so sad that our children have to watch who they give out their # to. So scary.
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CatholicSam
Guest
Wow, this is scary! So if your number isn’t listed, then it won’t show up when you google it?Hi Sam!
You are such a kind-hearted person to do something like this! I would have NEVER been brave enough to do what you did.
I got an email a couple of months ago, and I thought it was a hoax until I tried it out…and found out it DOES work.
If you go to Google, and type in your phone # in the search box (ex. 5552221000), your name, #, and address will pop up if it’s a listed phone #. Furthermore, if you click on map it, map quest will give you a map to the exact location.
The good news is that you can have your info blocked, but that can only be done if you actually know about this. I was terrified when I found this out because now perverts across the country can solicit any phone # from an unsuspecting child and then find out their address
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stayathomemom
Guest
I’m not sure. I have a listed #, and after hearing about his I blocked it through Google. Once you block it, it tells you that it takes a few days for it to process. My # doesn’t show up anymore if I type it in the search block (it did before I blocked it
). I’m NOT 100% certain that an unlisted # wouldn’t show up. If it were me, I would type it in just to be sure that nothing would come up. It’s worth it!
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ack
Guest
I doubt that an unlisted number would show up. However, even if you block the number through Google, there are many other websites where the intruder could make the same search and still get your address.
Phone search tools like this have been around for 10 years or so…and Google is only the latest to do it…
Also, cell phone numbers will not show up.
Phone search tools like this have been around for 10 years or so…and Google is only the latest to do it…
Also, cell phone numbers will not show up.
I’m not sure. I have a listed #, and after hearing about his I blocked it through Google. Once you block it, it tells you that it takes a few days for it to process. My # doesn’t show up anymore if I type it in the search block (it did before I blocked it
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Zooey
Guest
Well…It depends. If your cell phone is billed to your home address (as opposed to a post office box), it is possible to find it by googling. (Happened to the same friend as in my other post…).
If you have bills sent to the post office, there is no problem. But billing addresses can be tricky, a & at least some cell companies do not have the system set up to prevent someone from finding your address…
Personally, I have bills (and packages) sent to my cat. Same
last name, same address, but no chance of someone stealing my personal info, etc. (Well, they could. But her credit rating is basically a
load of 
“carp”).A cat with a human name is a
wonderful thing to have…
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mystified
Guest
I’d be leery of a collect call from a stranger who says he is in prison. But I would be leery of a collect call from any stranger.
In the county where I live, a friend was being held for arraignment. He called me collect and the bill for the three minutes was $30. It was not billed through my regular telephone company, but through a separate company that had a contract with the local sheriff’s department. When I questioned the cost, knowing that a routine three-minute collect call from the county seat is normally about 75 cents, I was told that the calls were routed though a complicated network that included Canadá and several states across the country, there was a charge for each connection in the network, and that the sheriff’s department also received what amounted to a kickback.
I still get bills supposedly from a collection ageny of a major telephone company that I don’t use, requesting payment of about $10 for a collect call from a prisoner whose name I do not recognize. I am certain I did not accept such a call because I was out of the country on the date of said call. A scam? I’m almost sure of it.
In the county where I live, a friend was being held for arraignment. He called me collect and the bill for the three minutes was $30. It was not billed through my regular telephone company, but through a separate company that had a contract with the local sheriff’s department. When I questioned the cost, knowing that a routine three-minute collect call from the county seat is normally about 75 cents, I was told that the calls were routed though a complicated network that included Canadá and several states across the country, there was a charge for each connection in the network, and that the sheriff’s department also received what amounted to a kickback.
I still get bills supposedly from a collection ageny of a major telephone company that I don’t use, requesting payment of about $10 for a collect call from a prisoner whose name I do not recognize. I am certain I did not accept such a call because I was out of the country on the date of said call. A scam? I’m almost sure of it.
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CatholicSam
Guest
Gosh, sounds like a scam on the part of the phone company and sheriff’s department! I wouldn’t be surprised if they had some of “their men” working undercover in the prison trying to make some big bucks for the company!
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