Update on the scammers spoofing our number

We’ve started following an interesting suggestion made to us. It involves some cost, but its got the nice side effect of providing us (eventually) with the call data records from the phone company. Assume we will be getting the information we need, soon, to deal with this. We have a potent legal cocktail waiting for this information. Of course, the scammers decided to step things up a bit. One claimed to be with the FBI. Last I heard, sounds like impersonating an FBI person is a federal offense … not a state/local level. If we are lucky, we will be sending some scammers to jail. They are threatening people now, and causing the recipients of the phone calls to worry about their self protection. This is a scam, a bad one, preying on peoples fears. So its even more important that we take them out. And do so in a big way. To the people who made the suggestion offline to me, it was a wonderful idea and I owe you. To the scammers … If you kick a tiger in the ass, you’d better have a plan to deal with its teeth. It’s not just us that you kicked, its the US government by impersonating federal officers. Not a very smart move. Actually a really dumb one. To everyone: If you get a random phone call from someone threatening you with arrest, or imprisonment, or collection of debts, assume they are scammers. Get as much information about them as you possibly can. Get name, company name, telephone number. Let them know that without that information you won’t talk to them. I hate to say that you should assume they are liars and scammers, but frankly, I think you might need to take that as a defensive posture. No credible enforcement agency is going to call you up to arrest you over the phone, or tell you that a relative is in danger of being arrested. So if you get it, gather as much information from them as you possibly can. Get them to commit to you what they want. Write it down, get them to repeat it. Record them (and tell them you are) if at all possible. Nothing quite like a mountain of evidence to bring to the police and let them handle it. I’m pissed off about this … a kid last week was really worked up over protecting his mother, and I had to talk him down from doing something dumb. How soon before someone gets really badly hurt or worse? This is why these assholes are going down. If we don’t stand up and do whats right, we can’t complain when others don’t. So up we stand. Please do stand with us.