(716) 218-3432 Acadiana’s Next Phone Scam?

Monday afternoon my wireless phone rang and the number (716) 218-3432 showed up on the caller ID. The voice on the other end of the line asked " How are you doing?" to which I inquired who is this and how may I help you. That is when the voice with a distinct foreign accent told me he was with Global Travel and that i was their next big winner!

Let the red flags begin to fly in my brain, this is a scam! In order to win a contest you have to enter a contest. I am not a contest person. I love giving away things on the radio but personally I don't play them. Still the man persisted that he needed to get some personal information from me so I could claim my free trip to Mexico. Boy was he shocked when I told him I had just gotten back from Mexico only a few days earlier.

He was also shocked when I told him that I had the Attorney General's office on speed dial and I was about to conference the three of us together. As expected the line went dead. A few hours later a friend called and asked about this same telephone number. She had seen it show up on her caller ID and wanted to know if it was the number of a mutual business associate. I told her my story and she decided to not call the number back.

According the phone scam websites the number is part of a telemarketing scam. The caller promises a trip and the proceeds to try and gain personal information from you. They use the ruse of you having a winning entry or coupon as the reason they have your number. It appears as though the call center focuses on similar parts of the country at the same time. One commenter on the phone scam website said a coworker received the same call that he did within minutes after he disconnected.

Unless you really want to go through the hassle of reestablishing your credit I suggest that if you see this number on your caller ID that you don't answer the phone. If you don answer disconnect immediately and file a complaint with the National Do Not Call Registry.