Daria and I don’t answer calls to our cell phones unless we recognize the name or phone number of the caller... period.

Recently, I have been receiving numerous calls from a number that I didn't recognize. 

After three of four of these calls from the same number, I became curious about who was bugging me... and why.

Did I call the number...  NO WAY!

I did a reverse phone directory search on the internet with the number (just plug the phone number into your "search" window)... and guess what I found?

Dozens of complaints from people who HAD returned calls to this particular number just to find either scam offers for "free" ringtones, vacation "deals," etc.

And the calls from consumers to these scam artists were at PREMIUM rates... so they were doomed from the beginning!

In this case, I was right... a lot of people who were bugged by the same number shared their story online of what happened when they called the number back.

But, if you don't find any information online by searching for the phone number, you can resort to more formal means by going to either www.anywho.com or www.reversephonedirectory.com.

It may take a little effort... but stick to it Sherlock Holmes.

Although there are many clever scams being perpetrated these days... here's one of the more insidious ones.

The "missed call" scam:

Many scammers are using relentless auto-dialers that make short duration calls to your cell phone, leaving a missed call.

The number you call back, out of curiosity (it killed the cat!), may be re-directed to a premium rate service (for example, a number that starts with an 090 or 190)  meaning that, without your knowledge, you will be exorbitantly charged for every minute on the line.

Often, the person on the other end will try to convince you that you have won a prize or a cheap vacation, etc. – anything to KEEP you on the line!

You may also be given another number to call to "claim" your "free" prize, but they may not tell you how much the call will cost. This second number may also be a premium rate number, again charging you a lot of money to get your "Free prize," such as a free ringtone.

WHOOPEE! Check your phone bill to see how FREE the ringtone was!

 BE CAREFUL... if you're like me... your cell phone bill is probably already high enough!

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