According to Charmaine Fuller Cooper, associate state director for advocacy in the North Carolina AARP office, a member contacted her to report a call she had just received.

The call appeared to come from a Washington, D.C. number, 202-803-4906. The caller represented himself as being with AARP in Washington and said that a recent storm had wiped out members’ data in their system, and that he needed to re-collect data from her. Fortunately, the AARP member hung up without conveying any information.

According to Task Force member Angela Ellison, US Postal Inspector in Raleigh, N.C., a consumer received a call this week that showed on his caller I.D. screen as 951-697-4468  and “US Postal Service.”  Apparently, the caller I.D. was displaying a real U.S. Postal service number in California that was being “spoofed.”

The consumer heard a recording that invited him to stay on the line for information about one of his credit cards and telling him he could get a lower credit card rate. The consumer recognized the call as an attempt to obtain his credit card number and promptly hung up.

AARP would never contact a member and seek personal financial information over the phone.  “Robocallers” who offer to lower credit card interest rates usually are trying to steal credit card numbers. Legitimate credit card companies will not place such calls because robocalls offering products or services are illegal in North Carolina.

– article submitted 

by David Kirkman