Update on "free cruise" scam to watch out for

[Gold Mine Gal]

Check out nomorobodotcom. It works great stopping robo calls. Just check if your telephone provider is listed.:)

[Boozebabe]

We don't accept texts on our phones, but we used to get phone calls frequently…You hear a ship horn, then the 'You've Won a Free Cruise!' message. The cruise was a 3 nighter on the "luxurious Caribbean Cruise Line." (It involved a timeshare presentation.)

 

One time DH answered and decided to have some fun. He responded by pushing numbers until a real person came on the line. Told them he was very excited to win this cruise and couldn't wait to go! They asked for a credit card for the port taxes and DH told them that since he's out awaiting sentencing for credit card fraud, he has no credit cards any more. Then he asked them if he could still go with his ankle bracelet - would monitoring be available?

 

They hung up. And miraculously…we don't get those calls anymore!:D

Judy

 

Oh how I love creative responses to annoying phone calls. I once told a guy who called my business 3 times a week for months (he was from the other side of the world) that I was placing a curse on him. I won't go into the details of where I wanted the fleas of 100 camels to infest him, but the calls ended that day.

[Hflors]

I have a phone # exchange for Maryland, but we are actually residence of FLorida. Every once in a while we get some kind of "junk" phone call trying to sell us something or the best are the political calls. Like everyone else if I am bored I usually let them go into their speal and at some point when they take a breath is when I inform them that I AM a resident of FLorida. Some of the responses are really funny.

 

I did also got a call from an elderly woman who was looking for a relative who had the same exchange that I have and lives in the same little town associated with the exchange. I explained to her that she had dialed the wrong #. She then procedes to say to me. "Do you know my cousin, So, and so." I said. "I am sorry I am not familiar with her." Then she says. "Well since you live in the town could you look up her # in the phone book for me?" OF course I had to explain to her that I am 1200 miles away from our Maryland address. She finally admitted defeat and hung up.

[Illyria]

I've certainly done a timeshare presentation deal where they gave me 2 nights in a hotel in Breckenridge CO during peak ski season - but that's still barely worth $400. I absolutely ignore anything that advertises free cruises. Since I stopped answering my personal cell phone unless I recognize the number, I'm sure I'm missing out on all kinds of lucrative offers!

 

My bigger problem is my work cell phone - it has to stay on, day and night, whenever I'm on call, I can't just turn the volume down when I go to sleep. I try to not give out that number to anyone, but unfortunately at one point I had to give it to my mortgage company while doing a refi (stupid, I know). Which means that the number is gradually getting sold to more and more scam operations - at this point I'd actually welcome someone trying to sell me a "free cruise"! The most recent one is a Kansas area code, calling every day, sometimes twice a day, and always dead air if I do answer. After getting repeatedly woken up at 8:30am after working a night shift, I had to assign a "silent" ringtone to that number so I wouldn't hear it ring again.

 

Yesterday morning I got a call from a blocked ID with an automated recording informing me that my "MasterCard has been locked". That would have been a problem...if I actually had a MasterCard.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Years ago we used to get postcards indicating that we had won a free cruise. They were put into our "File 13" can right away.

[donnatello]

We get calls for the "free cruise" on occasion. I just say "I could NEVER get my wife on a ship". They say, "thank you....good bye!"

[iheartbda]

I'm sooooooo bummed, never have gotten a call for a free cruise.:( Maybe because we have voice caller ID and never answer the phone if we don't know who's calling.:D

[fortinweb]

Sitting through a 90 minute promo to get something is no big deal. We have done that before. I don't want what they are selling. I am under no obligation to buy. And 90 minutes means 90 minutes.

 

I recently broke down and finally attended one of those dinner presentation for retirement planning. I was surprised that at the table I sat at there were two couples who readily shared that they attend two to three such presentations per month just to get the free dinner. One couple knew the restaurant well, having been there five times previously for such presentations.

 

I guess for some people a free meal is more important than their free time. :D