Scammer May Have My Phone Number And Address

[LandsUnknown]

I was filling out a survey on a website that appeared to be a legitimate marketing survey at first. I didn't realize it at first, but it was one of those "You won a gift card" scams. I somehow didn't read that part at the top and continued filling out the survey, not realizing that it said that at the top. I didn't give them any financial information obviously, but I did put my name, address, and cell number on the form. Does it sound like I have anything to worry about?

I realize that they may send junk mail and telemarketers/scammers may call (people like this already call often because they find my info on Who Is), but would they be able to get into my bank account or anything like that with this? The form also asked for a birth date, but I never give that out online, because I know that scammers are able to use that for identity theft. I just put a fake day in the blank. Also, the questions on the survey were simply about random things and nothing to do with anything financial.

I think it was trying to get me to buy some sort of product, which is when I saw the whole "Get a free gift card" crap at the top of the screen. Then, I saw the whole thing about the gift cards and clicked off. The reason why I was doing the survey is because I write reviews of websites for work, and the site that I was supposed to review had a bunch of different surveys posted on it. So, I decided to do one just to learn more about the site, then I realized that apparently some of the stuff on there was likely scams...... once I saw the "get a gift card" thing.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

millions of scammers have my number and address. get their garbage daily. none of them have accessed my bank account. wouldn't worry.

 

[Xorkoth]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your address and phone number are undoubtedly already all over the place out there. It may increase your number of solicitation calls and junk mail but that's no big deal. Definitely good that you didn't provide them any financial information. One time I got caught by a phishing scam, when I typed in my bank's address, I got redirected to a site that looked exactly like it, but it said I had some suspicious activity on my account so they needed me to verify my bank account information and PIN to make sure it was me. I foolishly entered my bank account # and PIN (NEVER DO THIS), and a couple of days later I got ~$500 in charges. My bank called because they were out of state and they refunded the money and we changed all my account info, but they said most likely they were about to drain my account.

I also one time entered one of those "win a vacation" prize drawings, where you fill out a paper name/address/phone number slip and put it in a box... it was at a local Chinese takeout place. I got a call a few months later saying I had won and they were going to send me a gift card for the vacation and I got a $1000 shopping spree. We spent like an hour on the phone, I was selecting all these different prizes, and then at the end, they were like "okay sir, only one more thing, we need you to just cover the shipping cost of this stuff, so we need your credit card number and we'll charge you just a one-time $20". I was like... uh, no. The guy got his "manager" who was a really aggressive and mean-sounding lady with a heavy Russian accent. She started trying to bully me into it, telling me I've wasted their time and it wasn't right, eventually calling me names and telling me I could get in legal trouble if I don't pay them. Obviously at this point I knew full well it was a scam so I hung up. Over the next few months she called (and left messages) up to 10 times a day. Angry, threatening messages. I just never answered again and eventually they stopped calling. 8(

It's amazing how many scams exist. There's one I've been getting over and over for years, where an automated message calls me from a seemingly random number and leaves a message saying that I owe the IRS money and a warrant has been issues for my arrest, and the only way to stop it is to call them and pay a fee. Nonsensical but I wonder how many people it catches? And I really wonder how it hasn't been shut down, it's been years.

The most impressive one was this time I got an email that seemed to be from a guy that I had recently met, an employee of my dad's. Looking back, the email was one character off though. Anyway it was well-written, and it was about how he and his wife were visiting France and someone kidnapped his wife and was demanding ransom money, and he feels awful doing this but he's desperate and needs money ASAP. It was a huge emotional appeal. I forwarded it to my dad who confirmed that his employee was not in France (but, weirdly, he had recently gone to France, which I knew, so I wasn't sure what to believe). Obviously never gave any money. But it was creepy how some scammer knew enough to be able to make that appeal to me.