Scam artists call posing as local businesses to take money

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 has learned more and more scam artists are posing as local businesses to try and take your money.

They are using advanced technology to call, using phone numbers you trust.

The clever scam is called spoofing. Scammers use advanced technology to hijack phone numbers you recognize so you'll be more likely to answer their call.

Right now, scam artists are calling from phone numbers that pop up as local restaurants, day cares and even hospitals, such as OrthoCarolina.

"Almost every day we get a phone call from someone or a different company that says they're someone and they're not. It's crazy," business owner Justin Colasatto said.

Colasatto runs a small business in Harrisburg and answers every call that comes in.

"It makes you feel uneasy. It makes you feel like you don't have any control over the situation," Colasatto said.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said the scammers are able to hide behind legitimate phone numbers because technology lets them outsmart the system.

"It's very hard because a lot of people are out of the country, so traditional forms of law enforcement don't work. We need technological solutions," Stein said.

Stein said telephone companies are the only ones with the power to stop the crooks.

Stein is now trying to band together with attorney generals from other states to pressure those telephone companies to take action before any more vulnerable residents are scammed.

"It's tragic because what happens is they get somebody on the hook and then they prey on their fear," Stein said.

While there isn't much you can do to stop robocalls, the attorney general said you should make sure your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. That isn't foolproof so you should also try downloading smartphone apps such as Hiya. The free app flags you that a scammer is trying to call you.

Colasatto hopes the scammers are stopped before his business number is the one used to trick people.

"I hope that somebody can resolve this issue,” Colasatto said. "It's something that would be one less we would worry about, having someone on the other line that we know is not trying to sell us something or scam us or use our information in a negative way."

The attorney general says criminals use whatever is happening on the calendar to their advantage. That means relentless calls could get even worse as we get closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

So what do you do if you're caught on a call with a scam artist?

Here are four tips from the attorney general:

• Never give out any personal information to people you don't know.
• Don't trust that someone is who they claim to be.
• Don't cave in to high-pressure sales pitches.
• Don't pay in advance for any prizes or winnings.

Cox Media Group