This Is Why You Keep Getting Calls From Numbers Similar To Yours

Apr 29, 2019 by apost team

Everyone with a phone number has at one point in time stumbled upon a telemarketer calling them. Telemarketers are complete strangers trying to sell you some product. The most annoying thing about them is the fact that they tend to call you at the most inappropriate parts of the day.

You might have got a phone call from these opportunists in the middle of a lecture, while watching your children perform their first time on stage, or in the middle of rush hour. Sometimes, the worst thing that happens is getting lost in your car while driving to an unknown spot during rush hour. You are relying on your GPS, but the telemarketer's call interrupted it, and now you have to turn back to find your way.

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To make things even more twisted with telemarketers, there are some creepy circumstances around those calls. Have you ever got a call from a number that was very similar to your own? Some people get the chills when they first get the phone call from what looks like their own phone number. You might be thinking about who you know with this phone number, why it is just like yours, and why they might be calling you.

Sometimes the phone number can be a single digit away from your own. While all this may seem dramatic, research about the topic reveals something very interesting. Apparently, there are many people who receive such phone calls. This phenomenon that has popped up lately was investigated by many different agencies including the Times or the Morning Edition of NPR.

The host of the Morning Edition describes how she was intruded by unwanted phone calls that were similar to her own phone number. From the research, the phenomenon is known as "neighborhood spoofing" and is done by aggressive telemarketing companies. According to statistics from the New York Times, 3.4 billion of these calls were received just in April.

These calls do not come from legit telemarketers but from charlatans that present themselves as IRS agents. The FCC is after these scammers and prison sentences, as well as million-dollar fines, await anyone caught in this scheme. If this type of call comes to you, the best thing is to not answer at all. You can block the number. If the calls persist, you can call your carrier for help. As a last resort, you can contact the FCC. There is not too much work left for these guys anymore.

Have you been called by a number similar to yours? How did you react, and what would you do if you did get a call? We'd love to hear from you! Pass this story on to your friends and family to make sure they know what is behind these calls!