They almost got me...

I have been on the receiving end of some mysterious phone calls for the last two or three days. Today I was at home when this one came in.

I can't speak for other cities, but our local news stations constantly do PBA's for consumers warning them selves about phising. The practice of someone calling an individual, pretending to be a legitimate business associated with their bank.

Well, lo and behold, it happened to me. As I mentioned, I've been receiving calls from a strange number that I did not recognize. The call originated from Quebec or so my caller i.d. has identified.

The young man on the other end of the phone asked for me by first and last name. He then introduced himself (not his real name, I'm sure). He gave me the name of the "company" and asked me if I banked with "X" institutuion.

It struck me as strange that he new where I conducted my banking business. He went on to explain that my account protection was about to expire and in order to extend it I would need to make two payments. This is where my gut kicked in. I asked questions and informed him that I never received any information from my bank about this service.

The next thing I know I was listening to a dial tone. So as a warning to anyone out there. Ask a lot of questions if you receive a call from someone you are not familiar with.

FYI, the phone mumber I received the call from was 514-481-9183. When I attempted to call the number it simply rang. Never went to voice mail or answering machine. Beware people and stay on your toes. If this can happen to a single mom with very little money; it can happen to you too.