I had entered some contests online. Usually I only enter those that appear 100% legit (ie. The company is one that is known to me, and reputable) - but evidently I slipped up at some point recently.
A few days ago, I received a call from a very bright, friendly woman, saying she was calling from "Universal Florida" and that I had "done well" and was in the 3% of individuals who had "qualified" for a Florida vacation in addition to a Bahamas cruise. I was flabbergasted, couldn't recall entering such a contest, and asked her for the details - which she said she couldn't tell me because she wasn't in the "qualifications department", but rather the "promotions department": RED FLAG NUMBER ONE. She went on and on, alluding to this fantastic prize I'd "qualified" for (when I asked her if that meant I'd WON, she skirted the issue, giving me some BS about how it was better to qualify than win because that meant you didn't pay the taxes... RED FLAG NUMBER TWO.
She asked if I'd be available to travel within the next 12 months said she was so excited to send me out my package which would provide me with all of the details of my trip - but she first needed to know if I were married. I said I was and she asked me to put my husband on the line so that she could give us BOTH the information at the same time. I said he wasn't available and she told me she'd call back in a couple of days at a prearranged time.
In the meantime, I was suspicious, so I surfed the net and read a few of the reports on this site. I honestly didn't think she was going to call back because I'd told her outright that I was sceptical... But lo and behold she did! I picked up the phone and told her that I was aware that she and her company were involved in some sort of scam and that I'd appreciate it if they'd stop calling me. She tried to cut in, to say something like "but we're Universal Florida"... And I cut her off and told her I was fully aware of who/what her company was and that I did NOT want to receive any additional solicitation from them. I then hung up.
I didn't provide them with any personal banking or credit card information, but we'll be watching everything carefully from now on!!!
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