I’m trying to figure out if this is a scam, or whether a huge pool of schools are using a single phone number to call us.
Every day except Sunday we get 2 - 5 calls a day that come up on our phone as "Univ Admissions:. The phone number shown is always the exact same number. The calls always have women - different women - making the calls. They always ask to speak to my kids without ever saying who they are. Yesterday we had 3 in 45 minutes.
Then we get less calls from “C Admissions”… but the same thing… Always the exact same number, and always younger women on the other side. They too, do not say who they are or from what school they represent unless you ask them.
I kind of have to pick them up as we are expecting two phone calls from colleges my kids have interest in. ( though I am doubting those calls are ever going to come ).
Anyway, are the two situations I mentioned a scam, or not?
Since you are picking up the calls, are you asking the callers to identify themselves? and who they represent? and teh reason for the call?
If the call is legit, then the caller would not hesitate to do that.
So if you get that call again, from that number --all you have to do is ask who they are. If it’s part of some sort of marketing scheme you don’t need to know about – then you can block the number and you wont get any more of those calls
I’d note that you can also run an online search of the phone number that is showing up- since it always the same it’s likely to show up in a database reporting complaints.
Also, you do NOT have to pick up.
I got so many junk calls on my home line that I disconnected the landline, but first ported the number out so I could reroute it to Google voice. Then I figured out how to record a set of different greeting messages depending on who is calling. People who are on my contacts list will get one message – unknown callers another. Whatever group the caller falls into, the message tells them that they have to leave a message. I don’t call back anyone who doesn’t.
If they do leave a message then I get both a text and an email with a transcript of the message – and I can also listen to the actual recorded message if I need to. (Transcription is probably around 75% accurate - usually enough to tell me the gist of what the call is about).
Most of the time the caller doesn’t leave a message and it is spoofed number, made to look like it is a local call but definitely not legitimately tied to any person I know or company I have done business with.
I could also use that system to screen calls and have some calls fowarded to my cell phone… but I personally have decided to go the message-only route. Basic rationale: if the call is legit and important, the caller will leave a message.
It It would matter to me if this was the president of some college. If I haven’t given my phone number out to them…and the caller isn’t CLEARLY identified…then I would block the number. And if they leave no message…I definitely would block the number. Legit folks leave messages.
If she’s getting in, they will find a way to notify you even if you don’t pick up. Don’t feel obligated to answer. If they have actual questions, they will call the GC, not the student.
Might be test prep firms or something like that, getting the # from SAT/ACT registration.
If you feel like it, call back then block the # if it’s spam.
I also do something like @calmom with google voice and my voicemail greeting lets people know that if I don’t have them as a contact they need to leave a message. Before I made that greeting I did miss two calls form my son whose car had broken down - he had no service so borrowed nearby people’s phones to call me, and I didn’t answer. So now, the greeting.
My #1 rule, at home and at work: if the caller doesn’t identify him/herself when asked (and I always ask after the initial “hello”), the conversation ends right there and then.
We get a lot done of this. Last night they wanted him to answer survey questions on his experiences in the admissions process. Sometimes they just want to see if they can woo him (students).
When we answer our phone and get a “voice” we never talk…we just wait. The scammers hung up. If all,they say is hello hello…they are waiting for YOU to speak…and @AbsDad you have done just that. They got you!
Stop talking…and see what happens. Betting the call disconnects.
Plus…anyone who is important will leave a message where YOU can return the call.
last night we got one, but they said they were from XYZ college. since it was a school that was not one my S would ever attend, I politely told them he was not interested. When D went through this process a whole bunch of test prep places would call. most of these also had human beings on the other side. i tend to not be as mean to human beings as its their job to make these calls.
check out nomorobo.com. It’s a free service you can use that can block nearly all “robo calls”. Makes a wonderful difference. A real caller from a university is not going to be using a robocall method.
We get the same UnivAdmissions calls every day - drives me nuts but I have never picked up. We also get lots of calls from our alma mater - I don’t even pick those up because I know they are just calls asking for money and I give money online every year, don’t feel like having to deal with them on the phone. I figure if they start to call for D19 at any point they would actually leave a message.
Recent-ish Android phones have it built into the OS, I assume i-things do also. If landline you may need to subscribe to a service from your phone company or try nomorobo or similar.