by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont resident Caroline Shearer called the COURIER on Monday to report she’s received numerous calls from various numbers ranging from local area codes and other parts of the country with voices on the other end claiming to be employees from telecommunications company Spectrum.

During the most recent call, the callers said they could lower Shearer’s monthly television, phone, and internet service rates. Shearer was skeptical and began asking questions before the caller hung up.

Alarmed, Shearer called the COURIER to let unsuspecting victims know about the scheme.

Calls are “coming from all over the United States and anywhere else where they can try to jam up and discombobulate people who really can’t think real straight and move fast,” Shearer said.

Shearer has yet to be fooled, despite the scammers’ best efforts. But, she said, one who may not be paying attention or might not think to ask questions could fall victim.

Shearer said she always asks follow-up questions during the calls, which usually annoys the scammer and leads to them hanging up. Shearer’s best tip for unsuspecting victims of scam artists is her own: always ask questions.

“If you have Spectrum for anything … have them [the scammers] give you the Spectrum phone number,” she said. “If you don’t, ask them that over and over again to ‘Give me the amounts and I’ll call you back,’ or something like that.”

For recommendations on how to avoid scam and robocalls, the Federal Communications Commission has tips listed at fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts.

For folks that need to speak with a Spectrum representative, the company’s legit customer service line is reachable at (855) 243-8892, Monday through Friday between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. For 24/7 technical support, visit spectrum.net/support.