Life Insurance.

Last week, I was away from home for a few days, while I was away, I had a text, that said, “Insurance,” As the company that sent it to me and it said, “Hi Maxine, we would like to speak to you about your Prudential, life insurance policy. Please call us on xxxxxxxxxxx Thanks.”

I was not shocked by this text, because I do not answer my mobile at all now, unless I see a name I recognised.

For many years I have been having six daily span calls from abroad, and my telephone provider has informed me, “It is all from one country,” They have told me which country it is from, even if is shows, towns and villages from England, Scotland, Ireland, or Wales, or in Europe, it is still from that country.”

Asking them to, “Remove my number from their mailing,” List was a complete waste of time, so I stop answering my phone, I just let it ring.

Even the genuine caller was unable to get me. My telephone provider informed me, “Even if it showed London on my mobile, or Newcastle, or Liverpool, it was all from that country.”

So, when the text arrived on my mobile, it did not surprise me at all. I was going to give them a quick ring on the number they had sent me, just to let them know, that I would ring them then I got back home, as I didn’t have my policy number etc with me, but then I thought, I might as well wait until I get home, as it will cause as much hassle with data protection, if I say I don’t have my policy number with me now. So, I decided against ringing.

When I got back home, I forgot to ring, then I remembered, today and I got my details and my pen and paper ready, as I usually do, if I’m planning on making any phone call, at home or at work, so that I have their names, dates and details.

Because I had my paperwork with me, I used the phone number that was on my documents, and I rang them.

I said, to the sales assistant, “Can I give you my policy number?” She replied, “Yes please,” I then read it out to her, she then said, “How can I help you?” I told her about the text that the company had sent to my mobile last week, and now I was retuning their call. She repeated her question, “How can I help you?” I repeated my answer to her, and she said, “We never send out texts to our customers.” I said, “So who sent me the text last week?” She said, “It did not come from us.”

I then went on to tell her about the many, daily spam phone calls that I get everyday and it is from one country abroad, I told her the country. I looked at my documents and it wasn’t due for renewal.

Puzzled I said, to her, “How did they know, that I have with you, from all the Insurance companies in the world?” She had to admit, “I don’t know,” And neither did I.

She asked me, “What number did you phone me on?” I replied, “From the number from my documents,” It was then, I realized, the number was different from the one on my phone, and I told her this, she said, “Can you tell me that number?” I read it out to her, she said, “That is not our number at all.” I replied, “I am SO glad, I didn’t ring them back on that number on my mobile, that they had asked me to ring them back on!”

I said, to her, they know my name, my phone number and what life insurance I am with, that’s scary.” She agreed and said, “It is.”

Be careful out there, scammers have no heart!