Be careful what you say on the phone. There's a single word that, once uttered, could cost you cash.
The call came to the ABC 4 Taking Action 4 You unit, from a Willard woman who says she's been scammed by saying that one word.
The word: yes! She said, “Yes.” Now, she thought she was saying yes to have a package delivered. So, how did she wind up a bunch of charges on her phone bill?!?
The call came to Renee Chapin last June. She says the caller claimed to be from the Post Office. They just needed to confirm her information to deliver a package.
"She said, ‘do you live at your address,’ and she gave me the address. And I said, 'yes,'" Renee says.
Well, no package ever came but a phone bill did. Renee's Qwest phone bill has new charges from a company called Teleuno. Teleuno is billing Renee for long distance service, $15 dollars a month, through her Qwest bill. But, wait a minute, Renee already gets *free* long distance through Qwest!
So, Renee says she called Teleuno. Teleuno said, sure enough, Renee signed up with them. And they played her a recording of herself.
Renee says the voice on the phone asked to confirm her address and she heard her voice say, “yes.” Then the voice asked, “Would you like Teleuno for your long distance,” and Renee’s voice said “Yes.”
“Teleuno had taken the answers I gave about the Post Office and dubbed it into solicitation for long distance," Renee says.
Could Renee's allegations really be true? Did they manipulate the phone call?
We called Teleuno and asked. The person who answered the phone said she couldn’t answer but promised a manager would call back. But guess what? They never did!
But, not getting a call back isn’t that surprising, really. After all, if you Google Teleuno you get links to hundreds of complaints including one from Madelyn Medina down in St. George.
Madelyn says she also got signed up unknowingly to Teleuno.
"It was totally a scam," she says.
And that’s a sentiment echoed by Renee Chapin.
"It makes you worry. You know. It's scary out there," Renee says.
In the meantime, Qwest has agreed to refund the money Teleuno charged Renee. Now, what to do if this happens to you? File a complaint with the F.C.C. What Teleuno is accused of doing is absolutely against the law, and the feds want to hear from you.
