The scam: A Caller will contact you and let you know that there has been a death in the family. The caller will give you another number to call for more information, they also let you know that you must begin the call with the call code *72. What this actually does is forward all calls made to your cell phone to the number the caller has given — the scammer’s own number.
The scammer then gives your number to his buddies anywhere in the world and they can phone him via your cell, with you picking up the charges — and knowing nothing about it — until you get your bill.
The solution: Don’t use the *72 or any other forwarding code to forward calls to a number you don’t know or recognize. You can enter *73 to clear call forwarding. (We’re not sure if *72 and *73 are the forwarding codes for all cell phones. Check your cell phone manual or talk to your carrier.)
