Area residents wary of suspicious phone calls

It didn't take long for Donna Schwartz to become suspicious of the man on the phone.

The man, who didn't give a name, called her cell phone Wednesday afternoon and told her she'd won a gift. Schwartz, 55, of Marion, said the man was hard to understand, and seemed to be changing his voice on purpose, but it sounded like he was from “Publishers.”

Their conversation was only a few minutes long, but the man transitioned into an offer of free magazines. He said she would have to pay a fee, however, and began asking for personal information.

“As soon as he started asking for personal information, it was ‘click, goodbye,'” Schwartz said.

Two other people told The Gazette they received similar calls this week.

When Schwartz hung up, the man called back, and said they must have got disconnected. She hung up again. In the next 24 hours, her phone got about 10 more calls from unusual numbers, but she didn't answer them.

Schwartz said the first phone call came from (678) 401-5655. A phone call placed to that number Thursday afternoon led to a man who identified himself as Mike Malone. He said he works for Publishers, a magazine sales company that also sponsors a sweepstakes, and denied that they are running a scam.

He said further information about the business could be found at www.subscriberservices.biz. The website says the Arvada, Colo. company was founded in 1995 and allows its customers to modify their magazine subscriptions when their interests change. It does not mention the “Publishers” name.

“Our friendly staff is prepared to work with customers to solve any issues that may come up on their accounts, offering easy payment plans and discounts if they qualify,” the website reads.

Schwartz said she doesn't buy it, and says the man she spoke to was rude.

“Once they tried to get my bank information, I knew where it was headed,” Schwartz said.