DEAR SUN SPOTS: We have caller ID plus an answering machine. In the past few weeks we’ve had the number 213-256-0060 with the initials N.A.D. come up. When we answer, nobody will speak to you. They also will not leave a message. Hopefully you can help solve who they are and why they are calling us. Thank you. — Faye, Oxford

ANSWER: According to some of the dozens of online complaints, you are receiving those calls from a Los Angeles-based company trying to sell extended auto warranties. Other reports claimed the calls are a scam but offered no corroborating information other than rude and aggressive salespeople.

Sun Spots does have a possible explanation for why no one is there when you answer. Most telemarketers use a computer program called a dialer to place the calls. It estimates when an agent will be ready for the next call and dials the number, but if there is no agent available, you won’t have anyone on the other end when you pick up the phone. (This also explains the slight delay between when you answer a telemarketing call and when the agent speaks.)

You can continue to ignore the calls. You can also attempt to stop the calls by registering for the Do Not Call list at www.donotcall.gov. You can register up to three numbers, and it should take effect within about 30 days. If you don’t have a computer, you can call in your registration at 1-888-382-1222.

Being put on the list will not stop all calls. According to the Federal Trade Commission website, “calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls. However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request. You should keep a record of the date you make the request.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I recently received a phone call from someone who said he was my grandson. He said something to the effect “Grandma, I have something to tell, and I want you to promise me you won’t tell anyone.” This male went on to tell me about a supposed car accident he was involved in and subsequent incarceration, which required a sum of money to be sent to “an international lawyer” who was retained by “his friend Tyler’s cousin.”

I let him tell me his entire story, including the sum of money he needed to be sent, which he assured me would be paid back from his personal checking account. I was given instructions to send $2,856 via Western Union — he made sure I knew what Western Union was (very funny since everyone in the U.S. knows Western Union!). He even told me to be sure to fill out a “sender’s form” and to send the money to Bruce Laurene, 695 Pasa Row, Madrid, Spain.

After he was finished with his spiel, and I had agreed to everything he had I requested, I politely told him I was totally aware the phone call was 100 percent a scam and that what he was doing was illegal and I hung up.

I thought of so many things after I hung up that I could have said, such as if he had the money in his checking account, why didn’t he just ask his bank to wire the money to the international lawyer? Or which of my two grandsons was calling. I guess I was just so amazed and amused at his audacity, plus I could actually hear him turning the pages at what must have been his script.

I am hoping you can perhaps warn other unsuspecting older persons in the area who might be the target of similar attempts to get money. — No Name, Durham

ANSWER: There have been several stories in the news about this scam targeting grandparents. Sun Spots is very glad you did not fall for it and hopes your warning will save others. (P.S. Sun Spots suspects many younger readers would not know what Western Union is!)

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to [email protected].