Scam Alert: Someone is Pretending to Be Kalamazoo State Theatre
It's unfortunate that this kind of warning still has to be issued but, here we are.
Two days ago, November 28, Kalamazoo State Theatre shared a Facebook post that seems to indicate that someone is contacting locals and trying to gather personal information while pretending to represent the theater.
Their post reads:
It's not clear how contact was made or how many people were contacted before the Kalamazoo State Theatre was made aware of this scam.
Like the above post says, should you have any questions or think you may have been contacted by a scammer impersonating Kalamazoo State Theatre, email james@kazoostate.com.
How To Avoid Phone and Other Scams
These scams are hardly new. They've been running rampant for years. Scammers may pretend to be your bank, a government agency, a medical professional, a relative, or, as we're now experiencing locally, a theater. Whoever or whatever they're pretending to be the number one goal is always gathering your personal information like credit card numbers and social security numbers.
An article from Bank of America gives a few tips for avoiding scam calls in the future:
- Don't recognize the number? Don't answer. Even if they leave a callback number, make sure to double-check it and see if it's a business you recognize.
- Do not give out any personal information to a caller, even if they already have some of your information.
- If in doubt, hang up.
They also go on to say that government agencies, like the IRS, will not call unless they've contacted you by mail first. Read more here.
From personal experience, anyone contacting you by phone, text, or email demanding personal information or payment with the threat of some big repercussions should be treated suspiciously.
I'm not sure why someone chose the Kalamazoo State Theatre specifically for this scam. However, if you'd like to see their upcoming (and very legitimate) shows, you can see their full calendar here.