Homeland Security Emergency Notification System keeps calling me! (house, inspector)

[Gekkota]

So far today I have gotten six automated phone calls from the "DHS Emergency Notification System." Each message prompts me to enter my "user ID number" to retrieve the message. Since I don't work for Homeland Security, I don't have a user ID number, so I just entered "0". My mistake, but I was tired of the phone calls.

A live, suspicious-sounding man answered and demanded to know how I got this private Homeland Security number.
"Have you ever worked for Homeland Security?"
"Do you have any family members who work for Homeland Security?"
"Have you or a family member ever worked for the Federal Government?"
"Do you have a security clearance?"
Blah, blah, blah. Very cloak-and-dagger.

Anyway, he decided to write an "incident report" about it and I haven't gotten any more phone calls. But I AM wondering what all those calls were about.

So, fellow forum members--heads up! If anything is going down with national security, remember you heard it here first!

[stpickrell]

All you need to do is keep a good poker face, and you will do fine with DHS.

(reference: Did the national Emergency Alert System mistakenly play Lady Gaga? - CSMonitor.com)

[Smoke_Jaguar4]

You may want to contact the DHS Office of the Inspector General:
OIG/DHS HomePage
Do you have the phone number they called you from and time/dates?

[Caladium]

There have been a rash of all sorts of dubious phone calls lately. Beware, and don't give out personal info over the phone. I would report it to the DHS. I'm not sure it helps, but it can't hurt.

[woodworkingmenace]

They know where you are, and, they are coming for ya!! (Dont try to leave quick, cause they may have the car wired!!)...

ROTFLOL

OK, you get scammers all the time, and, someone was having a great time at your expense...scaring the pants off of you. Shame, but, the nut-jobs are everywhere these days!

I wish you well...

Jesse

[persnicketygal]

I wonder whether DHS was sending a msg (to its crew) related to the gunshots fired near the White House last night... by somebody with an assault rifle.

[tgbwc]

You were patched into a "private" Homeland Security number simply by hitting "0". Great. I feel so secure.

[Gekkota]

I talked to a friend who works at OIG and she said the automatic messaging systems frequently call wrong numbers, and that probably a DHS employee had my (brand new) phone number in the past.
Oh, well.
I thought I was "in the loop" in terms of people to notify in an emergency.
Guess not!

[Alyzza]

How strange! That makes me feel real secure knowing that an agency like that puts such important things on an automated message to start with, and then that it often calls the wrong number. It would have been more effective if the message would have kept saying numbers in groups of 5 (even better if in Spanish) (aka spy numbers) - the intended recipient would have known the message instantly but no one else would have any idea. I would have asked the guy why that number called me instead of who it was supposed to. Or told him I forgot my userid could he help. Sort of reminds me of the emergency broadcasting test snafu a few days ago.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Alyzza

Sort of reminds me of the emergency broadcasting test snafu a few days ago.

What happened? Google, here I come.