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Phone scammers impersonating Dr. Gerardo Leon


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Phone scammers are calling up the patients of Dr. Gerardo Leon and pretending to me him. This happened to me yesterday and when I contacted Dr. Leon to verify the call, he told me that several of his patients had been hit. He didn't say so, but I suspect his office computer has been hacked and the patient list with phone numbers stolen. He was very apologetic, but of course it was not his fault.

The scammer doesn't identify himself at first, but then claims he is Dr. Leon. He says he is in the neighborhood checking on his patients and asks to stop by for a visit. I thought he didn't quite sound like Dr. Leon, but said he could stop by. A short time later, the scammer called again and said he had gotten in an accident on the way and a little girl had been hurt. He needed me to go to Oxxo right away and send him $5000 pesos which, of course, he would pay back.

I had been hit with this scam once before, so my BS alarm went off. When I declined to send the money, he asked if I could manage $500 pesos. At that point I hung up and called Dr. Leon directly, who told me that some of his patients had fallen for it and sent money. He was trying to get the word out to warn the rest and was delighted when I said I'd post an alert on Chapala.com.

These scammers speak excellent English and are very persuasive, so be on the alert. If anyone calls you and says  they know you and then lays out a sob story ending with a plea for money, DON'T DO IT! Immediately contact the one they are impersonating and verify the call. This time the scammer said he was Dr. Leon, but the last time he said he was my "favorite nephew", in town unexpectedly and had just got in an accident. The story may differ, but the scam is the same. WATCH OUT!

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I know someone this happened to in Canada, too.  Luckily, they had heard of the scam from me talking about it happening to a neighbour in Riberas, so they hung up after giving the guy a piece of their mind.  Politely, of course.  She's Canadian after all, <wink>

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just got a call from "Dr. Leon" from the same number referenced here. I had almost forgotten that maybe 10 years ago i had consulted him once. He first asked the "red light" question, "Do you know who I am?". He then went on in perfect English before throwing in a few sentences in perfect Spanish (trying to throw me off, or to prove he was Mexican). He soon realized that I was on to him and when I asked "What  do you want? " he said "Your stinking A--" and hung up. BEWARE!

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