ONLY ON WWAY: Local man warns his phone number has been stolen for scam

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — For almost two weeks, one Brunswick County man has been put in the middle of a scam. Jesse Hernandez’s phone number was stolen, and now that number is now being used to call people across the Cape Fear in hopes of stealing your money.

Hernandez says he has received more than 500 phone calls so far and they have not slowed down.

Hernandez says his number was stolen from some type of software and is being used to target people and trick them into paying off student loans. So when people call the scammers back, they get Hernandez on the line.

“To have a call and think ‘oh great, I’m going to pay off my student loans with this one lump sum.’ And then to find out it was a scam and they’re losing all this money that they could have put elsewhere. To the kids or to the family, or to that new house that they were going to buy, or that new car that’s going to get them from point a to b,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez says calls are flooding in from across the Cape Fear.

“It’s all the local area,” Hernandez said. “It’s Wilmington, Jacksonville, Clinton, there’s a couple of places even Oak Island.”

Hernandez has called the police and the Attorney General. However, there is not much they can do since the scammers cannot be traced. But one thing Hernandez has done is change his voicemail to let people know what is going on.

“I just wanted people to know that it is a scam, and that my number is being associated with a scam,” Hernandez said. “And if it is my number that’s calling them to disregard any further communication with them. I don’t want to see people lose money cause I know how hard it is to make it.”

Doing all he can in hopes of keeping at least one person from getting their money stolen.

“I wish they’d stop. Just find something else productive with your time. If you put all the energy that you put into scamming people into an actual productive job or career or hobby, I mean just imagine what could be accomplished,” Hernandez said.

Despite the constant calls, Hernandez says he does not plan on changing his number. Hernandez adds if you get a phone call from 910-777-4652 please do not answer.

For tips on how to avoid being scammed, click here.