Another Phone Scam...

[wolfsong]

I received this text from a number I don't recognize

"Jeff, someone had carried out a spending in your acct. Please terminate the order promptly if it was not you."

A website address followed. I blocked the phone number to prevent more calls.

I really wish people would refrain from carrying out a spending on my account...

 

[Jeepnik]

Again, the phone services could stop these robo calls. They just make too much money off of them to do so.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Haven't gotten that call, but did get one a couple of weeks ago: "Your Social Security card has been suspended due to suspicious activity on it. Please call this number, blah, blah..."

I guess Social Security didn't get the memo, because they put money in my bank account a couple of days ago, just like they do about this time every month. Hmmm...

Rick C

 

[sfhogman]

There are apparently several people out there who want to discuss repayment options on my student loans....what to do...what to do....

Jeff

 

[wolfsong]

Perhaps we could set up a conference call including we three and all those concerned parties who contacted us...get this financial mess cleared up in a jiffy.

 

[WestTex]

I have actually had some great fun with the scammers.

The Social Security scam has called me from numbers showing in Fla, Ct, and last week, Texas. It has always been the same guy, going by the name Wm Smith (who I tricked into telling me he was from Pakistan). I have gotten them to hang up on me by inquiring when he was going to get me the promised pictures of his sister and his mother, questions about when they were going to send me my increase, asking him if the newspaper article I read about him with little boys was true.

One time I started to play along with his “investigation”. He wanted my ssn, so I came up with a number closely resembling the phone number he called from in reverse, and using the name Smyth Williams (almost his agent name in reverse).

On 2 of the numbers they called me from, I have been restricted from calling them. Darn.

On the student loan scam, I have told them I want to pay them back, but I first would like to increase the loan for some extension courses. I told them I need about $300 K to finish my degree. Haven’t heard back since.

 

[blume357]

I really regret not answering the phone a few weeks ago... we have caller ID and our home phone does not even ring.... but I was sitting at my desk and looked over to see who was calling (home phone does ring in my home office).... it was me calling. Not from the other line... the caller ID showed it was the home phone calling the home phone.... not sure how the scam artist get away with that one....

 

[exavid]

If I see my phone calling me when it isn't me calling me I think I'll ignore it.

 

[kramden]

Seems like everytime I put something up for sale on the internet I get the broken english messages saying they want to buy whatever I'm selling. I like to play with them . They ask me to send this info. or that. I agree to it. Awhile later they ask why I haven't sent the info. I tell them I did or I send a lot of phony information. Pretty soon they go away.

 

[woodsy]

Again, the phone services could stop these robo calls. They just make too much money off of them to do so.

PLUS, the phone companies have employees who are into these scams; ever notice how soon you get a call right after you have talked to a friend, etc.? "They" are monitoring the phone traffic, and the only ones who can do that are the phone companies.

 

[vito]

I don't care if I get scammed for a few bucks. Because now I am rich ( or will be when that money promised by the Nigerian prince actually arrives). But I have been waiting for awhile and still no money....

 

[fiasconva]

I've started my own way to deal with them. As soon as they start up, if it's a live person, male or female, I say, "You sound really sexy. What are you wearing and what do you look like?" Works pretty good and they hang up right away. *s*

 

[vito]

Seriously, answering the phone with any response just confirms that the number is active and that real humans are at the number they called. Occasionally I pick up a call if it comes in on my cell phone. But unless I see a name of someone I know on the screen, we never answer the land line since most of the incoming calls are phone scams of one kind or another.

 

[Paul B]

I keep getting one from some outfit that says they owe me something like $350 and they need my bank account to deposit the money. I tell them just cut me a check and I'll deposit it myself. After a few times I told them to just keep the money, I'm not that hard up. The guy got nasty so I told him to take his check and stick it where the sun don't shine. You cannot imagine the stream of invective I got from the Pakistani sounding dude but I'd bet he could give a Marine drill Sgt. a damn good run for his money. Finally I just said, "F.U." and hung up. He called back and when the answering machine picked up started up all over again. I would have to pick up and hang up and he continued this for a little over an hour. I would have given five years of what was left of my life to face that dude for just five minutes. We'd both end up in the hospital. Him to get my boot out of his rear end and me to get my boot back. The sad part of this whole mess is Hewlett-Packard does owe me about $350 but try to contact an American without Pakistani accent is impossible. I just can't be sure it isn't a scam so I'll just eat the money and go on with life.
Paul B.

 

[pete44ru]

I really regret not answering the phone a few weeks ago... we have caller ID and our home phone does not even ring.... but I was sitting at my desk and looked over to see who was calling (home phone does ring in my home office).... it was me calling. Not from the other line... the caller ID showed it was the home phone calling the home phone.... not sure how the scam artist get away with that one....

It's called "ID spoofing" or "call spoofing", and here's the skinny on the various methods.

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-218765/

.

 

[exavid]

It's really infuriating when I go to use my cell phone and even before I can pick it up Siri tells me that she's using it and for me to come back later. She's a great secretary and never takes a long lunch hour so I just cut her some slack. I offered to buy another phone but she told me that wouldn't work because there'd be some hussy pretending to be Siri in that phone.

 

[bogus bill]

There are people out there that will work harder to screw you out of a dime than the effort it would take to make a honest hundred dollars.

 

[Dan in MI]

I really regret not answering the phone a few weeks ago... we have caller ID and our home phone does not even ring.... but I was sitting at my desk and looked over to see who was calling (home phone does ring in my home office).... it was me calling. Not from the other line... the caller ID showed it was the home phone calling the home phone.... not sure how the scam artist get away with that one....

Wait... I saw that movie .... "THEY'RE IN THE HOUSE!!!!"