WOW! That’s fantastic - thanks!
I’m glad my mother is super suspicious and doesn’t pick up any unidentified phone calls, ever. Although it wouldn’t work on her even if she did pick up because she doesn’t deal with Amazon either.
@Kyeh They got my mother with the virus pop-up scam. I think they only took her for a few hundred though. She let them remotely install software on her computer. I hate them so much.
@sammydog01 UGH. What was their pitch - was it about Amazon? I had an elderly friend who got the call that his grandson was in trouble and needed cash. Luckily when he went to buy the money order in his small town the cashier recognized that it was a scam and didn’t let him go through with it.
@Kyeh Yep, she clicked through and got a phone number to call and they took care of the rest. She was pushing 90 at the time and I was seriously pissed off although I think all they did was install virus software and charge her for it. I eventually convinced her to take it to the Geek Squad to clear it out.
These scams are high on my list of pet peeves with humanity. I’ve noticed the frequency of them going up lately - a “your account has been charged” almost every day this week and three “apple call center” ones in the last two days. Makes me sick at the thought of how many innocent people must be getting taken.
I’m glad the glitter bomber is upping his game, too!
I hated the apple call center calls. I have never once in my life owned an apple product (at this point I feel like it’s just because I want to be a curmudgeon about it )… I was getting 10 calls a day for about 2 months straight from the “apple call center”.
@mbersiam My sister only has an iPad and iPhone, and she got a call saying there were problems with her Microsoft system. She said “I don’t have Microsoft” and the woman said “I don’t believe you.” "She cracked up and said “I don’t care if you don’t believe me!”
I got two calls inside of 30 minutes regarding “fraudulent use” of my social security number in Texas (Meh? Is that you??). The recording claimed that my SS# had been “suspended” as a result. These guys are lower than scum.
@andrewkl Got one too. Same "my SSN has been ‘suspended’ " bullshit. Sad that AT&T doesn’t have any actual security in their system to validate outgoing call origin, and flag fake origin calls. I’m sure the NSA is doing it for incoming Indian boiler room scammers, so why not add blocking measures to protect Americans?
The sad part is that these scammers are faking their call origin numbers (why they always need you to “press 1 for an agent” - to transfer the call). That number you blocked is just a random number or it could be from a business or neighbor.
They’re getting good at faking not just your area code, but the same 3-digit exchange to make you think it is a “local” call. I know this because my phone has the area code where I grew up, not where I live now, and nobody where I am now has that area code. So they’re not “my likely neighbors” when the spammers call with a fake number.
On the rare occasion that I answer a junk call that has an actual person calling, I like to mess with them. Sometimes I’ll act confused and compliant and when they ask for a credit card, I’ll agree to go get it and then leave the phone sitting on the table on speaker with the mic muted and go about my business until they start asking if I’m still here and eventually hang up. Or I’ll do the phone perv routine and ask what they’re wearing and what types of kinkiness they enjoy. Anything to waste their time and amuse myself.
A local TV news reporter got a call and played along - it was one where they told him to go buy a gift card, and he strung them along while he drive to the store and asked lots of questions and played dumb.
I did have an elderly friend though who almost got scammed by the “grandson in trouble and needs money immediately” call. Luckily the small-town store where he went to get the money order recognised it as a scam and stopped him!
They call me all the time. I guess I’m old.
@sammydog01 For what it’s worth, they call everyone.
I’m glad my mother is super suspicious and doesn’t pick up any unidentified phone calls, ever. Although it wouldn’t work on her even if she did pick up because she doesn’t deal with Amazon either.
@Kyeh They got my mother with the virus pop-up scam. I think they only took her for a few hundred though. She let them remotely install software on her computer. I hate them so much.
@sammydog01 UGH. What was their pitch - was it about Amazon? I had an elderly friend who got the call that his grandson was in trouble and needed cash. Luckily when he went to buy the money order in his small town the cashier recognized that it was a scam and didn’t let him go through with it.
@sammydog01 Oh, sorry - you said - the virus pop-up. That one really is alarming the first time you see it!
@Kyeh Yep, she clicked through and got a phone number to call and they took care of the rest. She was pushing 90 at the time and I was seriously pissed off although I think all they did was install virus software and charge her for it. I eventually convinced her to take it to the Geek Squad to clear it out.
@sammydog01 I’m glad it wasn’t worse!
These scams are high on my list of pet peeves with humanity. I’ve noticed the frequency of them going up lately - a “your account has been charged” almost every day this week and three “apple call center” ones in the last two days. Makes me sick at the thought of how many innocent people must be getting taken.
I’m glad the glitter bomber is upping his game, too!
I hated the apple call center calls. I have never once in my life owned an apple product (at this point I feel like it’s just because I want to be a curmudgeon about it
)… I was getting 10 calls a day for about 2 months straight from the “apple call center”.
@mbersiam My sister only has an iPad and iPhone, and she got a call saying there were problems with her Microsoft system. She said “I don’t have Microsoft” and the woman said “I don’t believe you.”
"She cracked up and said “I don’t care if you don’t believe me!”
Here’s the Jim Browning side of the work:
@narfcake I love Jim Browning
I got two calls inside of 30 minutes regarding “fraudulent use” of my social security number in Texas (Meh? Is that you??). The recording claimed that my SS# had been “suspended” as a result. These guys are lower than scum.
@andrewkl Got one too. Same "my SSN has been ‘suspended’ " bullshit. Sad that AT&T doesn’t have any actual security in their system to validate outgoing call origin, and flag fake origin calls. I’m sure the NSA is doing it for incoming Indian boiler room scammers, so why not add blocking measures to protect Americans?
The sad part is that these scammers are faking their call origin numbers (why they always need you to “press 1 for an agent” - to transfer the call). That number you blocked is just a random number or it could be from a business or neighbor.
They’re getting good at faking not just your area code, but the same 3-digit exchange to make you think it is a “local” call. I know this because my phone has the area code where I grew up, not where I live now, and nobody where I am now has that area code. So they’re not “my likely neighbors” when the spammers call with a fake number.
If you don’t hear from me it’s because I was arrested by the IRS for not paying my taxes over the phone. THEY’RE ON THE WAY WITH A WARRANT.
@sammydog01
/image gif police car siren
I once got a call that showed up on the caller ID as being from my own number (the phone I was getting the call on!)
On the rare occasion that I answer a junk call that has an actual person calling, I like to mess with them. Sometimes I’ll act confused and compliant and when they ask for a credit card, I’ll agree to go get it and then leave the phone sitting on the table on speaker with the mic muted and go about my business until they start asking if I’m still here and eventually hang up. Or I’ll do the phone perv routine and ask what they’re wearing and what types of kinkiness they enjoy. Anything to waste their time and amuse myself.
A local TV news reporter got a call and played along - it was one where they told him to go buy a gift card, and he strung them along while he drive to the store and asked lots of questions and played dumb.
I did have an elderly friend though who almost got scammed by the “grandson in trouble and needs money immediately” call. Luckily the small-town store where he went to get the money order recognised it as a scam and stopped him!