Scams, phishing, and robo calls

C

Chucktin

Member
Location
East Central Fla
What have you seen lately? For me it's been an email from (sic) Wells.Fargo.Com. The email is asking me to renew my ID/Password! Gotta be a scam. Haven't dealt with Wells Fargo in 15 years.
Another slime ball, calls this time, is some company trying to sell me (leg) braces based on a foot problem I've had. Makes me wonder if the Clinic's database had been compromised. Going back for a checkup I'm going to ask to be put in touch with their IT management.
Have you gotten any similar? Emails, calls, texts?
 

The leg braces scam has been around for a while. It's one of the bigger ones, reaching millions of people. Your clinic's database probably hasn't been compromised, the leg brace offer is being made to nearly everyone. (I got it too.)
 
I got a phone call yesterday from an "Out of Area" person. I didn't answer it but they left a message about my "student loan". They wanted to talk to me about paying it. Well, I just added this number to my blocking device. They won't be calling here again from that number.
 

I may have resolved most of my many daily robo calls by picking up but saying nothing as opposed to not answering at all. I was getting 4-6 per day and now so far this week (3 days) only one.
 
About once a month I'm going to jail for IRS back taxes. Every couple of months our PC will be locked out and we have to call to prevent that from happening. I'm still waiting............
 
AprilSun said:
I got a phone call yesterday from an "Out of Area" person....... Well, I just added this number to my blocking device. They won't be calling here again from that number.
Click to expand...


Does everyone realize that you can get a caller id showing your own number? We've had that a couple of times.
 
retiredtraveler said:
Does everyone realize that you can get a caller id showing your own number? We've had that a couple of times.
Click to expand...

I've gotten that one too. I looked to see who was calling and there was my number. I turned right around and blocked my number from calling me.
 
We get spam calls numerous times every day, I usually don't pick up. And we have seen our own full name and number on the caller ID. I've seen the local electric company on the ID and picked up only to hear someone who could barely speak English wanting to get my information to sell me something. They spoof names and numbers to copy known businesses or charities, in hopes you'll pick up. I sometimes get calls and texts on my cellphone too, don't answer and block when I can.

Recently I heard on the radio that someone got scammed because after he hung up on a deal to lower his cable bill for a year, from his cable company, he used the redial to call that number back on his phone. Well that number looked correct, but it was not the true number of the company, it was a spoofed number used by the scammer. I forget, but I think he sent some gift cards to an address and was out $400.

I've also had an IRS scammer call me years ago, I knew of the scam beforehand and let him go on and on telling me how I owed money in my taxes and they would send a sheriff over to repossess my car and home and I'd go to jail if I didn't pay them. I never owed taxes, and all of my vehicles were bought new and paid in full at the time of purchase, my house was also paid off already. At the very end of his spiel, I let him have it, told him off and said that he should be put in prison for scamming people out of their money. And as mentioned in another thread, I didn't hold my tongue. :D

I sometimes go to the 800notes website to look up a number, and there's usually complaints there from other people for the same #.
 
My cell service shows calls as scam likely. I check the number on whitepages.com. Confirmed as a scam I block the number.

Two calls that I do respond to.

One where my grandson calls to explain he was at a friends wedding and while driving he had an accident and needs money to get home since his car is totaled. After pretending to care, going into what we enjoyed together when he lived close to me, keeping him online for awhile then asking where I can send money. I say I'm sorry but I think you must have the wrong granddad. I was never married so I don't have any kids that had kids. CLICK THE CALL ENDS

The other is about the IRS. When the caller identifies as a rep from the IRS I will ask them to hold for a minute while I see who is ringing my door bell. I get back with the rep to ask for the number they are calling from. I explain that it's the police wanting to arrest me for scamming. CLICK THE CALL ENDS
 
When I'm in the mood, I have fun with them. The call usually starts with "How are you today?"
I reply with a list of diseases - mostly the ones people don't talk about. I say, "Well, I have Erectile Dysfunction, Hemorroids, diarrhea & constipation. Can you help me?"

Complete silence on the other end...
 
AprilSun said:
I got a phone call yesterday from an "Out of Area" person. I didn't answer it but they left a message about my "student loan". They wanted to talk to me about paying it. Well, I just added this number to my blocking device. They won't be calling here again from that number.
Click to expand...
I got the same kind of call a few days ago. This isn't the first time I've gotten this one but the first time it was "Out of Area." Tired of getting that call, I called the number they told me on my machine and selected the option that "I don't have any student loans and remove me from your calling list." Hopefully I won't hear from them again..:rolleyes:
 
Caller ID is, basically, a good idea. Can help us sift the wheat from the chaff. But by enabling this feature the telecoms seem to have made it absurdly simple for scammers to label themselves as someone else.
 
There are some very funny videos out there on the internet, showing people having their fun with scam artists who call them. One guy has a wonderful falsetto voice and pretends to be a confused
elderly lady who manages to waste about a half hour of the scammer's time. Probably a great opportunity for acting students.
 

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