OT: Phone Scams
 

Please Get The Word Out.

Phone Scam (Saturday 1/15/05)

I just got a phone call from some guy with a heavy Indian accent telling me that I have won $5,000 US grant. LOL I get a call from someone on a Saturday night at 9pm telling me that I have won $5,000 and all they need is my bank account number to deposited the money. I laughed so hard I hope I broke his eardrum. I then said to him: "Ok lets assume that I am so stupid that I would fall for this, and give you may bank account info right, on a Saturday night. By the time I check my account on the next business day, which is Monday, it will be empty right?" (Or something to that effect)
“Oh no sir, we are on the up and up.”
I hung up.

The man then called me right back. The number on the caller ID was 999-999-9999 Anonymous. I told him that there are plenty of stupid Americans out there, not to bother me. "Oh but sir this is on the up and up." He then told me my address to prove to me that he was telling me the truth.
“Ok, so you have a copy of the white pages on CD Rom from my area. Big deal.”
”Oh no sir, I am calling you from Washington DC to tell you that you have won a grant for $5,000 dollars.”
"Then why are you calling me at 9pm on a Saturday night?"
"Oh this is the end of my work day."
"Am I suppose to believe you? Lets see, add 12 hours to my time and I will bet it’s about 9am where you’re at."
"Oh no sir, I am calling you Washington DC."
"With a 999-999-9999 number?"
"Oh yes sir. It is the number we have here."
"And here is would say India or near abouts?"
"OH no sir, I am calling you from Washington DC."
"So give me the address that you’re calling from."
-Shuffling- Followed by a bogus address.
"Ok, I just entered that address into map quest and it came up as bogus. Just like you and this call."
"Oh but sir we are on the up and up."
"Right"
"All I need to give you your money is your bank account."
"Well that’s not going to happen."
“Oh but ….” I hung up.

For the most part that is pretty much what was said.

These guys just keep going. They will tell you what you want to hear to get you to give them your information. Don’t be fooled, ask yourself some basic question such as, when did I enter this contest, why me, and above all else, why would they call me AFTER hours on a weekend and ask me for my bank information. If you do not, then you are truly naïve and will be taken advantage of.

Additionally, keep in mind that this guy even read me my address to prove to me that he was telling me the truth. That is information they can get now simply by ordering the latest Version of Qwest Dex White Pages on CD Rom. Don’t get taken.

If any one calls you and tell you that you have won a grant, hang up. Grants are not won; they are applied for and awarded. You do not win grants

Raymond

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Atrocities you always have the best stories.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Laugh out loud! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif Another great story by AT. Thanks, I needed a good laugh. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Devious Plan A:

1) Use a happy-excited tone of voice as soon as you realize what is going on.
2) Say "this phone isn't secure, let me call you back from my other phone"
3) If they give you a real number to phone, forward it to the authorities!

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

It wouldn't work; they'd trace the phone number to somewhere in Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Another guy JUST called me.. This one was speaking aribic before he realized I had answered the phone. WTF? Do they think we are that stupid? They are obviously calling over the internet. I wish i could return the F'ing favor and call them.

"GET OUT GET OUT NOW! THE US IS GOING TO BOMB YOUR HOUSE WITH A BOMB FROM A JET PLANE! GET OUT GET OUT NOW!"

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

GD IT! That is a good idea. Hell I wish I would have read this one before I told this Last caller that he and his family are a bunch of pork eating rag heads with bad teeth and defective sex drives. (Politly put)

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

No Need to Apologise or for politeness. When these idiots ring my house up I just quote "Firefly" or "Stargate" down the phone, one time When i had friends round we played the Rocky Horror Picture Show down the phone line, that was funny http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

"Sir, we are hear to tell you have just won £5,000 and...."
"This is a fertile land...We shall call it this Land"
"Uhmm...Excuse me Sir..."
"I'd Rather call it your grave..."
"But we're on the..."
"Ahh! Curse your Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal..."

There's nothing nicer than that Warm Fuzzy feeling of lighting up someone's day http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

There's one thing I never understand about these scams: how is it that letting people know your bank account info allow them to take money out from that account?

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

True, but I would rather be lighting up his *** with a flame thrower. Call it hand gun diplomacy.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Heh, I only ever get the ones asking for "charity" money. I figure that if they have the cash on hand to call thousands of people, and employ people to call thousands of people, then they can't be too bad off financially, and don't need my cash.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

No no. Thats what makes these scams, or any telephone soliciting, profitable. The fact that they dont waste time on the wrong people.
Instead, have fun with it. See how long you can keep them talking to you before they realize that its a waste of time. Or at least tell them to hang on and lay the phone down. Or hand it to your kid. Something to waste their time. Dont just hangup or you will be helping them out.

Never trust emails, people at the door, or phone calls. All "phishing" or "social engineered hacking" have common basis. IF you are at all intrigued by the offer, such as it being a product you werent aware of which sounds interesting, then get the info and visit the site manually. Never click on links in emails, never enter contracts at your door, and never believe someone who calls YOU to be who they say they are.

Side note along the same line. Do you have a sign on the house or in the yard which says "alarm system by xxxxxx"? Trade with a neighbor. It serves the same purpose but protects you from phishing where they pretend to be your security company.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

I hear they are hacking into cell phones with blue chips now and sending scam emails and phone calls to all the people in your contact file.

This is very aggervating.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Sometimes at work we get called up by machines trying to tell us we've won stuff- seriously, they're too cheap to even pay a human being to make the calls, it phones you up and plays a recorded message.

I leave it off the hook as long as possible- not only does it cost them the price of the call, but every second they're on the phone to me is a second that line is connected to someone who is not going to pay out.

Devious plan B
1) Use a happy-excited tone of voice as soon as you realize what is going on.
2) Say "this phone isn't secure, call me back on my other line"
3) Give them the number to a premium rate sex-chat line (preferably one that you get all the profits from=-)

Another nasty scam that's emerged in this country recently is that a woman knocks on your door and tells you that her car has broken down just up the road, and that her mobile phone is out of charge. She asks to use your phone to call her husband. You let her in and she makes the call, offering you a few coins for the price of the call. Her husband is "tied up in a meeting" or something, so she makes two or three short calls before finally getting through, then thanks you and leaves.

When you get your phone bill a few weeks/ months later, you discover that she actually dialled a premium rate number at something like £50 per minute, and guess who all that money goes to. Yup, her and her mafia friends.

The worst thing is that she hasn't even committed a crime: You gave her permission to use your phone. My advice- rather than to deny anyone use of your phone (because if this happens to you it's far more likely to be a genuine emergency than a scam) - is to ask for the number she wants to dial and dial it yourself, or just watch her dial. As long as you know what all the premium rate prefixes are in your country, you'll know straight away if you are being scammed.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

I would be suprised if there wasn't some law being broken here. If nothing else you'd have a pretty much slam dunk case for civil court to recover you damages I would think. And it shouldn't be too hard for some prosecutor to get them on some kind of fraud charge. You gave her permission to use her phone to call her husband, not call some premium service to jack up your phone bill. Maybe a slick lawyer would keep her out of jail, but I can't imagine that the courts wouldn't at least insist she pay the money back.

That's assuming of course you could ever catch the person.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Err..ok, I'm confused a bit here. You get a phone call..you're told you won a grant of 5k..and you never used an SE4 lines in your reply..such as "YOUR CITIES SHALL BURN IN VENGEFUL FIRE!!!"...Or after the droning of the "we're on the up and up" you never said "You have backed us into a corner there can only be war!"

still...it was funny to read.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Geoschmo, the "phone thing" would be a clear fraud in Germany and punishable under penal code.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

same exact thing happened to me Sat. afternoon , same conversation, everything, after I told him I was going to inform the FBI he hung up

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

The same thing happened to me. The person seemed hurt that I would not give him my bank account number.
The phone number he gave to so I could check up on him did not work. The web site talked about a service that would help you APPLY for one of many grants ( for a small Fee).
He called back several times. He almost Pleaded with me to give hime my account number so that he could GIVE me the $10,000 the Government was Giving away.


I saw on another site that these calls are a SCAM. They get you in with a free application but with a small handeling charge. Then you never hear from them again.

Boy am I glad I did not bite on this one...

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

Which is of course, next to impossible. Only large cities and the FBI can track problems like this (in the US). And many large cities don't have a computer division at all for fraud. You have to lose at least $5-10K in order for the police to justify an investigation.

We had a problem with Online sales a few years back and got bit pretty badly.

Re: OT: Phone Scams
 

LOL, next time I get a telemarketer, I'm gonna do this! It'll be great!