Dang what a Serious scam ...

[flatbutt]

She is a POS but how stupid are the people she scammed?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/she-scammed-dozens-into-giving-up-their-savings-so-she-could-stay-at-the-ritz/ar-BBSuIw9?ocid=spartanntp

[legion]

All it takes is finding the right hook on the right person at the right time. Many new scams are designed to get you to let your guard down.

I got a phone call a few months ago, at 3:00 in the morning:

Me: "Hello?"

Caller: "Dude, I just got arrested. I need you to bail me out."

Me: "That's too bad."

I imagine you make that call enough, you run across someone whose friends might be the kind to get in trouble. The caller was trying to sound familiar. The call came in the middle of the night when I wasn't fully awake. The thing that saved me is that being the ***hole that I am, NO ONE would ever call me to get bailed out. Oh yeah, and being the ***hole that I am, there's no way I was helping the person, even if the call was legit.

I fell for a scam about 15 years ago. I got a phone call telling me that I'd won a free cell phone from my carrier. I googled the number, it was one registered with my carrier at the time (Nextel). They just needed to read a statement that I accepted the prize and verify the last four of my SSN. Turns, out, it was a bunch of employees at the local factory store that were running this scam, shipping the phones out, and swiping them off of porches. The victims were getting hit with huge bills after "ordering" as many as 5 new phones.

[flipper35]

They tried that "need bail money" with dad. Had my nephew's name and everything. Didn't work out so well for the scammer though when dad asked an easy question they couldn't answer.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by flipper35

.... dad asked an easy question they couldn't answer.

What are you callin' ME for?

I'm taking Legion off my speed dial now ....

[stomachmonkey]

I only have one person I ever expect to call me to bail them out of jail.

That would be my niece.

Mind you it will probably be over some right of passage thing occurring during a Spring Break from school.

She's only in 8th grade but we've already established the code phrase. "Send lawyers guns and money" and Uncle Scott will be on the next plane to go get her.

[sc_rufctr]

Reading the story... It's like she wanted to get caught!

Or, how did she ever expect to get away with it?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by legion

All it takes is finding the right hook on the right person at the right time.

+1

Gas company calls me. I had a stale bill on my garage heater. Everything was correct. Account number. Past due amount. Address.

She was so nice.

I say hit my account on the 18th cause money's coming in on the 17th. Gave them my debit card. (I ain't smarter than your average bear, eh?)

So I luckily screw up and the money's not coming in until the 23rd. Call the gas company to defer the withdrawal until the correct date. In short, "We don't solicit payments, Sir. You call us, pay your past due amount and we turn the utility back on."

So I killed the debit card and dodged a big bullet. Googled the scam and they don't limit the account swipe to the past due amount.

Somebody got hold of a gas company master file and went to work.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

+1

Gas company calls me.....

You need to make this a rule in your life.

Never, ever, under any circumstance, give payment info to someone who called you.

Anytime I get a call I tell them thanks for the heads up but I’m going to hang up now and call the number from (my bill, statement, back of card) because, no offense, you could be literally anyone.

You need to do this each and every time, no exceptions.

[rwest]

Just got the “Veronica” scam call again tonight (on the work cell phone). They call and ask for Veronica, when you say they must have the wrong number, they say, “that’s okay, maybe you can help me.” Every other time I just hung up, tonight I was feeling like an arse, so said, “sure, just a minute, I’ll get her”.

So he starts saying that it’s okay, he can talk to me, I say, no worries, she’s just getting out of the shower and will be right there. I go back down to the basement where I ran up from to get what I thought was an emergency call from work and kept looking for the tool I went down there for; couple minutes later I go up stairs and say she’s just about coming to the phone. Go back downstairs again and find the tool.

Come back in a minute or so and in my best woman’s voice, “Hi, this is Veronica.” The starts his spiel on hail damaged roof repair- Veronica says “oh, we rent and don’t have anything to do with replacing the roof.” Call ended pleasantly with a total time wasted of the scammer of about five minutes.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

You need to make this a rule in your life.

Never, ever, under any circumstance, give payment info to someone who called you.

Agree.

I swear to God, I ask myself what was I thinking? I was a career internal auditor. Who should be more skeptical than that? Advancing age at a weak moment?

Blind luck.

[herr_oberst]

If I don't recognize the number, I don't pick up the phone. It's that simple.

[stealthn]

I’m sorry but these people need a tap to the temple, then take everything they and their entire family owns to give it to the victims.
I hate thieves

[A930Rocket]

I used to get phone calls with the area code and my prefix. It’s always a scam. I never answer now and block the number every time.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

If I don't recognize the number, I don't pick up the phone. It's that simple.

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I used to get phone calls with the area code and my prefix. It’s always a scam. I never answer now and block the number every time.

Being dinosaurs, we still have a land line. We use the same tactics as above^^, except my phone limits the number of blocked numbers to 30, and we reached that limit within one week! Now, all unrecognized numbers go to the answer machine/caller ID and few, if any messages are left.

As an aside, last week, we got an incoming call from our own number, 15 times in three days! Bottom line, as we all know, scammers have worked around all calling protections and it's up to us to screen everything.

[GH85Carrera]

I got a call a few years ago from USAA, my credit card company. It was the right number and sounded legit. They said my card had been compromised and they need some information. I asked her name and extension. She told them to me, and I told her I will call back right now. I hung up, and called the main number for USAA which is #8722. That is all I have to dial (#USAA) and asked for the extension. The same lady picked up. I found out my card number had been used and they stopped any charges, but they wanted personal confirmation I had not authorized it, as it was some criminal case they were not at liberty to discuss. I was always curious what happened. They FedExed me a new card the next day.

And anyone that calls me and asks for sensitive information will be told I will call them back unless I know their voice.