Phone and Email scams: How they work.
 

I ran across this video on Youtube the other day, it is a great explanation of how the scams work and why people fall for them. Besides being educational and informative it is entertaining to watch the thieves get caught.

[URL="https://youtu.be/VrKW58MS12g"]

https://youtu.be/VrKW58MS12g

Forewarned is forearmed.

Everyone should educate friends and family about these scammmers.

NEVER GIVE ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER TO SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW....

I hope you will forgive me for not clicking on a link in a message from someone I don't know. Perhaps there is a term that I can search for in YouTube the will find the same video.

I will second your comment: Never give access to your computer to someone you don't know!


EDIT: It seems you can use the search function on the youtube.com page to find the video. Search on VrKW58MS12g (from the link above)

EDIT 2: Cute and informative video. I sent it to my parents in the hope it will help them avoid this scam.

The video was entertaining. But, unless the scammers were convicted and served serious prison time, the sting didn't accomplish much of anything. The people arrested probably got off with no punishment and continue to operate more scams.

Sorry you don't think it was worth the effort. But if more people get wise to what is happening and how they operate the fewer people will become a victim. Education is the best defense.

I like to mess with them and waste their time asking ridiculous questions.

Strangely enough they didnt believe me when I told them my car was a Lamborghini.

I don't understand the concern. If you use the internet at all, you are constantly clicking on links from someone you don't know. Every time you access a merchant website or Google something, and click on a selection, you are linking to another website. Most people click on hundreds of links every day. Although, it can be risky to click on a link provided in an email message because it can initiate a harmful program on your computer.

The entertainment value was worth the effort.

Exactly that. A posting on a forum is, to me, even more risky than an email. An email was directed specifically to me and I can see the address of the person that sent it. A posting on a forum has just been tossed out to a large number of people from someone I may have never heard of before.

When I access a news site I avoid ads, I trust that they are protecting their site in order to protect their reputation, and even then I check that the links appear at least a little bit legitimate (mostly a judgment call). I do the same for Amazon or other business sites. Google is a bit riskier but I still look at the site name and the link to get at least some bit of comfort that the site might be safe.

Ultimately, being on the internet is risky business. However, some things are riskier than others.

Good video!


One of the hats I wear professionally is IT security. I'm very aware of these things and I don't accept anything at face value. At one point, they got past my first line of defense!

We had ordered a murphy bed from Amazon for around $1500 for our CYV.

I got a call from "Amazon" to verify the charge.

The caller ID said Amazon.
The person knew my full name, my email address(I.e. account)
They knew what I purchased, when I purchased it and the purchase cost to the penny.
So now I'm almost believing it's Amazon even though Amazon NEVER calls anyone, for any reason.

The first tip off was the connection was crappy VOIP connection. It sounded like I was talking to someone in a cave in India.
No accent and clear English.
The second tip off was they needed to confirm the credit card ending in XXXX.
Now my alarm bells are going off so while I'm talking to her I looked on both my credit card and my Amazon account, showing the charge went through.

I said to the girl "Oh, damn, you guys are good, I bet this one works all the time?"
"Sir, this is Amazon, we need to verify your credit card".
me: "No, this is not Amazon and your scam didn't work, move on and don't call again"

My machines are not compromised, so I figure they have someone inside of Amazon that can see order traffic. They forward the information to a call center who calls the customer.

Wow that one is scary, can see why people will fall victim to that one

I ultimately did call Amazon and after a long run around finally spoke to their security people. I had recorded the latter half of the conversion, so I sent them that too just so they were aware of it.

He re-iterated to me that Amazon does not call people. All interaction with the public starts on the website. They do not reach out to people. A confirmation on a charge, if they did such a thing, would come through email.

I couldn't agree more! Unfortunately, right here in TV we read in The Sun how someone has been screwed out of their savings by someone posing as their grandchildren, or a con stating they are from IRS stating they owe the Federal Government back taxes, and unless the person sends in $5,000 in gift cards they will be arrested. It's a sad situation because they prey on the elderly. The IRS will never call you, their communication will come by mail.

The best advice I can offer is to just hang up the telephone once the subject focuses on money.

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Most people who are victims of scams are greedy and trying for a quick buck. The real victims are the elderly who are intimidated. One simple rule to follow. If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS!!!!

I remember my neighbor telling me she received a so-called phone call from her grandson. She said the person she was talking to sounded so much like her grandson. She did not fall for it and hung up. The caller was saying he was in an accident but the conversation did not go on too long as my neighbor told him she did not believe he was her grandson as her grandson would use his name and not say this is your grandson. Now if the caller did use the grandson’s name, who knows what could have happened.

New Scam
 

I had call from doctor who would come to my house and check me for heart problems .This is a scam to charge it to Insurance and Med care . Don't bite .

I must get 20 calls a day luckily I have caller ID that flash's on my TV, if I don't know the number or person I don't pick-up. It works for me.

The scariest one is living in Va a few years ago get a call from supposedly Appalachian power that they are on the way over to shut off our electricity for non payment.

Sounded very real so looked at our last bill which we had paid weeks early and to ease our mind called power company.

They said it was an ongoing scam. Asked if they want the number so they could investigate and they had no interest.

Sorry to say. I let my stepson use my computer. He stole all my personal information. 2 days before my husband pasted away my husband's boss called to tell me stepson called him pretending to be my husband & trying to steal his IRA. So far stepson has stolen $80,000.
Terrible betrayal at lowest time of my life.

Wow talk about betrayal. Hope you turned the matter over to the police.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Never answer a call that you don’t recognize. If you answer & even if you don’t say a word, they’ll know the number has a real person connected to this number. All the scammer will do a few times is use another number, so if you don’t recognize it again, don’t answer. If it’s important enough they’ll leave a voice mail!

The best one I had was a scammer impersonating a US Marshal claiming I didn't show for federal jury duty in Ocala so the judge issued a bench warrant that he was going to execute, unless I met him in Ocala in 3 hours with $4,000 in "vouchers". If I didn't show he was going to have local law enforcement arrest me and I should have my lawyer at the house waiting for them. Took about 30 seconds to figure this out, but.....

"voucher" is the African term for bank check
I didn't think a federal fine could be paid directly to an individual marshal
And why would a federal agent charged with executing a warrant pass it off on "local law enforcement?

So I invited him to come and arrest me himself, and I would have my lawyer waiting for him---from the law firm of Smith, Wesson, Colt, Remington and Glock. I also suggested that impersonating a federal agent is likely a felony. Much to my surprise:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:, he didn't show up.

Since I dumped my landline, I have not received any scam calls

The problem is very often it is a DR office or a call would want to take. Easier to take it and block it.

My new friend likes to answer these calls and get them going and then ends it with "SCAMMER. Get a job!"

I do not even pick up the phone anymore. Mostly just let the answering machine get stuff.

You have to answer the phone for scams to work. If caller ID isn’t someone we know we pick up on the first ring and immediately hang up.
Eliminates any chance of being scammed.

That sounds like a good idea.

Well, since they found the name of the mule (Crystal, last name not given on video) then I assume they were able to arrest her. Then, as long as she does not live in New York City or a large West Coast city.

A scam I almost fell for: I tried to sell my golf cart on The Villages Classified Ads at this site. Someone said he might want to buy it, emailed, gave me his number. I called, he asked questions. Then he said he would buy it without inspecting it. I should have said Good-bey then, but I did not. He wanted a service to pick it up for him. He was going to send a cashier's check for the price of the golf cart, plus the price of the pickup service. I was supposed to deposit the cashier's check, then send money to the pickup service before they came to pick it up. Can't believe I deposited the check before having second thoughts, but I deposited with the idea that if this was fake it would bounce and I would not send money to anyone or write against it until it was definitely clear - I thought since it was a cashier's check it would clear right away, but I called My bank, USAA, was so angry that a fraudulent check had been deposited that they suspended my ability to transfer money online to anyone - even to pay my bills or to other bank accounts I have - for six months. Needless to say I no longer bank with them.

A week later someone else tried the same thing, but I told them to get lost. Be careful selling things - if someone wants to buy a large ticket item sight unseen it is probably a scam.

This is a huge problem. which is organized crime which is stealing money from mostly seniors citizen and is not being taken serious by our political leaders which must be addressed now.

It's twice as hard to choose to "not" pick up a phone number you don't recognized, now that a lot of companies have their employees work from home on cell phones given to them by the companies to use.

I "blocked" myself out of a Census-taker job because of that. It turned out to be a legitimate call asking me for my availability to attend an initial group learning session to find out the details of the job (how it works, what areas you might need to work in, etc. etc.)

I lost out on several job interviews last year because of it (I was looking for part-time sit-down jobs because of my bursitis). And then there was the customer service call-back from Florida Blue about my health care, and another call-back about a website problem on another business I was trying to get help from.

So I stopped rejecting calls that I didn't recognize. I now answer the phone "diga-me' which is a common Spanish phone greeting, it means "talk to me." Since most scammers are expecting to talk to English-speaking victims, they usually hang up before I have to.

BBB Scam Tracker℠ | Find and Report a Scam | Better Business Bureau

This is a good resource.

For privacy try Firefox
 

and use add ons such as Ghostery

sadly i didn't. my husband had just died. i felt this was the last thing i could ever do for my husband.

[ok QUOTE=amexsbow;1917978]I ran across this video on Youtube the other day, it is a great explanation of how the scams work and why people fall for them. Besides being educational and informative it is entertaining to watch the thieves get caught.

[URL="https://youtu.be/VrKW58MS12g"]

https://youtu.be/VrKW58MS12g

Forewarned is forearmed.

Everyone should educate friends and family about these scammmers.

NEVER GIVE ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER TO SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW....[/QUOTE]


Great video Thanks!

Ohiobuckeye
 

Stu- guess I’m thinking what numbers I have in my contacts, all of my Drs. are in my contacts. But what if you answer & it a vendor that’s trying to sell you new windows, then your stuck even if you do tell them that you don’t need them, they’ll probably just sell your number to some other salesman, more phone calls. So a Dr. to me would be an important # to have in your contacts! Just trying to give my opinion!

You're not stuck at all. Just hang up. You don't have to tell them you don't need them. You don't have to tell them anything at all. Hang up, and block their number. Easy peasy.

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We watched this months ago - Simply AWFUL! The networks these SCUM have worldwide is vast. Lazy SCUM.

We NEVER answer our home or cell phones without recognizing the number (our contacts). And listen to the message if they leave one - car warranty, social security... Get emails from Apple, Paypal, xxxbank - with a phony email ID - NEVER open. Same with junk mail. Texts. Thank god we don't get solicitors at the door. Cannot trust ANYTHING nowadays - even buying/selling on the internet, including ToTV.

Sad state of affairs. When this SCUM gets caught they should face stiff sentences... yeah as if THAT will happen...
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How come you didn't answer my calls to you. Just wanted to warn you about your expiring car warranty.
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Sometimes we will get a call from a DR office that is not recognized by our phones.

No easy answer, my dear wife must have blocked a 1000 numbers by now and they keep on coming. Does allow me to play with the new ones from time to time.

When they say it is a recorded line we just hang up and block but their are millions of these miserable numbers being used.

Hi, thanks for the info,
 

I almost fell for this last week. Phony invoice from Amazon for 2500.00 for computers, I didn't fall for it, Invoice was B.S. and the e-mail said to call this number if then invoice was incorrect for a full refund. And yes I'm 75.

Bob

Someone asked us for $29.00 at Orlando airport, said she was short to buy a ticket. Would send us the money as soon as she gets home. Right