[Stu from NYC]

My favorite was the electric company that was stopping our service immediately with technician on the way to do it. Or social security.

Funny how they seem to have moved on from car warranties.

As a famous man once said aint no free lunch.

[BumpaOompa]

Scammers will always scam because the punishment if caught is not severe enough. They should cut of a hand when found guilty or face the same consequence as strong arm robbery which is what it is.

[bjansson]

There is nothing worse than spam callers. they disrupt business and rip off unsuspecting people. I was getting a LOT of them so I installed the robokiller app which seems to have helped and add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. It take about a month to kick in but it helps too. And i do a lot of blocking.

Also whenever I get a call from one of these guys (that i accidently answered) I tell them I'm in the do not call registry and sometimes you can get them to take you off the 'list'.

Good luck!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by bjansson

There is nothing worse than spam callers. they disrupt business and rip off unsuspecting people. I was getting a LOT of them so I installed the robokiller app which seems to have helped and add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. It take about a month to kick in but it helps too. And i do a lot of blocking.

Also whenever I get a call from one of these guys (that i accidently answered) I tell them I'm in the do not call registry and sometimes you can get them to take you off the 'list'.

Good luck!

Your experience is totally different from mine. In my experience, the "do not call" list, spam blocker apps, and asking a scammer to remove your number from their list are all ineffective and a waste of time.

[LarryL]

tell your friends to leave a message.

[MerryAnn]

Originally Posted by ryoungs

I went to ACE Hardware in Lady Lake last week. I like that store and the people in it. The next day I got a very professional looking message on my IPhone from ACE saying my name was selected to win a power drill. It looked really good, even though I would have to pay shipping, So, I clicked on the link in the message (I never do that but, hey, ACE Hardware?). The clicked-on link took me to another professional looking page where I was to claim my prize. I answered some innocuous questions (name, address, phone number), and then they asked me how I wanted to pay shipping (about $4.50). They had my three credit cards and PayPal listed, just as if I was buying from Amazon. But I had shut down one of those cards months ago. For fun, I clicked on that choice and sat back to see what would happen. In a few minutes "they" came back saying that credit card would not work, and would I please send them my social security number and bank account information so they could fix the card for me. Again, it looked very professional, but there was no way I was going to give information like that to strangers on the internet. Now, since then, I get dozens of text messages a day. I can tell they come from foreign countries because they use the +1 USA country code when they dial my number. Some of their messages are funny: The latest of these scam messages said that they could fix me so that I could "last" more than 10 minutes, and that my lady friend would really appreciate it. LOL
Now, there are two reasons for posting this thread. The first is to clue Talk of the Villages denizens into this scam. The second is to ask if anyone knows how to clear my phone so that these text messages stop.

Once you give your credit card information you give them permission to bill you. Sadly the credit card company can't stop it. Both my husband & I was burned. No more "free gifts " for us. I'm also interested in how to stop unwanted texts, wish I knew how.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by MerryAnn

Once you give your credit card information you give them permission to bill you. Sadly the credit card company can't stop it. Both my husband & I was burned. No more "free gifts " for us. I'm also interested in how to stop unwanted texts, wish I knew how.

On an iphone there is a way to send messages from unknown senders into a separate list so that you won't normally see them. It doesn't block the messages, it just hides them a little.

I have found that I get a number of automated texts for 2-factor authentication, confirmation of reservations, delivery receipts, etc. that would be filtered if I turned this feature on. I have left it off.

[Brynnie]

Originally Posted by ryoungs

I went to ACE Hardware in Lady Lake last week. I like that store and the people in it. The next day I got a very professional looking message on my IPhone from ACE saying my name was selected to win a power drill. It looked really good, even though I would have to pay shipping, So, I clicked on the link in the message (I never do that but, hey, ACE Hardware?). The clicked-on link took me to another professional looking page where I was to claim my prize. I answered some innocuous questions (name, address, phone number), and then they asked me how I wanted to pay shipping (about $4.50). They had my three credit cards and PayPal listed, just as if I was buying from Amazon. But I had shut down one of those cards months ago. For fun, I clicked on that choice and sat back to see what would happen. In a few minutes "they" came back saying that credit card would not work, and would I please send them my social security number and bank account information so they could fix the card for me. Again, it looked very professional, but there was no way I was going to give information like that to strangers on the internet. Now, since then, I get dozens of text messages a day. I can tell they come from foreign countries because they use the +1 USA country code when they dial my number. Some of their messages are funny: The latest of these scam messages said that they could fix me so that I could "last" more than 10 minutes, and that my lady friend would really appreciate it. LOL
Now, there are two reasons for posting this thread. The first is to clue Talk of the Villages denizens into this scam. The second is to ask if anyone knows how to clear my phone so that these text messages stop.

I don’t know if there’s a way to stop these people because they spoof phone numbers and have an inexhaustible list at their disposal (I don’t know how they get them). However, you can block them from texting you by doing this: Click on their message, then, at the top of the message page is their phone number, with a tiny arrow (almost invisible) next to it. Click on that arrow, then click “info” on the following page. You will see at the bottom of the page a red message that says “block this number.” Click on that, and that particular phone number will be blocked from your phone. Trouble is, the scammers still have other numbers at their disposal. Still, you know how to block them now.

[tvbound]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Your experience is totally different from mine. In my experience, the "do not call" list, spam blocker apps, and asking a scammer to remove your number from their list are all ineffective and a waste of time.

That has been my experience also, as I've found that taking all those actions have been almost worthless. The only thing that truly works from bothering me, from a number not on my contacts list, is to simply let it go to voice mail. If it's legitimate and they leave a message, I'll call them back. If it's from an unknown caller though, usually they don't leave a message...which I consider a win-win. lol

[Caymus]

Originally Posted by MerryAnn

Once you give your credit card information you give them permission to bill you. Sadly the credit card company can't stop it. Both my husband & I was burned. No more "free gifts " for us. I'm also interested in how to stop unwanted texts, wish I knew how.

You sure about that? You can dispute charges on credit cards. Credit cards offer much more protection than debit cards, Zelle, Venmo etc.

[mikempp]

If you hit reply to the email, you can see the email was sent by someone not affiliated with the company they claim to be. If I do get an email that looks legitimate I never hit the link in the email, I’ll login to the company directly.

[DiandJay]

I believe that giving your phone number when asked for at the register (Bells, TJMaxx, etc) before processing your purchase adds to unwanted phone calls. The store offer you some minuscule savings, but get your number to track your purchases and perhaps sell your number. They’re not giving away anything for free. This increases the spam calls IMO

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by DiandJay

I believe that giving your phone number when asked for at the register (Bells, TJMaxx, etc) before processing your purchase adds to unwanted phone calls. The store offer you some minuscule savings, but get your number to track your purchases and perhaps sell your number. They’re not giving away anything for free. This increases the spam calls IMO

I never provide my phone number to a store. Also, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that you should not even give your zip code because they use it with you credit card number to develop information for marketing to you.

[chrisinva]

Thanks for informing us of your unfortunate experience. WE can learn from it. If I try to block text messages I figure the sender then knows they have connected with a human (me) & will send more texts using other phone #s & will sell my number to others. For me the best way to stop unwanted texts is to NOT block or respond in any way. It takes 3-6 months but eventually the sender stops. Sorry.

[coloniegal]

Also, if you have a paypal account check it often. I received a notice for over $500 requesting I approve a payment for bitcoins!!! You could tell it was from overseas. So many scams out there today.