[Emkay56]

Next time you get a text, I think you can click on the 3 dots in the corner and there will be a choice to block that contact.

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

When my sister, parents, doctor, or spouse call me, it's because they need to speak with /me/ and not leave a message. The only time no one can reach me is at bedtime. That's when I shut my phone completely off.

If you have the number for your sister, parents, doctor, or spouse in your contacts then your phone will ring. The only time it will not ring is if the number is not already in your contacts (and even then it will ring if you recently called that same number).

The only time I've had a problem with the "silence unknown callers" feature is when I call a main number for a business and the return call is from a cell phone or another line in the business. Since the number calling me isn't in my contacts and isn't the number I recently called it is directed to voicemail and I need to start over.

[tvbound]

Originally Posted by Marathon Man

Never, never, never.

"Never, never, never."



The absolute best advice.

Unfortunately however, the combination of human nature being curious and loving something that is supposed to be "free"...means the scam will work on a lot of people.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

If you have the number for your sister, parents, doctor, or spouse in your contacts then your phone will ring. The only time it will not ring is if the number is not already in your contacts (and even then it will ring if you recently called that same number).

The only time I've had a problem with the "silence unknown callers" feature is when I call a main number for a business and the return call is from a cell phone or another line in the business. Since the number calling me isn't in my contacts and isn't the number I recently called it is directed to voicemail and I need to start over.

My health insurance is FloridaBlue. They use remote employees with something similar to burner phones, each with unique phone numbers that aren't affiliated with FloridaBlue. So the caller ID on those comes in as unknown, just the phone number, mostly from a Florida area code (but not always).

MY phone number has a Connecticut area code. But there are only a few people in Connecticut that I have need to communicate with anymore, since I stopped living there three years ago and most of my friends live elsewhere now, with new phone numbers.

So if a call comes in from a Connecticut phone number and I don't recognize it, I don't take the call. There are a couple of other area codes I recognize as being spam, so I don't take those calls either. All the other ones that I don't recognize, I answer "Digame" (pronounced DEE-ga-Mey) which is Spanish for "Talk to me" and the common phone answering phrase if you're in Puerto Rico.

If it's someone who sincerely needs to speak with ME, personally, and not merely "potential victim #499723, then they'll identify themselves and ask for me by name. If not, their number gets blocked.

I don't engage in conversation with callers until I know they're people I /would/ have any reason to talk to. The guy from Pakistan who says my computer password is compromised and is about to be shut down - is not someone I /would/ have any reason to talk to.

[kendi]

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.

You say “hey, Ace Hardware?” Don’t understand why you trusted just because you like Ace. Did you think scammers can’t use the names of businesses you like?

[ThirdOfFive]

Caveat emptor. Always. Face it: we're targets.

Rules I follow:

I never answer any calls unless I recognize the number. On those I don't, I assume that the caller will leave a VM if important enough. If they don't the number is immediately relegated to the spam bin and all future calls from that number are blocked.

I NEVER click on email links. If the email looks legit, I will look up the company online and call their Customer Service number to verify (or not) the legitimacy of the original email.

If it looks (sounds) too good to be true, it probably is.

[retiredguy123]

I don't know why, but I can always tell when the caller is a computer voice, not a real person. I guess the scammers need to develop a more lifelike voice.

[seecapecod]

Originally Posted by Keefelane66

You probably got scammed by malware in ACE hardware Wi-Fi system searching for info on unsuspecting customers. Cell phones continually send out location signals whether your trying to place a call or not.

I was thinking it may be connected to Location Services- if that is turned off, are you better protected?

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by seecapecod

I was thinking it may be connected to Location Services- if that is turned off, are you better protected?

The call was probably completely random and it was just a coincidence that the OP had recently visited Ace hardware. I get these kinds of things all the time from stores I haven't visited and banks I don't have accounts at.

[OhioBuckeye]

Yea, I got the same exact one but the shipping cost was $12.95. To make a long story short I put the message in file 13. The sad thing is by looking (opening) at the message they knew they had a live person on the other end of the line. Now they’re still sending me deals & I’m still filing them under file 13. Thanks for sending your thoughts & how you handled it!

[MrFlorida]

Originally Posted by RICH1

YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE THREE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES and FREEZE your CREDIT! It’s FREE

Do this, great advice....

[geobar]

The only suggestion is to change your password in (Ace Hdw) if you do have an account with them.
.
That's a good one to keep a Cancelled Credit Card on file to use for scammers. Upon reply hopefully, you report them.

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.

[Lea N]

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.

Something similar happened to me a couple years ago, it wasn't ACE Hardware. However when I started getting texts and e-mails ACE Hardware was one of the many names that popped up. After ignoring them (never reading them) they eventually stopped. I don't remember how long but I'm going to guess at least 3 or 4 months. As for the e-mails I still get them. They go directly to my spam folder, every now and then one slips through but I just mark it as spam again.

[joelfmi]

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 just got one today about claiming to be the postal US service.

[ensurconnect@gmail.com]

Use MySudo and only give one of the numbers to vendors. Never reveal your real cell phone number. You can delete and recreate numbers every once in a while if you want without touching your real phone number. All numbers can receive texts. Can have different email addresses too which can be deleted and recreated once you are getting too much spam.