FFS scammers everywhere

[Coatscoatscoast]

In the last three weeks I’ve had a number of calls from ‘Tesco mobile’ offering me a reduction on bills but then asking for my security details. Persistently calling back saying ‘we’ve been cut off’ and me saying ‘no, I hung up on you’.

A call from ‘Amazon’ telling me there has been a suspicious transaction on my account and sending me a ‘blocking’ code that they then asked me to read down the phone - it was actually the one time passcode to log into my account. I strung that one along for a while and she ended up shouting at me down the phone that my account had been compromised - ‘I responded yes, probably by you!’

And just now had someone trying to pull a fast one on Vinted.

Lucky for me I am pretty savvy and they don’t get anywhere with me. The only reason I give them the time of day is because while they’re bothering me they’re not bothering someone else but FFS. AIBU in wanting to go off grid sometime?? I appreciate the irony of posting on the internet about this btw. My phone number is obviously ‘out there’ now. Bastards

I don't know but maybe they could do something like...

‘clean up’ politics and launch a ‘total crackdown on cronyism’.

@FupaTrooper I agree with this. It’s the less savvy that are at risk. An older friend of mine fell victim recently, she’s not naive but they were very convincing.

I've had the lost phone one.
'Which one of you is this?', I asked.
'The eldest, LOL'.
Would that be the eldest, who never says LOL and is in the same room as me with his phone in his hand?
Only one possible response.
'LOL'
Seriously, though, I worry that I'll fall prey to one of these fuckers in an unguarded moment. I'm not going to be knowingly transferring twenty k to a plausible stranger any day soon, but that doesn't mean they couldn't strike gold at some point with a fortuitously timed call or message. I worry more about FIL, who lives alone, now that the wife, who'd tell scammers (everybody she didn't actually know) to bugger off down the phone, is no longer with us. Luckily he doesn't use texts or emails, and we keep his bank cards out of reach until he needs something.

This podcast host went to India to meet his scammer. A very interesting listen (total of three parts):

https://pca.st/episode/57a75b52-8539-49a2-9e32-4bb58f9e667b

https://pca.st/episode/81e4286c-87fb-4351-86c4-0d363d11bd98

pca.st/episode/92ae3612-016c-4284-b394-c3afafe922d1

Thanks for posting this OP. I’ve had something from “Tesco mobile” calling me repeatedly over the last week. So persistent as well - I haven’t engaged, just hung up - she calls me back 5 mins later!!!

I had the hello mum this is my new number one a while ago. I kept him going for ages with long rambling stories about how I couldn’t work on line banking and had to wait for Harry, who was in hospital having had a nasty accident involving a carrot while hanging curtains naked. In the end I said my password was Getafuckingjobyouscammingtwat and could he log in for me. He disappeared after that. Shame, I was quite enjoying myself.

They are persistent!

I've had the Hi mum texts which is hilarious given the fact that I'm child free.

I got the one yesterday about an unpaid parking ticket where I will apparently "pay for my inadequacies" if I don't transfer the money immediately.

After blocking and reporting that as phishing I got "Dad, my sim card got blocked" - not sure if that is connected or just a coincidence!

Me too! Online the advice is to forward it to 7726 but I have realised I need to download an app to do this. Need to find another way to send it on.

I got this and told me my car would be impounded

I don't have a car !

I had one from immigration yesterday. A robot with an american accent!

I'm knocking on in years and although I try to stay up to date with what the latest scams are, I am terrified that I will get caught. I am quite often very very busy and very fraught with a lot of stuff going on, plus there are five kids messaging me left right and centre and I fear that I might have a weak moment. Although I don't have lots of money to lose, I worry that I waver between ridiculously alert, almost paranoid and over-occupied and liable to just press Send without thinking.

What can we do?

My dad who is in his 80s clicked on a link in an email and got hacked. We all got emails about him having laringytis and needing help with buying birthday pressies. They also put his emails in auto forward to a new email address.

I sent the scammer a message asking how they could sleep at night targeting vulnerable people. He/she replied… “cunt”

I am sick of it too @Coatscoatscoast Luckily my mobile phone seems to send them straight to a spam box now so I don't get bothered. But yep, I have received (in the recent past...)

'Hello mum, dropped my phone in the loo, here's my new number...'

'Hello mum, messaging from my mate's phone as mine has broke, and I am stranded and need £20 for train fare,' (with a link to click on, to pay the £20.)

'This is Royal Mail. We have your package. It has insufficient postage on it, and we cannot deliver until you pay £2,94.' Followed by a link to pay!

Also phone calls to my mobile (and landline too sometimes - yes I do still have a landline!) with an automated message saying 'your Amazon subscription has not been renewed due to insufficient funds in your bank, please press 1 now to speak to an operator to pay the £77 due.'

And someone ringing (with an automated message) saying 'this is the inland revenue. You have been flagged up as not paying enough tax, and will go to prison should you not pay. Press 1 immediately to speak to an officer to rectify this matter. I repeat, you WILL go to prison if you don't press now and paid monies owed.'

I also get texts to my mobile claiming to be from my provider, offering me 500mb for free if I click on this link. My plan has 20GB a month on it, and I only ever use 5-7GB, and always have 13 to 15GB left at the end of the month. Why the F would I need an extra free 500mb? The message does come up with an exclamation mark in a six sided shape, so that indicates it is spam.

I have also had phone calls from someone purporting to be from my mobile phone provider, saying I can pay an extra £2 a month and get double the data, if I sign up now and pay the first extra £2 now over the phone ... When I say 'how many GBs do I have on plan now then?' they hang up. Utterly fake.

I hate it.

Yes, I use that, it is very good

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

@Aposterhasnoname

I kept him going for ages with long rambling stories about how I couldn’t work on line banking and had to wait for Harry, who was in hospital having had a nasty accident involving a carrot while hanging curtains naked. In the end I said my password was Getafuckingjobyouscammingtwat and could he log in for me.

Ha ha well done!

Oh. I had that one last week. It was very ungrammatical and referred to the DVSA, which I understand is the US version of the DVLA. It's a poor effort. At least make it relevant to the particular country and get someone to check your grammar.

I don't think the Government can do much about extreme gullibility.

The DVSA in the UK is the body responsible for driving tests so it does exist here. It makes no difference though as neither they nor the DVLA are responsible for collecting motoring fines.

Justcallmebebes · Today 11:05
I had a new one yesterday. A text for an unpaid speeding fine and if payment wasn't promptly made, I'd be arrested tomorrow (today now.)

Ooooh! I forgot that one. Again, a new one. Had this twice in the past 3 weeks. I forgot to say earlier, that whilst my phone chucks most of this stuff in my spam box, a few do get through sometimes.

This was scary - because I live in Chester, but went to Stoke for the day, and I got a text 2 days after I had been to Stoke, saying I had parked illegally on a road in Stoke - and needed to ring this number to pay the fine.

ALSO, I went to Birmingham a few days ago and stayed overnight (as we were visiting someone,) and I had a very similar message ... 'You have been seen parking illegally in a private car park in Birmingham, and owe £50 for a parking fine. Click on this link NOW to pay. If you don't pay within 7 days, it will triple, and you will owe £150.' (Urging me to pay now!)

What was SCARY for me, is that I don't understand how they knew I was in Stoke that day, and then in Birmingham on that other day. HOW DID THEY KNOW?!

Oh, and another thing - that I forgot to mention - I was expecting a package from Amazon a few weeks ago, (it was due between 10am and midday,) and I got a text saying 'hi I am your Amazon driver, I am in your area and am struggling to find your house, can you please follow this link to send your co-ordinates to me...' I was like

I didn't do anything as I was a bit wary, and thought it odd that the delivery driver (who has sat nav and who delivers in my road quite frequently,) couldn't find my road/my house... FIVE minutes later, the driver turned up with my package, and basically she confirmed it was NOT her texting me. Again, how did these scammers know I was expecting a package (and also knew the timeslot - between 10am and midday?!)

It creeps the fuck out of me!

@Justcallmebebes everyone i know has had that one over the past few weeks.....a lot of my friends don't even drive 😂😂😂 (me included!!)

I went into my bank the other day and there was a woman there in floods of tears, she'd been scammed and came into the branch for help.
They were really good with her, took her oof to sit down and gave her a drink and then started to untangle what had happened.

It's very rare I answer my phone to unknown callers, but if at the time they ring and I'm bored I will just for the fun of it.
It usually goes something like..
Me..hello?
Him...hello I'm Dennis from wescamanyidiot.
Me...hello?
Him...hello, can you hear me?
Me...hello? Hello?
Him...hello, is that better? Can you hear me now?
Me....hello? Hello? There's no one there, helloooooo?
They always hang up on me 🤷