%#$#^% Phone scammers

[riser4]

2 out of 3 isn’t bad!

It was a softball to see who was paying attention.

[Grange]

Wausau, Mukwonago, Waupun

[adrenalated]

I got two phone calls (unanswered) just yesterday, leaving messages with a callback number, informing me that there’s a warrant out for my arrest. Fuckin’ A, I’m dangerous!

I've been getting those for months

[FLS]

Chinese Robocalls Bombarding The U.S. Are Part Of An International Phone Scam

https://www.npr.org/2018/05/10/60911...nal-phone-scam

[skuff]

Waukesha, Poy Sippi, Wild Rose.

[Alpinord]

I received this phishing text from California for a bike for sale on CL in CO:





Sounds legit.

[gravitylover]

About time to make spoofing a phone number illegal--for the carrier. I'm sure the technology exists to stop spoofing.

Yeah there has to be a good way to stop this shit. Sometimes between the house phone and 5 cells we'll get a couple of dozen calls a day. Part of it has to be that I use my cell for work so I tend to answer most calls, at that point it's a known active number so it's ripe for spamming. Sometimes if I'm questioning the validity of a call I'll answer but won't say anything, if someone on the other end speaks I wait to see what they're talking about but most of the time the call will disconnect and won't call back.

[old goat]

Federal regulations allow carriers to block robocalls. Federal regulations do not require them to do it.

I was looking into a robo call blocker but the two I looked at, including one with high marks from CR, get pretty lousy reviews. Or are those robo reviews? I would believe it if they were.

[ghosthop]

I've mentioned this in other places but the Google Phone app automatically blocks spam callers. It has warned when numbers are suspected spam for a while but now it doesn't even ring. I get maybe one a week that makes it through.

https://www-androidauthority-com.cdn...beta-854161%2F

[Danno]

Didn't want to start a thread, this one came up and seems to fit, so...

I got a text today that said "Hey! Is this Daniel?" from a 914 number.

I didn't reply because it felt scammy. Even though I am, in fact, technically Daniel.

What's the scam?

[stealurface831]

Didn't want to start a thread, this one came up and seems to fit, so...

I got a text today that said "Hey! Is this Daniel?" from a 914 number.

I didn't reply because it felt scammy. Even though I am, in fact, technically Daniel.

What's the scam?

they are hot singles not from your area.

[::: :::]

Your parents want you to leave the basement now that you’re 50
Daniel?
Are you listening?

[gravitylover]

"Hi is this XXX?"
"Who's asking?" Don't say yes or no.
"I'm looking for XXX, is he/she available?"
"Where are you calling from and what's this about?"
At this point they usually hang up but sometimes they'll actually give a valid answer. Now it has become a dozen or more calls a day about our vehicles expired warranty or how we need something completely irrelevant to us, I've had three for the warranty thing already today.

[liv2ski]

Oddly, my office land line gets calls, I answer "good afternoon" then I hear nuthin. I don't get it? My cell phone with T Mobile shows spam on the screen so I don't answer.

[F#*k you cat]

I once said. You sound so excited for the free trip. It sounds like you need it more than I do. Please take that all inclusive trip in my place.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[ötzi]

I got a call from the 206 a couple days ago, usually that means there's an Amazon driver in the driveway who's afraid of the dogs so I picked it up. Recording comes on, sounds kind of official, says it's Amazon about a potentially fraudulent charge on my account please hold for a representative.

So I hold and a guy who sounds Indian comes on over a crackly line and says somebody is trying to buy an iphone 12 on my account, was it me? I say no. Guy says, I can help you with this matter, do you have your computer with you?

Sensing something off, I say, no, I'm outside. And the line immediately goes dead. For the hell of it I call it back and it's a fast busy signal/out of service tone. I google the number and it's connected to an individual in Seattle. There's a lot of spam calls reported from the number. I check my Amazon account and there's not a thing about a phone on tere.

Best I can figure it was probably somebody phishing for personal info or maybe remote access to my computer.

[DJSapp]

Damn I love me some Google Pixel auto spam blocking. Works like a champ.

Maybe 1 call a week about my car's extended warranty.

[dan_pdx]

My Pixel also has the "screen call" option, which I find incredibly satisfying. Not sure if it's Pixel only or any Android phone. If I opt to screen an inbound call, the caller gets a recording saying something like "the person you called is using a Google service to screen their calls. What are you calling about?" Then it transcribes their bullshit on the phone screen in real time, but most spammers will hang up at this point.

[riser4]

My Pixel also has the "screen call" option, which I find incredibly satisfying. Not sure if it's Pixel only or any Android phone. If I opt to screen an inbound call, the caller gets a recording saying something like "the person you called is using a Google service to screen their calls. What are you calling about?" Then it transcribes their bullshit on the phone screen in real time, but most spammers will hang up at this point.

The transcript never really worked on my pixel 3a. I ended up with a bunch of pissed off doctor's offices that no longer were happy to deal with me. Glad I'm done with that. I just answer the phone and don't say anything.

[m2711c]

[From_the_NEK]

This...I just don't see how all of these spam calls make $$ for anyone. Even people like my mom are on to them now and don't fall for "most" of their tricks. I suppose the few that do fall in their traps yield enough $ to keep annoying the shit out of everyone else.

[old goat]

I never answer a call if I don't know the number/caller. Once in a while it's legit and they leave a message. Of course I don't know how many are legit and don't leave a message but I suspect not many. Anyway, to the best of my knowledge my life is ok, so I guess I haven't missed anything important. I suppose I should think about that car warranty. (Funny about the car warranty thing. A few years ago all the spam calls were from people claiming to be referred by the electric company to save me money, tons of those but then none since. Now it's the car warranties, next it will be something else that's popular. And when's the last time anyone has heard from a Nigerian prince?)

[billyk]

So I start getting phone calls last week, ostensibly from Directv, saying I am eligible for 30% off on my bill. I say great, and hang up, but the calls keep coming.

Scam alarm bells are going off in my head, but I play along (careful to not give out any personal information) just to see where this is going. On the third call, after he asks if I’d like to get 30% off my bill, and I say great, of course I would, he asks “what is your promo code?”. WTF, you are the guys calling me about this, and now I need a promo code?

I had already told them several times that I thought their calls smelled like a scam, and asked them to stop calling me, but the calls kept coming, always from spoofed caller Id locations all around the country.

On the fifth call they finally laid out the scam for me. I will get 30% off my Directv bill for the next 2 years. All I have to do is call the “Phoenix” Directv office on the number they will give me, provide the “promo code” they will give me, and pay the first 4 months of the discounted rate in advance. Sounds like a sweet deal, huh?

[Bunion 2020]

I got a call from the 206 a couple days ago, usually that means there's an Amazon driver in the driveway who's afraid of the dogs so I picked it up. Recording comes on, sounds kind of official, says it's Amazon about a potentially fraudulent charge on my account please hold for a representative.

So I hold and a guy who sounds Indian comes on over a crackly line and says somebody is trying to buy an iphone 12 on my account, was it me? I say no. Guy says, I can help you with this matter, do you have your computer with you?

Sensing something off, I say, no, I'm outside. And the line immediately goes dead. For the hell of it I call it back and it's a fast busy signal/out of service tone. I google the number and it's connected to an individual in Seattle. There's a lot of spam calls reported from the number. I check my Amazon account and there's not a thing about a phone on tere.

Best I can figure it was probably somebody phishing for personal info or maybe remote access to my computer.

Been getting the same calls but from what should be a local cell number. When I get a human I ask them how Amazon has opened a call center in my town with a local number. They hang up.

[old goat]

Answering scam and spam calls tells the scammers and spammers you will answer the phone--meaning they're halfway there. Best to just not answer a number you don't recognize unless you're expecting one.