topic Re: New telephone scam in General Credit Topics

New telephone scam

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 23:35:39 GMT

New scam out there, might catch the less skeptical or knowledgeable about credit, so spread the word...

Received a robocall on my cell (*sigh*…I know, right?) from “Visa/Mastercard,” stating that I was ‘now eligible for zero to 6% interest on all of my Visa/Mastercard accounts’ and instructed me to ‘press 1 to start the enrollment process.’ It was from a 760 area code (San Marcos, CA area, I believe...).

I blocked the number, but they always seem to find a way around it. Grr.

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 01:45:06 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
New scam out there, might catch the less skeptical or knowledgeable about credit, so spread the word...

Received a robocall on my cell (*sigh*…I know, right?) from “Visa/Mastercard,” stating that I was ‘now eligible for zero to 6% interest on all of my Visa/Mastercard accounts’ and instructed me to ‘press 1 to start the enrollment process.’ It was from a 760 area code (San Marcos, CA area, I believe...).

I blocked the number, but they always seem to find a way around it. Grr.

Sounds similar to "Rosie" who calls and offers 6.9% interest rates for ___? The group doing this is smart enough to keep moving around. They have been caught before and then they are gone. Off shore.

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 05:01:56 GMT

Hmm, not acquainted with Rosie yet. I’ve mostly been flying below the scammer radar, because I ignored credit for so many years. Guess Rosie’s caught up with me now...! 😄

Re: New telephone scam

DaveInAZ — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 12:16:47 GMT

My Social Security account has been suspended so many times it must have a negative balance by now . . .

Re: New telephone scam

FireMedic1 — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 12:17:24 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
New scam out there, might catch the less skeptical or knowledgeable about credit, so spread the word...

Received a robocall on my cell (*sigh*…I know, right?) from “Visa/Mastercard,” stating that I was ‘now eligible for zero to 6% interest on all of my Visa/Mastercard accounts’ and instructed me to ‘press 1 to start the enrollment process.’ It was from a 760 area code (San Marcos, CA area, I believe...).

I blocked the number, but they always seem to find a way around it. Grr.
Sounds similar to "Rosie" who calls and offers 6.9% interest rates for ___? The group doing this is smart enough to keep moving around. They have been caught before and then they are gone. Off shore.

I'd rather have "Rosie" than Katie...........

Re: New telephone scam

FireMedic1 — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 12:18:08 GMT

@DaveInAZ wrote:
My Social Security account has been suspended so many times it must have a negative balance by now . . .

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Re: New telephone scam

DaveInAZ — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 12:47:11 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
New scam out there, might catch the less skeptical or knowledgeable about credit, so spread the word...

Received a robocall on my cell (*sigh*…I know, right?) from “Visa/Mastercard,” stating that I was ‘now eligible for zero to 6% interest on all of my Visa/Mastercard accounts’ and instructed me to ‘press 1 to start the enrollment process.’ It was from a 760 area code (San Marcos, CA area, I believe...).

I blocked the number, but they always seem to find a way around it. Grr.

The caller ID # is fake and they quickly change them, but blocking them eventually slows them down, I used to get 3-4 per day, now down to 2-3 per week.

Re: New telephone scam

Save-n-Invest — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 16:56:08 GMT

My mobile is powered down unless I need to make a call. VM not initialized. Must frustrate the devil out of them. Home phone calls are screened with answering machine. Danged robocallers always seem to ring in while they are giving the weather report on TV.

Re: New telephone scam

iced — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 18:04:21 GMT

@Save-n-Invest wrote:
My mobile is powered down unless I need to make a call. VM not initialized. Must frustrate the devil out of them. Home phone calls are screened with answering machine. Danged robocallers always seem to ring in while they are giving the weather report on TV.

Given that all these scam calls are automated now, it's not frustrating anyone really. Just some computer running in someone's bedroom or back office going through purchased directories of information.

A couple have even built in a little logic to trick you into responding, like asking "Is this <name of person>?" or "Hello? Can you hear me?" then pausing until you say something. You can literally say anything (I've experimented a few times with this) and then it'll kick right into its speech to scam you into whatever it is trying to scam you on. Soon as they talk, just say anything - "roger Houston" or "test" - and if the caller doesn't immediately act confused you can hang up.

Another fun trick is they geolocate your number and use a number in their arsenal that aligns with it, so the more naive among us see a local number and think it might be someone we actually know. If you live in Austin, TX you'll likely see calls from Austin or a suburb, but change numbers to Birmingham, AL and the calls will start showing up from Birmingham instead. This also means that if you can get a mobile with an out-of-state number, you can easily fish out the spam by location. Same example above, but someone living in Austin with a phone that has a Birmingham number will get calls from AL - those are the spammers.

Anyone doing it manually anymore is behind the times or a complete amateur. They're saving the live interactions for fish that actually bite the hook first.

Re: New telephone scam

DaveInAZ — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 22:59:28 GMT

@Save-n-Invest wrote:
My mobile is powered down unless I need to make a call. VM not initialized. Must frustrate the devil out of them. Home phone calls are screened with answering machine. Danged robocallers always seem to ring in while they are giving the weather report on TV.

Well, whatever works for you, but my attitude is I won't let them inconvenience me. I get a ton of robocalls on my employer issued iPhone which is the local county government, and lately they've been mostly live callers. One persistent caller was "Hi, this is (name) and I'm calling you as you left your resume on our website", I figure it's some scam to try to get you to pay some fee, which is to get you to give them a CC#. So I tried "You're calling a county government phone line, no one left you a county government phone # to call them back", didn't work, they kept right on with their spiel so I hang up.

So I've been trying a different approach, answering the call with: "Arizona State Attorney General's office, fraudulent robo call hotline. Are you calling to report a fraudulent robocall?" They hang up in about half a second.

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 23:44:31 GMT

That's awesome Dave 😆

Re: New telephone scam

Peazmom — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 00:04:57 GMT

I’ve recently started getting so many scam calls that I downloaded the Robokiller app on my phone. It’s awesome. It has its own data base of scam numbers that have been reported, plus you can add others that you want blocked. It also has a library of “answer bots” that you can choose from to answer the scam calls to your numbers. They range from funny to angry. My current selection tells the scammer that, while I realize they called my number they have actually won a cruise, and proceeds to ask who they are going to take with them, etc. A total waste of their time! LOL. Every time a scammer calls and Robokillers answers, it will let you know and if the scammer stays on the line, Robokiller will record the interaction. Can be quite entertaining!

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 03:32:55 GMT

@DaveInAZ wrote:
@Save-n-Invest wrote:
My mobile is powered down unless I need to make a call. VM not initialized. Must frustrate the devil out of them. Home phone calls are screened with answering machine. Danged robocallers always seem to ring in while they are giving the weather report on TV.
Well, whatever works for you, but my attitude is I won't let them inconvenience me. I get a ton of robocalls on my employer issued iPhone which is the local county government, and lately they've been mostly live callers. One persistent caller was "Hi, this is (name) and I'm calling you as you left your resume on our website", I figure it's some scam to try to get you to pay some fee, which is to get you to give them a CC#. So I tried "You're calling a county government phone line, no one left you a county government phone # to call them back", didn't work, they kept right on with their spiel so I hang up.
So I've been trying a different approach, answering the call with: "Arizona State Attorney General's office, fraudulent robo call hotline. Are you calling to report a fraudulent robocall?" They hang up in about half a second.

😂🤣😂😅

🍻

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 03:37:25 GMT

@Peazmom wrote:
I’ve recently started getting so many scam calls that I downloaded the Robokiller app on my phone. It’s awesome. It has its own data base of scam numbers that have been reported, plus you can add others that you want blocked. It also has a library of “answer bots” that you can choose from to answer the scam calls to your numbers. They range from funny to angry. My current selection tells the scammer that, while I realize they called my number they have actually won a cruise, and proceeds to ask who they are going to take with them, etc. A total waste of their time! LOL. Every time a scammer calls and Robokillers answers, it will let you know and if the scammer stays on the line, Robokiller will record the interaction. Can be quite entertaining!

OMG - awesome! Hahahhahaha

I have to answer my cell for work, but this sounds hilariously entertaining. This robocall didn't surprise me so much - I've gotten three one-ring hangups this week from Guatemala and Mauritius. Checking for a live line, maybe. I was getting robocalls in Chinese, for a while.

Re: New telephone scam

Jnbmom — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 03:39:20 GMT

@Peazmom wrote:
I’ve recently started getting so many scam calls that I downloaded the Robokiller app on my phone. It’s awesome. It has its own data base of scam numbers that have been reported, plus you can add others that you want blocked. It also has a library of “answer bots” that you can choose from to answer the scam calls to your numbers. They range from funny to angry. My current selection tells the scammer that, while I realize they called my number they have actually won a cruise, and proceeds to ask who they are going to take with them, etc. A total waste of their time! LOL. Every time a scammer calls and Robokillers answers, it will let you know and if the scammer stays on the line, Robokiller will record the interaction. Can be quite entertaining!

@Peazmom

I have robokiller but wasn't aware of that feature. May I ask how I access that feature?

Re: New telephone scam

Peazmom — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 12:33:00 GMT

@Jnbmom wrote:
@Peazmom wrote:
I’ve recently started getting so many scam calls that I downloaded the Robokiller app on my phone. It’s awesome. It has its own data base of scam numbers that have been reported, plus you can add others that you want blocked. It also has a library of “answer bots” that you can choose from to answer the scam calls to your numbers. They range from funny to angry. My current selection tells the scammer that, while I realize they called my number they have actually won a cruise, and proceeds to ask who they are going to take with them, etc. A total waste of their time! LOL. Every time a scammer calls and Robokillers answers, it will let you know and if the scammer stays on the line, Robokiller will record the interaction. Can be quite entertaining!
@Peazmom

I have robokiller but wasn't aware of that feature. May I ask how I access that feature?

Once you are in the Robokiller app, look along the bottom ribbon, you should see “answer bots”. If you select that you can toggle on the “Use Answer Bots”, then you can select an individual answer or you can select to rotate through them all.

Re: New telephone scam

Hut1 — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 13:17:22 GMT

I can't even deal with my DH and his shenanigans with scammers. This one time, he pressed whatever button to speak with a live scammer. Once he got on the phone with "Larry", he acted overly interested regarding the call and then began acting concerned about his call dropping, so he asked if Larry had a call back number and Larry gave it to him. That's when my husband got giddy. Lol. DH just dawdled on and on until Larry got frustrated & hung up. Well, DH called him back using the number he provided which went straight to a call center type area. He asked for Larry & was transferred. Larry eventually hung up again. DH called back. This went on & on until a Supervisor finally jumped on the line & said "Enough! We will be wiping your debt with the IRS, sir. There is no more reason for you to call Larry again. Thank you for your time & attention clearing this matter." 😂

It was the most ridiculous & entertaining 35 mins I've ever watched.

Re: New telephone scam

Save-n-Invest — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 17:10:58 GMT

Hi, thanks to anyone who responded to my post higher in this thread. I understand that the calls are automated with no human frustrated when a call that is not completed. My mobile is powered down because I don't care to be bothered when I'm away from home. If it were not for the possibility of a roadside issue I would not have a mobile at all. I just don't enjoy phones. I did heavy phones at work and was on call 24/7/365 to calls. I'm retired. I gave at the office. If I never received another incomming call it would be ok with me. The mobile VM was not initialized due to a very impatient friend who would shotgun all phones, text and leave VM about nothing.

Calls to the home phone are screened for the same reason. Just don't want to be bothered. The do not call registry was good for about four weeks. It was peaceful without the phone ringing. I don't check caller ID because I don't care. Friends know to leave a message. If I hear someone speaking I will pick up if I'm home. One or two have an issue with that. They can send email or not. I really don't care. If someone expects me to be on call again call pay is required.

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 01:18:01 GMT

@DaveInAZ wrote:
My Social Security account has been suspended so many times it must have a negative balance by now . . .

Oh yea, the "Department of Social Security Administration" (side note: get it together, scammers - if you can't be bothered to even get the name right....) calls me at least 3 times a day. Between them and the "Internal Revenue Service" telling me I'm about to be arrested if I don't pay my taxes immediately, it is just nice to know the government is remembering I'm here.

Re: New telephone scam

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 01:21:39 GMT

@Peazmom wrote:
I’ve recently started getting so many scam calls that I downloaded the Robokiller app on my phone. It’s awesome. It has its own data base of scam numbers that have been reported, plus you can add others that you want blocked. It also has a library of “answer bots” that you can choose from to answer the scam calls to your numbers. They range from funny to angry. My current selection tells the scammer that, while I realize they called my number they have actually won a cruise, and proceeds to ask who they are going to take with them, etc. A total waste of their time! LOL. Every time a scammer calls and Robokillers answers, it will let you know and if the scammer stays on the line, Robokiller will record the interaction. Can be quite entertaining!

I used Robokiller when I was getting tons of calls from this collection agency for someone who wasn't me (and they absolutely refused to accept that they had the wrong number). I set the recording to be someone freaking out about being recorded. It was great to listen to the agent get the supervisor on the phone. Neither of them realizing it was a recording.

I had to shut it down when I started job searching. But I truly enjoyed that app for a little bit.