Scamming telephone calls

[Just the facts ma am]

Four today. Usually I average one or two per day.

Usually a recording comes on to say I have been selected for a complimentary vacation voucher. They previously spoofed Marriott, now they are using Costco.They give you the option of pressing a key to learn more or pressing another key to opt out of their list. Opting out key sadly does not take you off of their list.

I actually went through the hoops with the caller today. She was reading from a script which I had heard dozens of times before, I paraphrase:

'We can offer you a discounted vacation because we hope you will recommend us in the future. Caribbean, Mexico Asia. You have two and half years with no black out dates. You will have 40% discount on outside excursions including visiting the Mayan ruins and swimming with the dolphins. Your "gor-met" dinners will be included. You will be greeted at the airport with a limo and cocktails. This is for two adults and two children. Have you ever been to Mexico or the Carribean before? Who do you usually travel with? Do you have a major credit card that you can use to check into the hotel with?" This conversation went on for ten minutes or so.

So I played along and they eventually said I could get a $3400 vacation for only $1085. She asked me if that is what I wanted and I said yes. She transferred me to another person who asked me what credit card I was using and the expiration date which I gave him. He then asked me for the first name on my credit card. I told him "Heywood". I could tell he was taken aback and then he asked me for the CC number. I told him 12345678910. He got angry and asked me why I wanted to waste their time. I replied, mf, die in a grease fire you scamming mf and hung up.

I am guessing I am uniquely targeted because I am a senior, a minority, have disposable income, good credit and still have a landline. Marketers know everything about you

David Lazarus of the LAT had an entertaining column about his experience.

Scammers told my wife she was inheriting $25 million. I decided to play along

 

[Slacker]

Don't kid yourself: It's the Deep State. Admit nothing.

 

[Batman]

A few months ago, every morning for a week, I got recorded calls telling me I had multiple warrants out for my arrest and I needed to contact the number within 24 hours or the local police would come and pick me up.
The calls were all from different New York City numbers in the same area code, and I live nowhere near New York. You could also tell it was playing on a loop, because it was halfway through the spiel when I picked up. I answered the first time, and it went to voicemail and left a message the others.
Obviously a scam, but pretty jarring nonetheless. I can see how that one would be effective to generate a response.

 

[ChrisLong]

The phony IRS calls are making the rounds. The "India-sounding" woman told me that in order to avoid prosecution, I had to meet their agent at an AM/PM parking lot and pay the fine with Apple gift cards.

 

[MTM]

Not necessarily a scam, but I get at least one call per week from someone trying to sell me solar panels.

I just tell them I don’t own my home and most apologize and hang up.

 

[John]

The Robokiller app costs a few bucks a month but it's worth it to me.

 

[micropolitan guy]

If there is actually a live person on the line, I just start replying in some mumbo-jumbo language I invent that sounds part Japanese, part Korean, part Vietnamese, and tell them, "My son not home, he working so Donald Trump no deport us." . They hang up pretty quick.

I get calls offering me leg braces, wheelchairs, etc. Got the IRS one the other day too. I read in the crime reports in the paper every day how people falls for these scams, and am amazed at their stupidity. I mean seriously, the IRS taking ITunes cards or WalMart gift cards for payment?

 

[Tweener]

Last year I had a scammer tell me that I had won a free vacation and that she just needed my credit card number to pay the taxes. I think I'm a pretty nice guy, so instead of lashing out at the woman, I just politely told her that I don't have a credit card. She then immediately hung up on me. I think I was more pissed about that than the fact that she was trying to scam me.

 

[cjericho]

Why do people take calls when they do not know the number? Could see telemarketers and scammers
getting you to pick up in the days before caller ID, but now? I heard there's an app that allows scammers
to have a different number appear when they call, but I've never seen it.

 

[Neutral Corner]

I see it all the time. Most of the scam calls that come in on my cell are "from" the same three digit exchange as my cell number. I guess that people are less likely to simply hang up that way.

 

[Just the facts ma am]

Why do people take calls when they do not know the number? Could see telemarketers and scammers
getting you to pick up in the days before caller ID, but now? I heard there's an app that allows scammers
to have a different number appear when they call, but I've never seen it.

For me the ringing of my land line is distracting and I choose to stop it rather than let it go on and possibly have an answering machine message I would need to review. I also had a false notion that if I waste enough of their time they will stop calling me. Actually I think that it encourages them to call me more just to **** with me. The real reason is probably I get a certain satisfaction from abusing slimeballs even though it is bad karma and a waste of time.

For a while I even had this handily linked on my computer.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-swear-words-in-Hindi

 

[cjericho]

For me the ringing of my land line is distracting and I choose to stop it rather than let it go on and possibly have an answering machine message I would need to review. I also had a false notion that if I waste enough of their time they will stop calling me. Actually I think that it encourages them to call me more just to **** with me. The real reason is probably I get a certain satisfaction from abusing slimeballs even though it is bad karma and a waste of time.

For a while I even had this handily linked on my computer.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-swear-words-in-Hindi

When I had a land line I would try to waste their time. Sometimes I would just not make a sound, then they would ask "are you there?" and I'd
tell them I didn't hear or understand whatever they said. Got rid of the land line because we went to cable internet instead of Verizon DSL.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

I put my phone on Do Not Disturb so the only time it rings is when someone on my contacts list calls. My life is a lot more blissful.

 

[Tarheel316]

I got the IRS scam call. Told the caller to take his phone and shove it sideways up his ass.

 

[Steak Snabler]

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I used to blow a whistle or honk a toy horn in their ear. Usually they would hang up after that.

 

[cjericho]

View attachment 4819

Why do people take calls when they do not know the number? Could see telemarketers and scammers
getting you to pick up in the days before caller ID, but now? I heard there's an app that allows scammers
to have a different number appear when they call, but I've never seen it.

 

[SpeedTchr]

Either don't answer in the first place, or hang up immediately. There is nothing to be gained by abusing phone scammers, since many of them have access to information about you and could use that information to hurt you in some way.

 

[cjericho]

Either don't answer in the first place, or hang up immediately. There is nothing to be gained by abusing phone scammers, since many of them have access to information about you and could use that information to hurt you in some way.

True, but sometimes it's hard for an immature person to avoid f'ng with them.

 

[Dyno]

I have 98 numbers blocked from the same three-digit exchange for my cell phone because I've gotten so many scam calls. There are apparently a lot of warrants out for my arrest and "bad marks on my name" according to the voicemails I've gotten from these numbers.