Scam Callers.

[ws23jrt]

I am a fan of playing with scam callers but I don't seek them out.
Today I got a call that told me I was entitled to 1.7 million dollars.

So I called them back and listened to their long pitch.

My response was that 1.7 million was WAY too much money for me to deal with.
I asked them how many gift cards I would need to buy (and give them) to just get a thousand dollars?
The phone call was terminated at that point.

If I am in the right mood I have been able to lead a scam caller on for more than an hour. (many can do this better than I).

BTW- I do know much about giving remote access to one's computer.
This can be very risky. DO NOT do this for sport without understanding the risk.

This guy has a good handle on handling scammer.

 

[RT6PK]

LOL,
I have a 50 mile commute to and from work; so, I have time to talk. Occasionally, I get a call just as I am leaving work. I listen to their pitch. I ask many detailed questions. I repeat what they tell me, but I intentionally repeat it incorrectly so that they have to re-explain everything to me over and over. I will keep them on the phone for 20 or 30 minutes. Then when they finally think that they have me on the hook I have two different closers.

If the caller is a man, I will say, "boy that all sounds pretty good. Go ahead and drop the paperwork off at your mom's place and I will sign off on it when I drop by to see her later."

If the caller is a woman, I will say, "That all sounds pretty good. There is one more thing that I think you might be able to help me with.... can go down on me to the point that when I blow my load, it runs out your nose?"

You want to talk about some pissed off callers... let me tell you.

 

[Dipstick]

Today I got a call that told me I was entitled to 1.7 million dollars.

So I called them back and listened to their long pitch.

And, in doing so, you told them (via caller ID) that yours is a valid number that they can sell to other scammers.

 

[ws23jrt]

And, in doing so, you told them (via caller ID) that yours is a valid number that they can sell to other scammers.

I did indeed do that. --They called me on my --decades-old number. --If they want to sell my number to another --let that buyer beware of that purchase value and deal with it.

BTW--If someone does get (or has allowed) a connection to your computer it can be a two-way street. -A good IT tec can access the scammer's computer because of the nature of that connection.

I am not an " IT tec". But I like to watch what these folks can do.
This is a good example (one of many). He is able to access and manipulate a scammers computer (by way of the connection made) and has the upper hand in the conversation. What he does is what the scammers could do from an internet connection.

Scammers are a big industry. Their only mantra is to take. They have no product to offer.

 

[fratzog lover]

That was great! A taste of their own medicine!

 

[RJRENTON]

Lately, I've been besieged with calls relating to my expired warranty on my car but could qualify for resumed coverage IF I could furnish a bank credit card or I could just relate the bank account info on the bottom of the checks, that way I could receive IMMEDIATE warranty coverage....what a great deal!!! When asked about the the bank information, begining with my name, my response is: "because I have a name with unusual pronunciation and spelling, l need to spell it for you: Waldo U. Y. Bummephuche and my car is a 1937 Huppmobile with 237,318 miles on it but I change the oil every 3000 miles....do l still qualify for coverage? And the bank ID info is just a series of random numbers....these people are so stupid they continue to ask questions about up grading my coverage for a small additional cost.....until they repeat the pronunciation of my name.....then silence then ... click. Similar info is used for the callers selling condo insurance, etc. GREAT FUN!!!!
Bob Renton

 

[GetX'd]

The only thing they hear from me is - click - dial tone. Don’t like to give them a reason to call back. And since I cut my land line years ago - I get very few of those calls.

 

[ws23jrt]

I just had some fun with a scammer that was working in the social security department.

So I called the number -that the robot left on my voice mail. It went kinda like this. (wish I could have recorded it).

Hi I'm responding to a message about my SS number being terminated.

Ok-who am I speaking with?---You know who I am because you called me.

I need you to verify who you are to proceed.---I am the one connected to the phone number that you -the SS department just called.

OK sir--we see that you are ----------. I said yes that is my name and address and age. (verified without my giving them my information).

We have a block on your SS number because of suspicious activity. ---I said which SS number are you talking about?

Sir, we are talking about your number. ----I have three numbers. Which one is this about?

Sir, you only have one number.----Not true. I am retired and am getting three checks per month. One for each of my numbers. Again-which number is in question?

Hold on for a moment sir.---(a conference pause no doubt)--Ok what are the last four numbers of all three of them? ----I made up three sets of four digits for them to digest.

Ok, sir, we see this and now have a hold on all three of your SS numbers and they are now blocked. I said no problem-I will just get three more to replace them.

Sir that is not possible.----I have been doing it for 25 years. If you block these I will get three more.

Another long pause.-- What you are doing is illegal. ----I know but it's a living and works for me.

Will you tell me how you can get SS numbers in your name and use them.----I will not tell you that.

I will pay you for that information how much money for three numbers?-----That information is personal to me and I cannot give it out to a stranger like the Social Security Department.

How much money do you want to tell me how you do that?----I don't need any more money for my lifestyle and will not negotiate a fixed amount to upset what I have going especially with the Social Security Department.

The call was terminated at that point by the scammers. BTW--I do not seek numbers of scammers to toy with. I only respond to ones that call me.
Clearly my phone number is on many call lists and as I age I get more and more of them. This one was the most fun cause the scammers wanted to learn about what they thought was a scam of my own and of interest to them.

 

[Ranger16]

I would NEVER call back. You just might get billed for a $300 phone bill for calling Nigeria.That said, I LIKE your technique, I can never think that fast.

I get frequent robo calls that show up on caller I.D. as "unavailable" (sometimes it is actually someone I know). Several times a week it is from "James". "Hello, this is James - click (I hang up), but last night I let it finish. :James is from my "local" furnace and duct cleaning service and if I'd like more info, press zero. So I put my thumb over the phone Mic and pressed zero. An Indian (or Pakistani) answered, "cleaning service, how can I help you?..........hello..........hello........can you hear me...........hello..........no response so I am terminating this call". It was kind of fun to turn the tables on them. Anxiously awaiting for "James" to call tonight.

 

[ws23jrt]

I would NEVER call back. You just might get billed for a $300 phone bill for calling Nigeria.

Check with your phone service provider. Long-distance charges are long in the past.

With my part-time hobby of toying with and wasting the time of scammers-nearly all of them come from "Nigeria" or Pakistan or India.

BTW--this reminds me of a caller that I got in the early seventies. It came from a young female seeking chat.
She would call me off and on over week's time and the chat always got plenty hot.
Eventually, she stopped calling but soon after she stopped I started getting calls from the phone company asking about calls to my number. They said a very large amount of long-distance charges were being investigated. (I was told it was $75+)
The phone company pressed me very hard over several days.--But I played dumb and clueless.
The phone company finally told me the town of origin for the calls.

To this day 40+ years later I would like to meet that young girl and reminisce about our phone call connection that likely got her a spanking.

 

[thomas lauber]

Got a call from a home security company, he asked if I currently use a home security company, i said yes , i use BFD, been using them for many years.. He said that he had never heard of them, " are they local?" he asked . I said yes, they provide the best service. He asked for the name again, I told him Big F----- dog, then he hung up.

 

[kiwigtx]

I had about 4 phone calls to my landline last week starting at 3:45am. I knew it was a scammer, by the series of zero's in the number and the long pause for connection. It got so annoying being woken up every few minutes that I eventually just shouted to them "Go Fu*k Yourself" ...to which I heard a click...and no more phone calls.

I have less patience for tomfoolery than the likes of @ws23jrt

 

[ws23jrt]

Scam callers are (for me) a source of entertainment. Depending on the timing and my mood.

The reality is they are kinda like cockroaches. They seek -and feed on- the clueless and the feeble.
Many folks have been scammed out of millions. This is why they thrive and apparently grow in numbers. It has become a lifestyle that continues to grow as they continue to profit.

I have personal friends that attest to this sort of feeding with their aging family members. It is a tough call -to grab granny- and shake her into the reality of being lied to.

My mindset (from forever) is how and why stuff works. This is why I like to engage scammers.
Apparently I have entered into an age group that is aggressively targeted.

BTW --I do not seek scammers to call. I only respond (as I may) to those that seek me personally.

I would like to add that in the last 30+ years I have yet to receive -one- cold call pitch- that wants something other than some of my money.

As for terminating most scam calls- I just say-what "gift cards" do you accept as payment for your scam.

 

[ws23jrt]

I hit the jackpot this last week. I apparently won five separate payouts ranging from 1.5 million to 5 million. (about one call per day)
The most recent caller was on the line about a half-hour until I finally got him to tell me how much I had to pay for the "processing and handling" of my 5 million "certified" check. -He said fifty dollars is all it would cost me. -I said that seemed like a lot of money to spend just to receive five million-how about ten dollars.-He came back with twenty-five dollars as being as low as he could go. I said fifteen was as high as I could go for only a five million payoff.

At that point, he -finally- accused me of playing a game with him.--I said the game I was playing with him was -his game- and that he was losing from the beginning of the call.--He rudely told me to go F$ck myself and hung up.

 

[RJRENTON]

I hit the jackpot this last week. I apparently won five separate payouts ranging from 1.5 million to 5 million. (about one call per day)
The most recent caller was on the line about a half-hour until I finally got him to tell me how much I had to pay for the "processing and handling" of my 5 million "certified" check. -He said fifty dollars is all it would cost me. -I said that seemed like a lot of money to spend just to receive five million-how about ten dollars.-He came back with twenty-five dollars as being as low as he could go. I said fifteen was as high as I could go for only a five million payoff.

At that point, he -finally- accused me of playing a game with him.--I said the game I was playing with him was -his game- and that he was losing from the beginning of the call.--He rudely told me to go F$ck myself and hung up.

YES.....I've received similar calls and additionally, sometimes from companies selling vehicle repair coverage or aftermarket warranties. I usually string them along as much as possible. When they ask my name, I invite them to call me by my nick name, which is a combination of my initials: WEB or "Webbie"....when asked for the spelling, I say: Waldo Elmo and my last name has unusual spelling and pronunciation.....Bummephuche....which results the caller hanging up..... try to pronounce the last name phonetically.....
BOB RENTON

 

[Roger63]

I have a zero tolerance for scammers, if I don't know your number you must leave a message. No message no call back.

 

[Ron H]

Nope, never answer any call from a number I don’t know anymore. 95% of the time it’s a scam call and if it’s legit they can leave a message. Yeah – more scam's today do leave a message now. Most of the time it’s for warranty coverage I’ve apparently let lapse; but this would be 10 years ago. A friend of mine will take calls and has an aerosol bullhorn he uses if it’s a scam call..

 

[ws23jrt]

I stopped a caller last week -early in the call- and described to him the last several calls -that were almost just like his.--He advised me that they were clearly scam calls and assured me that this call was the real deal. I thanked him for his advice and let him continue with his version of the scam.
He insisted I take a phone number down and call it to verify that he was actually who he said he was (I think he was an agent with the federal reserve bank)
I said that was absurd as a way to convince me he was not lying to me.- He said, " I am not a liar". I said count two for you lying. He then heated up and proceeded to explain how dangerous it was for me to be so rude to callers like him cause they had the power to ruin my life with the power of information they had on me.

BTW-- I NEVER give or verify ANY information to any of these callers that is beyond what they or anyone can easily get from my decades-old phone number.
I --along with vast numbers of individuals -are on calling lists that are shared with hundreds or thousands of independent scammers. Also the older we get the more likely we are to get these calls.
These -feeders- are like scavengers that can't wait to feed on the frail.- At least vultures/ flies and the like wait until death happens before they feed.

 

[ws23jrt]

Nope, never answer any call from a number I don’t know anymore. 95% of the time it’s a scam call and if it’s legit they can leave a message. Yeah – more scam's today do leave a message now. Most of the time it’s for warranty coverage I’ve apparently let lapse; but this would be 10 years ago. A friend of mine will take calls and has an aerosol bullhorn he uses if it’s a scam call..

In the last several months I've had maybe three (incoming) calls that were not recognized by me and were legit. -In those cases, it took a good while to verify who they were.
I've mentioned before that I only take these calls as a hobby -with curiosity- and have ten-twenty min. to spare. Wasting their time and making them angry is entertaining.

 

[kiwigtx]

I had about 4 phone calls to my landline last week starting at 3:45am. I knew it was a scammer, by the series of zero's in the number and the long pause for connection. It got so annoying being woken up every few minutes that I eventually just shouted to them "Go Fu*k Yourself" ...to which I heard a click...and no more phone calls.

I have less patience for tomfoolery than the likes of @ws23jrt

Had a few more of the overseas calls this past few days.

As soon as we pick up the receiver.......they hang up.

The scam is that they are preying on people to call then back to find out what is going on. From that point on, your phone account is charged at an exorbitant rate per minute....from which they profit.

NEVER EVER call them back.