SCAMS

[YJ02]

Well, yesterday I was in nearly a day long digital battle, with the help of my bank, to defeat a Hindustani invasion and money grab from my checking account!

"Jerry Miles",with such a strange accent--was it Irish? -- called several times to my landline.

Each time he acted as if he didn't call me before. He would say things like "Calling from Firs Data Corporation. We have detected possible fraudulent use of your visa debit card. I need your account number so that we can correct this situation"

uh..no

So, hang up, good to go right?

Nope--I go to the store. card declined. Yesterday I had my usual 4 diff direct deposits made, I knew there was plenty of money in my account.

So I call my local bank branch. tell them about the call. they told me that yes, First Data Corp is indeed a fraud monitoring company employed by the atm networks STAR and PLUS.

However, this wasn't them actually calling.

Once I hung up on them, they somehow--clever f*ckers!- find a way of putting a fraud watch on your account. Just like you can tell your bank you want to be called to verify purchases due to suspicious activity to ensure it is you, they are somehow doing this digitally, without calling.

and i wasn't the only one. the bank told me they had been getting calls all week with same situation.

The concerning part--as if this wasn't concerning enough--is that neither the bank nor First Corp seems to know HOW they are doing this just yet.

The good part is that they cannot get the money since, when online, I only use secure sites with good rep--like my utilities and amazon.

So, the bank resets my acct. I make 3 or 4 purchases (how are they getting this usage info in real time?). I get home and my wife tells me Jerry Miles called again

I call my bank, again--same thing had happened, again.

Fixed again. i pay some bills online and bam...another phone call, hang up, acct has a fraud alert again, by them.

Fixed again-for now

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We have had calls before where they come from India or elsewhere BUT the caller ID will have either a real business--like First data corp, with their real ph number displayed

Worse, in the past, many ppl in town including us, were bombarded with various phishing and other scams by these ppl for days at a time. To get ppl to answer the ph, instead of their calls showing as a 800 number on the call id, they displayed a LOCAL NUMBER complete with the correct name! WTF?

So, for example, it would be like "Joe Nussbaum" was calling and showed his ph number as well. All calls with diff people and their numbers from local ph exchanges to include landline and cell numbers.

You call the number back, and get the real person and sparks fly "hey why are you letting scammers use your number?!" At first, I thought that perhaps some ppl were 'renting' or whatever, their numbers temporarily and randomly. Nope Joe Nussbaum made it abundantly clear to me that he hadn't done that.

In fact, he even "invited me" in a "why don't you come down here and say that to my face" kind of way.

How do they do this 'spoofing' or whatever? Is it similar to using a vpn where your IP will show from another nation down to the local ISP only with phone exchanges/cell towers?

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seems every time new tech comes about, these ppl from india or elsewhere find a way to misuse it to their advantage.

sad and disturbing

 

[Overmind One]

There is a reliable set of things you need to always do when you think you are getting scammed.

1. Do not waste time trying to contact the scammer. You will not be able to. You have to block the calls. When contacted by scammers, do not waste a single minute talking to them. Hang up, block the number. The number being displayed is NEVER the real number, and the names they give are NEVER real.
2. When your bank accounts have been compromised in ANY way, change them. Get new cards, new accounts, whatever. This should not cost you anything.
3. Do not waste time trying to find out why they are doing their scams, where they are or who they are. Its pointless.

Sounds to me like you tried to call the number back, you believed that the person was telling you their name, and you even called them back thinking that the number shown on your caller ID was going to really let you talk to the scammer. Wasted time! As soon as you hear the scam beginning, hang up and block the number. Say NOTHING. Do not provide your name or any info to them for any reason.

 

[Gate_Boarder]

There is a reliable set of things you need to always do when you think you are getting scammed.

Sounds to me like you tried to call the number back, you believed that the person was telling you their name, and you even called them back thinking that the number shown on your caller ID was going to really let you talk to the scammer. Wasted time! As soon as you hear the scam beginning, hang up and block the number. Say NOTHING. Do not provide your name or any info to them for any reason.

I love the Google technology they have now. They can be half a world away and yet when I receive their call they virtually have the same number as my next door neighbour.

In any case I have been waiting for three days by my door, with bags packed, anticipating that the RCMP will be coming at any moment. Packing me off for income tax evasion.

It was bad enuff getting those Windows support calls, especially when they didn't know where Redmond, Washington was.

Some of these Bengali, Pakistani accents are priceless.

​

Sorry I thought everyone got those Revenue tax scam calls.

 

[Lord Ba'al]

In any case I have been waiting for three days by my door, with bags packed, anticipating that the RCMP will be coming at any moment. Packing me off for income tax evasion.

I hope it's not serious.

 

[PussyGalore]

I hope it's not serious.

That was sarcasm in reference to the scam calls claiming to be from the IRS (or Canadian Dept. of Revenue).

 

[YJ02]

The number being displayed is NEVER the real number, and the names they give are NEVER real.

this may have been true once, but i am telling you, when i called the number they called from, the one that appeared on the caller id, it was for the real company. they had no record of making calls to me. they were, however, aware of this issue and said they are 'working to find a solution'

and, in reference to other calls a few months back, they were scams AND they used local ppl's numbers that were assigned to homes and cell phones

if you called the number back and asked for the name that was on the caller id, yes, its them, yes they live here in town but no, quite emphatically, the did not call you nor did they allow anyone to use their number

i dont know how they are doing ( i mean, why would I ) but they are

 

[YJ02]

Sorry I thought everyone got those Revenue tax scam calls.

ppl in the US get calls claiming to be from the IRS, sometimes even with the caller id stating 'us government' like any govt number does.

the IRS never calls ppl first, they claim, they use snail mail to initiate contact

 

[YJ02]

I love the Google technology they have now. They can be half a world away and yet when I receive their call they virtually have the same number as my next door neighbour.

exactly!! glad to hear i am not the only one getting these calls!

our local landline exchanges and cells were getting bombed for about a week straight with all manner of calls using this tactic

ppl were cussing each other out on the town's facebook page "larry buehler is letting indians use his number to scam me!" etc,etc

nearly caused a riot in this small town

 

[Gate_Boarder]

That was sarcasm in reference to the scam calls claiming to be from the IRS (or Canadian Dept. of Revenue).

I assumed as much.

ppl in the US get calls claiming to be from the IRS, sometimes even with the caller id stating 'us government' like any govt number does.

the IRS never calls ppl first, they claim, they use snail mail to initiate contact

Does anyone know what those telephone number changing machines are called?

 

[PussyGalore]

I assumed as much.



Does anyone know what those telephone number changing machines are called?

I know the process is called "spoofing".

 

[Overmind One]

this may have been true once, but i am telling you, when i called the number they called from, the one that appeared on the caller id, it was for the real company. they had no record of making calls to me. they were, however, aware of this issue and said they are 'working to find a solution'

and, in reference to other calls a few months back, they were scams AND they used local ppl's numbers that were assigned to homes and cell phones

if you called the number back and asked for the name that was on the caller id, yes, its them, yes they live here in town but no, quite emphatically, the did not call you nor did they allow anyone to use their number

i dont know how they are doing ( i mean, why would I ) but they are

That means you are several steps into the room where the scam started. One leads to another. Anytime somebody calls you unsolicited, they are soliciting unless they are friends or family. Ultimately, they need something from you (usually money). A two-step scam starts with getting info first, then they follow it up with further steps until they have more info which can then lead to compromising your bank accounts, credit cards, etc. For me, there are no trustworthy sales calls.

 

[YJ02]

Sounds to me like you tried to call the number back, you believed that the person was telling you their name, and you even called them back thinking that the number shown on your caller ID was going to really let you talk to the scammer. Wasted time!

no fu^king way!! that is pretty funny...

no, like i said, every time we hung up on them, they did what the F ever (you know better then to ask me to tell you how they did it) they are doing and put,what the bank told was a customer initiated fraud alert on my account

i never called the number they wanted me to call, just the number they jacked or whatever. the manger of my local branch (my cousin) called the number they told me to call from his bank. he then filed a report through his bosses.

2-3 hours later, i went to the store, as i said, tried to make a purchase and they did it again! turned out they called again while i was gone and my wife hung up on them. they then put the fraud alert on again. they did it one more time as well.

they never got into my actual account, got any money or otherwise 'probed' it on any way. but they were able to somehow monitor activity. either the debit card company was hacked or the bank's . i was also told by my cousin that it was a widespread issue with ppl whose accounts the bank has the real fraud monitoring company with

 

[Overmind One]

I assumed as much.



Does anyone know what those telephone number changing machines are called?

They aren't machines anymore but they were called switchboards/trunks. All you have to do to change your caller ID is to download an app or you might not even have to do that. You can change it on your phone.

 

[YJ02]

Ultimately, they need something from you (usually money). A two-step scam starts with getting info first, then they follow it up with further steps until they have more info which can then lead to compromising your bank accounts, credit cards, etc.

that never happened

the only 'conversation' i had with them was to ask him one time, "where is northwest bank located?"

"it is in idaho sir"

wrong!! though i do give them credit for being on it for US geography, the name refers to northwest PA not the nw USA

 

[Overmind One]

that never happened

the only 'conversation' i had with them was to ask him one time, "where is northwest bank located?"

"it is in idaho sir"

wrong!! though i do give them credit for being on it for US geography, the name refers to northwest PA not the nw USA

You already know when you are being scammed most of the time. Most people "just don't feel right" about unsolicited calls, and that is the EXACT response they should have. There is no such thing as an acceptable unsolicited call from a sales representative for me personally.

 

[YJ02]

They aren't machines anymore but they were called switchboards/trunks. All you have to do to change your caller ID is to download an app or you might not even have to do that. You can change it on your phone.

The way it is happening-or appears on the caller id, is (i will use my name):

--ring, ring--

call id states "ted agens; 1-814-9xx-011x, ridgway pa"

you call that number back to cuss me out for trying to scam you and i swear i never called you.me, the person whose number was jacked, says something like "you aren't the first one to call me like this. i know who you are and where you live (small town) and i will come out there and 'discuss' this with you!"

yikes!!! thanks Mr Rajput for making ppl in friendly small towns want to rip each other's throats out

 

[YJ02]

You already know when you are being scammed most of the time. Most people "just don't feel right" about unsolicited calls, and that is the EXACT response they should have. There is no such thing as an acceptable unsolicited call from a sales representative for me personally.

right..ok..but that isn't what i am asking

the question i have-as well as ppl at my bank apparently and other customers is, how are they jacking these numbers and how are they monitoring our card usage so that they know to call us (and how are they getting our numbers?) and how are they initiating fraud alerts that supposedly, only a customer is supposed to be able to do?

 

[Overmind One]

right..ok..but that isn't what i am asking

the question i have-as well as ppl at my bank apparently and other customers is, how are they jacking these numbers and how are they monitoring our card usage so that they know to call us (and how are they getting our numbers?) and how are they initiating fraud alerts that supposedly, only a customer is supposed to be able to do?

I have seen this before. You have unwittingly signed up for "fraud monitoring". Usually, this is provided free from the bank at no cost to you, but the drawback is that all of your purchases are monitored, and they usually have alert protocols for things like nearing minimum balance, expenditures over a certain amount, charges appearing in locations far away from your home, etc. They have the power to freeze the card. Your bank will have this information for you but you need to call them and ask. Opt out of the service if you want. Monitoring of my purchases benefits only that company, not you.

 

[PussyGalore]

You already know when you are being scammed most of the time. Most people "just don't feel right" about unsolicited calls, and that is the EXACT response they should have. There is no such thing as an acceptable unsolicited call from a sales representative for me personally.

Exactly this.^

The way I see it no stranger calls me in order to benefit me. They call to benefit themselves. They call because they want to get something from me, not the other way around. It's as simple as that.

 

[YJ02]

Your bank will have this information for you but you need to call them and ask. Opt out of the service if you want.

i didn't call the bank to freeze it...the bank didn't freeze it off their own accord..the scammers-posing as this Monitoring company that the STAR and PLUS system employs froze it.

i am guessing that just as they spoofed the company's number when they called me, they did something similar when they do their digital messaging-or however- to the bank to put a freeze on the card.

my first call to the bank, my cousin told me "ted, you asked for a fraud alert freeze on your account this morning", which of course, I did not.

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and, as far as blocking numbers..well i cant block everyone! especially when they do use a local number. my number is non published and so they would of had to have gotten the number from the bank, the monitoring company or perhaps, comcast, my phone and ISP provider