Author Topic: Scam alert (Read 5240 times)

oldbike54 · « **on:** August 05, 2019, 03:33:19 PM »

Have had two phone messages claiming that my SSN has been involved in fraudulent activities and an arrest warrant has been issued . If you have an older family member make sure to remind them that the Social Security Admin doesn't operate this way . Read up on this particular scam , millions have been stolen employing this ruse . Carry on .

Dusty

bigbikerrick · « **Reply #1 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:00:03 PM »

Thanks for the heads up ,Dusty. I have had a few of those, actually cracked me up, they sounded so threatening, like a SWAT team was on the verge of breaking down my door! If the would have been just a bit more "chill" maybe they would have been more believable. I can see where older folks may be tricked, though.
I will give my MIL a heads up, she has already fallen for a couple others....even way back "stuffing envelopes"! HaHaHa
Thanks
Rick.

Devildog · « **Reply #2 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:13:42 PM »

In the Spring, my British wife was terrified by a phone call from a man claiming to be an FBI agent, he said her green card was forged and she was to meet him in the Walmart parking lot. His 'supervisor' came on the line and told her to stay on the phone with him until the agent was with her. Fortunately she hung up and phoned me instead.

yogidozer · « **Reply #3 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:18:44 PM »

Quote from: Devildog on August 05, 2019, 04:13:42 PM

In the Spring, my British wife was terrified by a phone call from a man claiming to be an FBI agent, he said her green card was forged and she was to meet him in the Walmart parking lot. His 'supervisor' came on the line and told her to stay on the phone with him until the agent was with her. Fortunately she hung up and phoned me instead.

yogidozer · « **Reply #4 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:22:45 PM »

Quote from: Devildog on August 05, 2019, 04:13:42 PM

In the Spring, my British wife was terrified by a phone call from a man claiming to be an FBI agent, he said her green card was forged and she was to meet him in the Walmart parking lot. His 'supervisor' came on the line and told her to stay on the phone with him until the agent was with her. Fortunately she hung up and phoned me instead.

If only you were home. You could have waited until he showed up.
Threatening and scaring the woman, tough guy, I'm sure.
Might of been a good idea to let the cops know. Maybe they did harm some woman somewhere.
Might be good to tell her if she doesn't recognize the number, hang up.

RinkRat II · « **Reply #5 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:51:10 PM »

I got their scumbag voicemail regarding fraudulent activity with my ss number, please press one. So I filed a report with the O I G's office with their number etc.
Preying on older people makes my blood boil.

Paul B

Muzz · « **Reply #6 on:** August 05, 2019, 05:32:13 PM »

Down here on the backside of the planet we would get about one per day, either someone saying they were from one of the major internet providers saying that they have determined something is wrong with our internet or something is wrong with our computer.

The internet ones are usually bot generated with someone coming on when a connection is made. Those ones I just leave the phone off the hook and waste their time. The computer ones I string along, primed by previous threads here on WG. Those ones I enjoy. When I can't string them along and waste there time any more I tell them I don't have a computer.

M0T0Geezer · « **Reply #7 on:** August 05, 2019, 06:18:52 PM »

One day last year I was in Albuquerque. They said I had to stay in the car for an hour for my motel room to be made ready. Not happy.

Few minutes later the cell phone rings and it is a "Social Security" scammer. She picked the wrong guy and the wrong time to call.

I kept her, her super, and later his super on the line for almost the whole hour by dangling ever more juicy tidbits of personal and private information (all fake of course) into their eager ears. Eventually they caught on and hung up.

Now I'm happy! The hour was up, their "take" was way off for the day, and my room was ready.

Tom H · « **Reply #8 on:** August 05, 2019, 06:24:05 PM »

A year or so ago I got the first of the SS scam calls, had me at first curious, so I listened. When it got to the part that the "COPS" I started laughing. Maybe if they would have said "authorities", maybe I would have given it more thought.

I think I have blocked so many numbers on my phone, if someone I know got a new phone number, it would probably be blocked

Tom

Joliet Jim · « **Reply #9 on:** August 05, 2019, 06:31:55 PM »

Hey Dusty just send me your social in a pm and I'll take care of that for you. I'll also take care of that Microsoft issue you probably get called about.

twowheeladdict · « **Reply #10 on:** August 05, 2019, 06:50:35 PM »

I got 8 calls and they leave a message. Since they all came from the same number I put a block on it.

I hope there is a special place in hell for those who prey on the elderly and the afraid.

bacongrease · « **Reply #11 on:** August 05, 2019, 07:03:33 PM »

Come on guys. Take one for the team.
Keep them on the line for as long as possible.

Like Lenny.

LowRyter · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2019, 07:10:48 PM »

I've been getting those calls and I am not even eligible to ever receive Social Security.

Those IRS calls were really annoying. I called the FBI and was ignored and told to call an IRS scam hotline, the voicemail was so full that I couldn't even leave a message.

JJ · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2019, 08:49:04 PM »

I've received several of those myself....Best of all...the recorded voice is a robot.

So silly...and so ridiculous....

pete roper · « **Reply #14 on:** August 06, 2019, 01:42:58 AM »

I just had my first tax office scam call this afternoon. I have no idea why but I've been almost immune to this nonsense until now. Perhaps it's because I don't use 'Social Media' of the Bookface/instatroll type? I dunno. Anyway the tax office NEVER contact you by phone so I just told him to go f*#@ himself and hung up. If I hadn't been driving I would of strung him along for a bit but even hands free talking I find a PITA so I couldn't be bothered.

Pete

Texas Turnip · « **Reply #15 on:** August 06, 2019, 05:48:03 AM »

My Social Security card sez for "For social Security only. Not to be used for identification." Then the government came along and changed it for some BS reason.

I don't give out my SS number to dentists, eye doctors or anybody else that wants it. I bought a gun and they wanted my SS #. I told them it was against the reading on my SS card. He still sold me the gun.

The VA gives you the option of using your SS# or giving you a military ID #

Tex

Lannis · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2019, 05:53:27 AM »

Quote from: Texas Turnip on August 06, 2019, 05:48:03 AM

My Social Security card sez for "For social Security only. Not to be used for identification."

Tex

And the vending machines on the wall of the men's room used to say "Sold for prevention of social disease only." I think they're related ....

Lannis

twowheeladdict · « **Reply #17 on:** August 06, 2019, 06:05:43 AM »

Quote from: Texas Turnip on August 06, 2019, 05:48:03 AM

My Social Security card sez for "For social Security only. Not to be used for identification." Then the government came along and changed it for some BS reason.

I don't give out my SS number to dentists, eye doctors or anybody else that wants it. I bought a gun and they wanted my SS #. I told them it was against the reading on my SS card. He still sold me the gun.

The VA gives you the option of using your SS# or giving you a military ID #

Tex

Payroll are the only ones who have my SS#.

I remember when they used it for the Drivers License number in several states I lived in.

I leave that line blank on any form that asks for it other than payroll.

larrys · « **Reply #18 on:** August 06, 2019, 08:00:16 AM »

My wife loves those. She picks up the phone and if it's a real person she says, "Consumer services, fraud division how may I help you?" They hang up...
Larry

yogidozer · « **Reply #19 on:** August 06, 2019, 08:46:54 AM »

Quote from: larrys on August 06, 2019, 08:00:16 AM

My wife loves those. She picks up the phone and if it's a real person she says, "Consumer services, fraud division how may I help you?" They hang up...
Larry

I say, Ct. State Trooper Johnson, what is your emergency?
But most are robot calls

Lannis · « **Reply #20 on:** August 06, 2019, 11:32:55 AM »

I have a feeling that this type of thing will fade out as the older generation (the one ahead of me) starts passing on.

My mom was a smart woman, started as an ambulance driver in 1944 for the Red Cross, worked for 50 years until 1994, raised a young family when my Dad died, was a dispatcher for the local Rescue Squad, assistant county administrator, knew a lot about life ...

... but she could never get over her "Respect For Authority". If she got a letter, or if someone called, and said they were from:

1. Law Enforcement
2. A Bank
3. The IRS
4. The Insurance Company

she would never doubt anything they said, and (having been married to a career Navy CPO) would snap to virtual attention with an aye aye sir and try to do whatever it was they asked. I and her other kids were kept hopping to make sure she never did anything to get hurt, but it was a close-run thing sometimes.

Of course, for the first 70 years of her life, there was no such thing as a "scam" call or letter, and it was hard for her to transition to a world in which every other call or Email was someone trying to cheat her and steal her money. How we got like that may be discussed at your leisure.

Her best friend (who is now 100 years old) got taken by a "I'm calling for your great-grandson, he's in jail and his parents are mad and won't help, can you please bail him out?" She got taken for a couple thousand that she could ill afford to lose.

Nowadays we've got call blockers and spam filters and enough experience to know what a scam sounds like ... at least most of us do.

Lannis

twowheeladdict · « **Reply #21 on:** August 06, 2019, 02:10:18 PM »

Quote from: Lannis on August 06, 2019, 11:32:55 AM

Her best friend (who is now 100 years old) got taken by a "I'm calling for your great-grandson, he's in jail and his parents are mad and won't help, can you please bail him out?" She got taken for a couple thousand that she could ill afford to lose.

Lannis

My Dad almost got taken by that scam when the Olympics were last in Canada. It was grandson stopped at the border while trying to go to the Olympics. The only saving grace what that Western Union already had a scam alert and stopped the transfer of the money.

Muzz · « **Reply #22 on:** August 06, 2019, 05:12:05 PM »

Quote from: twowheeladdict on August 05, 2019, 06:50:35 PM

I got 8 calls and they leave a message. Since they all came from the same number I put a block on it.

You're a bit lucky that they come from the same number.

Lannis · « **Reply #23 on:** August 06, 2019, 06:56:56 PM »

Quote from: Muzz on August 06, 2019, 05:12:05 PM

You're a bit lucky that they come from the same number.

It isn't always luck. Some folks sell their landline number to a robocall company, who uses it to make local calls until they've exhausted that particular market then they move on. That's why it helps to "block" a particular number - otherwise, you may get many more calls from it ...

Lannis

LowRyter · « **Reply #24 on:** August 06, 2019, 07:42:23 PM »

I've been called for the second time in the last couple of weeks about my delinquent student loan debt. I graduated from college in '76, got my Masters in 92.

I know some of you suspect I am deadbeat but I paid off all $1500 of my student debt back in the '70s.

Lannis · « **Reply #25 on:** August 06, 2019, 08:21:43 PM »

I don't even know what modern robo-calls are about.

When the phone rings, I check the caller ID. If I don't know who it is, I don't answer. If it looks like a local number, I'll pick it up. And I say "Hello", never more than once. Say it twice, and the answer is triggered by the robot.

They only have three ways of operating. One involves the two "Hellos" (just don't do that), one involves a "boop" and a pause, and one involves a robot voice instantly talking very fast as soon as you pick up. For the second two, you know within a second or less whether it's a legit call or not. If not, just hang up before they get the second word out, or while the pause is happening. Then hit "block", and that's the last of THAT number.

We don't get near as many as we used to. It used to be "The Credit Card Service Center", the "Warranty Center", or the "Fraud Center". Earlier this year, it was "The Medicare Service Center".

How dim do you have to be?

Lannis

Zoom Zoom · « **Reply #26 on:** August 07, 2019, 10:29:20 AM »

Quote from: oldbike54 on August 05, 2019, 03:33:19 PM

Have had two phone messages claiming that my SSN has been involved in fraudulent activities and an arrest warrant has been issued . If you have an older family member make sure to remind them that the Social Security Admin doesn't operate this way . Read up on this particular scam , millions have been stolen employing this ruse . Carry on .

Dusty

This has evolved in the last couple weeks. The calls I received prior to your initial post did not mention a warrant but instructed me to press 4 now. They were messages left on my ans. machine with no return number. I wasn't about to pick up the phone. Did not pass go or collect 200 dollars, or press 4! Bastids

Not to mention the myriad of other scam calls I get....

John Henry

Penderic · « **Reply #27 on:** August 07, 2019, 01:46:33 PM »

Well, don't use my lawyers ....

BrotherJim · « **Reply #28 on:** August 08, 2019, 04:28:45 PM »

I have received 5 of these very calls within the last 24 hours! Relentless! I just keep blocking the numbers, but they'll just keep mining new ones.

News:

Author Topic: Scam alert (Read 5240 times)

oldbike54

pete roper