[Rolebama]

This week we have had about half a dozen stupid phone calls from scammers. The most ridiculous was one to point out a credit card had some suspicious charges on it. All they wanted was the Card Number and relevant PIN as a 'security measure'. It may have gained some credibility had they not started the conversation with: "Hi, this is your bank's security department." As both of us have cards, it may have flown a little further if they had asked for one of us by name, and known who we bank with.
Are people really so gullible that they fall for this rubbish?

[Drivingforfun]

My dad once had a call at work and decided to play along (quiet work day clearly) and it got to the point where they asked for address and he obliged stating the address of Herts police HQ in Welwyn Garden City … for some reason they hung up

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

This week we have had about half a dozen stupid phone calls from scammers. The most ridiculous was one to point out a credit card had some suspicious charges on it. All they wanted was the Card Number and relevant PIN as a 'security measure'. It may have gained some credibility had they not started the conversation with: "Hi, this is your bank's security department." As both of us have cards, it may have flown a little further if they had asked for one of us by name, and known who we bank with.
Are people really so gullible that they fall for this rubbish?

Unfortunately, it doe's work.
The scammer seeks to frighten, and give a sense of urgency, so the victim is shocked, and worried, so they are unable to think clearly.

Now I am retired, I make a sport of it, I suppose you could call it, scammer baiting.
When my wife was alive, we would pass the call from one to the other, that messed up their delivery, and of course when they thought they had made progress, we could ask which account in which bank, and so on.
I make them, work very hard for a small bit of progress they think they have made.
The coup de grace, (once I am bored) is to start probing for their details.

Once it's over, I contact the bank or whoever to report the incident but I always get the feeling they don't want to know.

[Nick]

I agree - they're playing the odds right? All it needs is a small percentage of the people they call to fall for it and it works out for them. I'm not the right person for them, that's for sure, but I know people that have been stung who probably are the right demograph - older, vulnerable, less tach savvy, naive, trusting.

[NMNeil]

@olduser Check the internet for scambaiters. It's a whole subculture.
And I love this.

[NMNeil]

Originally Posted by Drivingforfun

My dad once had a call at work and decided to play along (quiet work day clearly) and it got to the point where they asked for address and he obliged stating the address of Herts police HQ in Welwyn Garden City … for some reason they hung up

On of the many cases regarding scam phone calls I was assigned showed the ultimate in stupidity. The scammer asked for my e-mail, so I contacted a friend and gave the scammer his e-mail instead; adam******@fbi.us.gov, and the fool actually emailed Adam 🤣

[Rolebama]

A friend just told me how his parents lost all their savings during Covid. They received a phone call telling them it was believed their cards had been cloned as there was suspicious activity on their cards. They were asked security questions about their names, address, card numbers and PINs. After answering the questions, they were told a courier would be despatched to collect their cards. New ones would be sent in the post. Sure enough the courier arrived and collected the cards. After a few days the father went to the bank to get some money, and was told his account was empty. The mother found the same. Whilst both the Police and the bank were sympathetic, they both said there was little they could do as it was over a week before they reported anything.

[NMNeil]

Supposedly true, but who knows.
Scammers contacted someone in Texas with a scam. The premise was that the scammer had to leave his country quickly but before he left he had moved many millions of US dollars in cash to Amsterdam. Problem was the money had been sprayed with a special chemical that made the banknotes unusable as it changed the colour of the notes.
But.....if he could front $50,000 they could buy another chemical that would remove the first special chemical. This chemical was only available from one chemical supply house that was based in Amsterdam, and the chemical could not be exported which explained why there was a big pile of unusable banknotes in a warehouse in Amsterdam that could be turned back into real money by the simple application of a $50,000 chemical, and he would get half.
With me so far?
Now the guy in Texas contacted them and said he was in on the deal and could get the $50,000 in cash together in a few days then fly to Amsterdam to meet and do the deal. The guy in Texas said he knew a good outdoor restaurant where they could meet. The scammer then said he would send his associate to meet him.
Now the guy in Texas had chosen that restaurant because there was a camera showing the outside that was posted to the internet as a live stream.
So the guy from Texas sees the person he's supposed to meet via the live feed. The associate hangs around for a while then leaves. A few minutes later the guy from Texas gets a call from the scammer asking why he didn't show to which the guy from Texas exploded and demanded to know where his money was. The scammer couldn't understand what was wrong so the guy from Texas explained that he had lunch with the associate and he went to the bathroom but when he got back both the associate and the money were gone and the guy from Texas again wanted to know where his money was.
And of course the guy from Texas was able to describe the associate in perfect detail.
It would have been hilarious but supposedly they later found a body floating in one of the canals that matched the description of the associate.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

A friend just told me how his parents lost all their savings during Covid. They received a phone call telling them it was believed their cards had been cloned as there was suspicious activity on their cards. They were asked security questions about their names, address, card numbers and PINs. After answering the questions, they were told a courier would be despatched to collect their cards. New ones would be sent in the post. Sure enough the courier arrived and collected the cards. After a few days the father went to the bank to get some money, and was told his account was empty. The mother found the same. Whilst both the Police and the bank were sympathetic, they both said there was little they could do as it was over a week before they reported anything.

I hope they took it up with the financial ombudsman, the weeks delay is irrelevant.