Scams

[Mo Horn 8,855]

My FIL in McAllen got a call today telling him that his grandson (my son) was in jail in San Antonio because he hit a car while drunk and the other driver was in the hospital. He was told that he needed to send $8000.00 for bail. They never gave him my son's name or any other details.  He told them to hold on so he could contact his bank to make arrangements.  Instead he called my son who was at work in Dallas who told his grandfather that he was not in jail. My FIL called the local cops to report the number. I'm sure it was a burner phone.  No doubt some people just send money. 

[Larry T. Spider 1,747]

That’s a pretty common one. Some even use social media to do basic research on kids names. When gramps calls and the kid doesn’t answer they send the money to the scammer. 

[Tyler Durden 132]

I get about two called per day saying I am going to be put into jail if I don't pay my back taxes.  I would be worried except its hard to believe the IRS is targeting landlines instead of serving me with process of my back tax claims.

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

I would love to get called by a scammer. I normally just get people looking to refi my student loans.   

 

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,358]

My late grandmother got that same type of call about 4 years ago. She didn't fall for it (she was still sharp as a tack in her 90s), but she relayed the incident to my dad (who then called to chew me out because he blamed it on me for something he figured I'd posted on "the Facebook"; the old man's social media paranoid). And my MIL (no pics) got another version of that scam call about 6 months ago. In both instances the scammer was pretending to be me and claiming that I was in jail & had been involved in a car accident & had a broken nose/broken teeth which explained why my voice sounded different.

Oddly, my MIL was closer to falling for the scam than my grandmother. Gramma knew I'd never call to ask her for money. MIL called my wife immediately after the incident to confirm I wasn't in any trouble & admitted that it caught her off guard enough that she was actually trying to work out a way to wire money to the scammer "me", but the conman was insisting that he needed her CC info. 

They're good. They can get enough public info to make it believable to someone who might be confused. In my Gramma's case the scammer didn't identify himself other than to say he was her grandson & was in jail in South America. Gramma then said something like "what would you be doing so far from Texas, (my name)", thereby giving him that detail.

[kmac30 416]

I know someone (older fellow - 82) who got a call that he had won the Publisher’s Clearing House 3.5M. All he needed to do was FedEx 9k in cash to some address. He couldn’t do 9k,but they agreed 4 would do. They told him it was going to be a surprise and not to tell anyone. So he went to an ATM and got a cash advance of 4K. Sent it. Called the guy and gave him tracking info.

That guy informed him someone from Bank of America would be calling with the next step. He was to set up a Bank of America account and put some amount in there, 10 or 15k. That would show PCH it was active and they would wire to his account and taxes would be covered.

I had to explain to him if he gave them the routing number and account number of an account with 10-15k, they could ACH it out. We called Bank of America and I asked if this guy worked there. The lady on the phone was really nice and confirmed he didn’t.

It took a while but the old guy came around. Then he got in his head he was getting his 4K back. After a long talk we came to the realization that wasn’t going to happen either.

I felt really bad. I had to get brutally honest with the guy. He came and saw me with his wife the next week. He had told her all about it. She was nice, but still gave him shit. “At 82 he’s still learning lessons the hard way!”

[Helobious 9,467]

My friend in college got arrested for DWI and had to spend almost a day in jail because his parents didn't know that you actually do have to give your credit card info over the phone to accept any call from jail. They thought they were being scammed. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19,227]

On 6/16/2018 at 5:01 PM, Helobious said:

My friend in college got arrested for DWI and had to spend almost a day in jail because his parents didn't know that you actually do have to give your credit card info over the phone to accept any call from jail. They thought they were being scammed. 

How much does a phone call cost these days?  Another reason to always have some cash on you at all times. 

[scottsins 1,975]

How much does a phone call cost these days?  Another reason to always have some cash on you at all times. 

Ummm...they don’t usually allow you to make the call before you are booked in and processed. They don’t let you take some $ with you to holding.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,227]

22 minutes ago, scottsins said:

 

Ummm...they don’t usually allow you to make the call before you are booked in and processed. They don’t let you take some $ with you to holding.

 

Well that’s some straight up bullshit.  If you can pay for the call with money in your pocket, then why not?

[TwiceHorn 31,544]

32 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Well that’s some straight up bullshit.  If you can pay for the call with money in your pocket, then why not?

Pretty much all of pretrial detention is straight up bullshit.  Probably charge $5 for a local call.

Edited June 25, 2018 by TwiceHorn

[El Diablo 4,232]

On 6/16/2018 at 8:08 AM, GhostOfTomJoad said:

They're good. They can get enough public info to make it believable to someone who might be confused. In my Gramma's case the scammer didn't identify himself other than to say he was her grandson & was in jail in South America. Gramma then said something like "what would you be doing so far from Texas, (my name)", thereby giving him that detail.

I'm beginning to get some sense of what it is that Vic Mackey may do for a living. Oh, and...

He's driving HataProofs slab

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,977]

My grandfather got a call one day while we were there from some dude claiming to be my cousin stuck in jail in the Caribbean somewhere for weed and needing money. Only it was clearly a dude and my cousin is a chick (who's name could be either a boy's or a girl's) and was pregnant at the time. No way she would be smoking weed or traveling to sketchy places.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,227]

59 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

No way she would be smoking weed or traveling to sketchy places.

That's what she wants you to think.

[woohorn 1,131]

I missed a 12:30am Saturday morning call from the county jail. The voicemail was the tail end of the Securus Technologies (jail phone contractor) automated credit card system (purportedly).

Think it was legit (not spoofed number), but I haven't figured out who would have been in the hoosegow, so maybe not.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

This happened to me a few years ago.  Cop friend told me they troll the obituaries.  Shortly after my grandfather died, grandma gets the call that I’m in jail.  Told her to buy prepaid cards and call them back.  Thankfully she wasn’t driving anymore.  My aunt went to pick her up and after a few hours, finally got the story out of her.  Aunt calls me, puts grandma on the phone, I tell her I’m fine.  She doesn’t believe me.  I had to leave work, drive across dfw, and meet her in person before she believed I wasn’t in jail in CA on drug trafficking charges.

[HouTex 1,894]

Some guy from Pennsylvania was calling my cell every day for about a week. He would leave voice messages that to avoid service of a lawsuit to call him back and arrange for the payment of an undisclosed amount. He never mentioned who my creditor might be. His last message was to expect a lawsuit.

[Dbeasy 15,094]

Dear ,

Because of your use of Shaggy Texas in the preceding 12 months, you will be served a subpoena in regards to your involvement with Shaggy Texas vs Eskimo Hut etal, epluribus umin, unless you immediately buy $3,000 worth of Victoria’s Secret prepaid gift cards and wait for my call for further instructions.

Sincerely
Kevin Morgan
Duke of Montreal

[Shoxthemonkey 1,983]

The wife received an email from  Visa saying that our address had been changed and of course we hadn't changed it. She checked the statement online and found a couple of bogus charges to our account. One was to "Zaza" for merchandise to the tune of $350. Pretty sure it was the Loch Ness monster. An hour on the phone and we re getting a new number with a corrected address. bastards.

[gyroprotagonist 2,595]

 a few years ago, a lady at work just would not believe that she didn't really win a Canadian lottery (that she could not remember entering).  Same as one of the above posts.  Wanted her to send in $ for the 'taxes' up front.  I don't think she ever ended up sending money...or at least admitting it to anyone.

[RPM 26,359]

This may be my last post for a while. Just got an "official call" from an "IRS officer" saying I had been indicted for tax evasion. If I want to avoid prosecution and jail, I am to call them back immediately with payment information.

Looks like I'm going to tax jail because, fuck 'em.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,740]

Pop got one of these on a vehicle maintenance agreement after his factory warranty ran out.  The guy threaten to have his truck towed.  I laughed since Pop told him, "Listen here.  I shot men in the war and I'm not afraid to do it again.  You come on my property and you won't like how you leave."  

[next2naus 439]

Hey.....Are you interested in some Speakers?

[chainsaw 9,878]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-twitch-streamer-is-avenging-his-grandmother-by-prank-calling-scam-artists

[El Diablo 4,232]

3 hours ago, RPM said:

This may be my last post for a while. Just got an "official call" from an "IRS officer" saying I had been indicted for tax evasion. If I want to avoid prosecution and jail, I am to call them back immediately with payment information.

Looks like I'm going to tax jail because, fuck 'em.

Baboontymes buddy has a spot he's keeping warm for ya.

[EuroHorn 3,271]

I’ve gotten the Microsoft windows scam where the dude says they’ve been  monitoring my computer and noticed error messages.  They want you  to install software where they can take control of the laptop and diagnose and fix  the problems for a fee.

 

I've also gotten a call from the “department of defense” to say I’m eligible for a government grant to use on anything except alcohol and drugs. I just need to provide them with a bunch of personal information.

[hookem48 4,703]

I don't answer my phone

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,740]

I’m in sales. I always answer.

[Apep 645]

A few years back, my grandmother got a call from "my cousin" saying that he was in jail in Oklahoma, please don't tell Dad, and please wire money. This guy sounded like my cousin and even knew our informal nickname for my grandmother. She called my uncle instead and learned that my cousin was at work. They tried the same scam using my name a week later, but she called me instead.I was really glad she didn't get taken in.

[EuroHorn 3,271]

Edited June 26, 2018 by EuroHorn
..

[EuroHorn 3,271]

Edited June 26, 2018 by EuroHorn

[ScottishHorn 172]

These people should get death penalty

[Fuck Tim Beck 3,834]

Anyone get a call from Chad Briscoe demanding 350 ameros for scentsy? 

 

[Player 4,576]

MIL got a call from a “US Marshal” saying that because she failed to appear for jury duty in a federal case, a warrant had been issued for her arrest. To avoid arrest, all she needed to do was purchase some prepaid visa gift cards...

[NorthLoop 14,251]

12 hours ago, hookem48 said:

I don't answer my phone

This. 

People always like to talk about telemarketers and whatnot. Why does anyone ever answer calls from unknown numbers unless they're expecting one? 

[El Diablo 4,232]

6 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

This. 

People always like to talk about telemarketers and whatnot. Why does anyone ever answer calls from unknown numbers unless they're expecting one? 

About once a week I get a phone call from Ranger, TX. I have no idea who it is or why they keep calling. I'm a bit curious but not that curious. Fuck answering from numbers I don't know.

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

I answer unknown numbers with an accent.  Sometimes  it's cuban, or Indian,  or borat.  One time it was a legit call and I had roll with it through the whole call.  

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,528]

Always good to tell the elderly folks to never give out personal info and credit card info to someone that calls you.    It's very rare that anyone needs immediate payment to avoid a catastrophe.    and many many websites looks like the real deal, especially on a phone, when they're not.

[hookem48 4,703]

5 hours ago, El Diablo said:

About once a week I get a phone call from Ranger, TX. I have no idea who it is or why they keep calling. I'm a bit curious but not that curious. Fuck answering from numbers I don't know.

I was born in Ranger so this hits close to home. 

[El Diablo 4,232]

1 hour ago, hookem48 said:

I was born in Ranger so this hits close to home. 

Stranger from Ranger? I saw you on the Gong Show years ago. Funny tune you did. Stop calling me.  

[Angry Gorilla 1,769]

I heard about a couple that gave a lot of money to Louis Anderson for a gold pyramid.

[woohorn 1,131]

I know someone on old site dealt with this too, but I got a USPS confirmation of forwarding address change postcard a couple of months ago. Said effective in 10 days but I cancelled it. 12 days later I got an Uber credit card with 20k (humblebrag) limit.

 

No telling what was up and USPS fuckers wouldn't tell me what address "I" was forwarding mail to.

 

Worst of all is that Uber cc people were dicks about cancelling card and wanted my ssn, etc. to even talk about cancelling it.

 

 

[MAROON 445]

Got this e-mail today - needless to say I'm getting on the next flight to Washington National:

 

Attention Shipment Owner,

I am Mr. James Davidson, Head Officer-in-Charge, Administrative Service Inspection Unit in Ronald Reagan, Washington National Airport, Washington, D.C, United States. Am contacting you over an abandoned shipment of Two Metal Trunk boxes containing $6.5M USD each.

 Note, the details of the abandoned shipment is linked to your email address on the official document from United Nations' office in London. kindly reply back this email if you want your shipment processed and deliver to you.

 

Best Regards,
Mr. James Davidson,
Director of Administrative Service Inspection Unit.
Email: mrjamesdavidson@outlook.com

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,942]

12 days later I got an Uber credit card with 20k (humblebrag) limit.
 
 

That’s a fuck load of Uber trips

[Wally Fairway 5,589]

Does this look legit?
Because I've never been into crypto, but I like the idea of a 10% discount.
Will one of you call that number for me to see if it is legit - because none of that is a hyperlink

 

Scammers gonna scam

[SHOOTER12 8,833]

I don't know what the hell happened, or what I've done but for the last 2 weeks I have gotten more spam and scammer calls than in the entirety of my cell phone life.

[Poe It Up 126]

On 6/15/2018 at 10:21 PM, Mo Horn said:

My FIL in McAllen got a call today telling him that his grandson (my son) was in jail in San Antonio because he hit a car while drunk and the other driver was in the hospital. He was told that he needed to send $8000.00 for bail. They never gave him my son's name or any other details.  He told them to hold on so he could contact his bank to make arrangements.  Instead he called my son who was at work in Dallas who told his grandfather that he was not in jail. My FIL called the local cops to report the number. I'm sure it was a burner phone.  No doubt some people just send money. 

Wow, this is eerie. This happened to my grandfather about a month ago. This scammer claimed to be my lawyer and said that I was in jail for drugs. They wanted 10 grand in cash put between pages of a magazine and mailed to a town in Georgia or I’d be stuck in jail. They even had a guy on there crying and pretending to be me (they didn’t use a name either), I mean these people are truly sick. The worst part is that these assholes targeted a man with dementia, so he fucking fell for it. 

[Armybrat 40,920]

8 minutes ago, SHOOTER12 said:

I don't know what the hell happened, or what I've done but for the last 2 weeks I have gotten more spam and scammer calls than in the entirety of my cell phone life.

Local elections

[immortal13 4,059]

21 minutes ago, SHOOTER12 said:

I don't know what the hell happened, or what I've done but for the last 2 weeks I have gotten more spam and scammer calls than in the entirety of my cell phone life.

I'm not sure but I'm pretty sure it's because you've been touching yourself at night