Another senior scammed

[Jersey mike]

We’ve all heard of stories of being scammed. The teenage daughter of one of our friends recently was scammed out of a few hundred dollars for concert tickets and here’s a story of a senior lady who has lost pretty much everything.

Never call a phone number that is provided. Never respond directly to an email unless you initiated the conversation. Check everything. Double check everything and then check again before releasing personal information. I hate to say it but don’t trust everyone. There are bad people out there.

https://www.nj.com/news/2022/08/woman-81-gets-scammed-out-of-420k-now-she-may-lose-her-home.html

[Grandpot]

Ruined a scammer's day.  I work very closely with Veterans in need.  Today I got a frantic call from a guy claiming to be a Veteran who was down on his luck and needed $450, otherwise he was getting kicked out of his motel.  There's some more details, but we don't have time for BS.  Anyhow, he didn't count on me being a 21 year police veteran and that he was going to get vetted out.  I found he makes a living scamming churches and other organizations for "emergency money."  I also found an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a nearby county.  He's now living in the Graybar Motel.

[carolinarider09]

We’ve all heard of stories of being scammed. The teenage daughter of one of our friends recently was scammed out of a few hundred dollars for concert tickets and here’s a story of a senior lady who has pretty much everything.

Never call a phone number that is provided. Never respond directly to an email unless you initiated the conversation. Check everything. Double check everything and then check again before releasing personal information. I hate to say it but don’t trust everyone. There are bad people out there.

https://www.nj.com/news/2022/08/woman-81-gets-scammed-out-of-420k-now-she-may-lose-her-home.html

I believe there is a special place in hades for people that do what was documented above.

Never do anything over the phone unless you initiated the call.  Same with the web.   And you have to be very, very careful on the web as well..... 

[Jersey mike]

We’ve all heard of stories of being scammed. The teenage daughter of one of our friends recently was scammed out of a few hundred dollars for concert tickets and here’s a story of a senior lady who has pretty much everything.

Never call a phone number that is provided. Never respond directly to an email unless you initiated the conversation. Check everything. Double check everything and then check again before releasing personal information. I hate to say it but don’t trust everyone. There are bad people out there.

https://www.nj.com/news/2022/08/woman-81-gets-scammed-out-of-420k-now-she-may-lose-her-home.html

I believe there is a special place in hades for people that do what was documented above.

Never do anything over the phone unless you initiated the call.  Same with the web.   And you have to be very, very careful on the web as well..... 

Cyber crimes are brutal. To think with a few keystrokes and a (brief?) period of time everything you’ve worked and saved for could be wiped out almost instantly is plain wrong. It’s a shame it’s not possible to reach through the web and rip their guts out.

[Valkorado]

My dear Granny, bless her soul, was telephone scammed out of a significant amount of cash when she was in her elderly years.  She had her wits about her, no dementia or anything, but it was a difficult for family and friends to convince her that the nice fellow she was regularly talking to was not honest.  The greatest generation was a trusting generation.  Apparently she kept paying fees, in anticipation of that huge cash pie in the sky prize that was on the way...

My dad was working with the local and state law trying to track the scumbag.  They discovered the calls were originating from overseas (can't remember where now) and explained their hands were basically tied. Very frustrating for all involved.  I think if my dad had been able to get a location and name, he'd have flown to wherever and strangled the man to death.

Anyway, similar story.  She pretty much lost the ranch, so to speak.  Mom and dad footed her bills in an assisted living place during her last last years, and of course continued to love her dearly.

Yeah, those parasites should be hung.  With hooks.  By their genitalia.

As mentioned the scammers are getting trickier, and modern digital technology is making things more dangerous than ever.  Be careful!

[carolinarider09]

My dad was scammed, back in the late 90's, over the phone.  I forget the circumstances, may have been threats of legal action against someone in the family.   I got involved and spoke with the bank, because I was ticked.

It seems that, if they have the account number and other needed banking ID numbers, the bank has to honor the request.  I told the banker I thought that was dumb but.....

Today, with so much of our stuff done on the web, I fear for some and myself and family as well.   I try and keep things clean and use strong passwords. But who of us does not have assets stored with some other financial group that are normally accessed over the web........

Strong passwords, two step authentication of changes and transactions......  the bank will not protect you. 

[old2soon]

     Had a phone text supposedly from Amazon! W T H over? In All my dealings with Amazon They have NEVER texted me on the phone. I did NOT open the link but I did call Amazon and gave them what I had from what I was sent and Amazon assured me they were On It! Erased the text and have not up til this point heard back. I have E mails telling me about orders I've never made and prizes I've won from contests I've never entered! DELETE I Delete a Lot of "stuff"! And my Bank-U S Bank-has called me and asked wuz I in-pick a state or city-and I Assure them I am in Fact Home in Missouri. Good to have a bank watching out for my money too!  RIDE SAFE.

[carolinarider09]

I get two or three phone calls (cell phone) a month (maybe more) from "Amazon" about an order for iPhone 12 for $990.   They are all scam calls.  Sometimes I hit the number 1 and listen to heavy accented "caller".   Sometimes I do something besides tell him that he is violating federal law (like he cares).

Remember, the do not call list and remember how well it works when you think of how dependable the FEDs are...

[Jess from VA]

Ruined a scammer's day.  I work very closely with Veterans in need.  Today I got a frantic call from a guy claiming to be a Veteran who was down on his luck and needed $450, otherwise he was getting kicked out of his motel.  There's some more details, but we don't have time for BS.  Anyhow, he didn't count on me being a 21 year police veteran and that he was going to get vetted out.  I found he makes a living scamming churches and other organizations for "emergency money."  I also found an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a nearby county.  He's now living in the Graybar Motel.

Well done sir.   

[..]

Ruined a scammer's day.  I work very closely with Veterans in need.  Today I got a frantic call from a guy claiming to be a Veteran who was down on his luck and needed $450, otherwise he was getting kicked out of his motel.  There's some more details, but we don't have time for BS.  Anyhow, he didn't count on me being a 21 year police veteran and that he was going to get vetted out.  I found he makes a living scamming churches and other organizations for "emergency money."  I also found an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a nearby county.  He's now living in the Graybar Motel.

 

[..]

I got an email 2 days ago from "Paypal" asking me to verify my bank details.

Very well made email. It looked just like one PayPal would send.

I right clicked the email so as to inspect the properties and saw the actual website had a ridiculous web address.

Deleted.

[Oss]

Wish there was an electronic bullet that can destroy
The persons computer who sends an email

Serk is there such a weapon.and can we get one for grandma?

[Jersey mike]

I showed this story to my wife and she reminded me of how bad “the books were” when she took over handling the finances for her parents. It was almost to the point her parents were living month to month. She had a pretty good idea of how much their income was since she helped her dad make decisions regarding his pension plan and knew how much money her mom and dad also received from SS.

There was a constant flow of mail requesting donations to various organizations which took years to stop ( even after writing on them DECEASED Return to sender) and continued to come even after his death so who knows how much he paid out while his dementia set in. They all had him hook, line and sinker. The only way to find out where the money went was to get copies of the checks for the previous years which she understandably didn’t want to get into. The ledger was never updated, they just went by monthly statements.

After a year of her controlling the finances her parents accounts became more realistic with their income and bills. After 2 years there was enough to have vinyl siding and soffits and aluminum facia and gutters installed on their home all paid in full and still have a nice account balance.

[Patrick]

I got it month ago. Received a text from a friend asking to get him an number of $100 gift cards. Gave him a call and found it was scam. It had to be a really stupid scam.

[scooperhsd]

I showed this story to my wife and she reminded me of how bad “the books were” when she took over handling the finances for her parents. It was almost to the point her parents were living month to month. She had a pretty good idea of how much their income was since she helped her dad make decisions regarding his pension plan and knew how much money her mom and dad also received from SS.

There was a constant flow of mail requesting donations to various organizations which took years to stop ( even after writing on them DECEASED Return to sender) and continued to come even after his death so who knows how much he paid out while his dementia set in. They all had him hook, line and sinker. The only way to find out where the money went was to get copies of the checks for the previous years which she understandably didn’t want to get into. The ledger was never updated, they just went by monthly statements.

After a year of her controlling the finances her parents accounts became more realistic with their income and bills. After 2 years there was enough to have vinyl siding and soffits and aluminum facia and gutters installed on their home all paid in full and still have a nice account balance.

When we first got here in KC with MIL, the FIRST thing we heard from her was that we needed to take over her bill paying. So, once we got into her finances, we discovered that the cousin was taking her for thousands a years. We put a stop to that, and we started paying off Mom's debts (fortunately, not as bad as it could have been, but still). We also started putting her money away ( thank you the federal government pandemic funds) so we had about $20K when Mom finally went into a facility  - that 20K lasted about 3-4 months, just long enough for her long term care insurance to start kicking in.

I suppose we can thank god she didn't get too much into sending money, but she still gets 40-50 calls daily M-F ( most get stopped by the Telemarketer block) for various things.

[Jersey mike]

I showed this story to my wife and she reminded me of how bad “the books were” when she took over handling the finances for her parents. It was almost to the point her parents were living month to month. She had a pretty good idea of how much their income was since she helped her dad make decisions regarding his pension plan and knew how much money her mom and dad also received from SS.

There was a constant flow of mail requesting donations to various organizations which took years to stop ( even after writing on them DECEASED Return to sender) and continued to come even after his death so who knows how much he paid out while his dementia set in. They all had him hook, line and sinker. The only way to find out where the money went was to get copies of the checks for the previous years which she understandably didn’t want to get into. The ledger was never updated, they just went by monthly statements.

After a year of her controlling the finances her parents accounts became more realistic with their income and bills. After 2 years there was enough to have vinyl siding and soffits and aluminum facia and gutters installed on their home all paid in full and still have a nice account balance.

When we first got here in KC with MIL, the FIRST thing we heard from her was that we needed to take over her bill paying. So, once we got into her finances, we discovered that the cousin was taking her for thousands a years. We put a stop to that, and we started paying off Mom's debts (fortunately, not as bad as it could have been, but still). We also started putting her money away ( thank you the federal government pandemic funds) so we had about $20K when Mom finally went into a facility  - that 20K lasted about 3-4 months, just long enough for her long term care insurance to start kicking in.

I suppose we can thank god she didn't get too much into sending money, but she still gets 40-50 calls daily M-F ( most get stopped by the Telemarketer block) for various things.

They say “a fool and his money are soon parted” but taking advantage of seniors is a whole other ballgame. Intentionally targeting people because they are frail or unintentionally ignorant regarding the new forms of con artists is maddening. Some of the elderly have some basic knowledge of modern day technology which can be a bad thing because they’ll take everything they read as a truth and conmen will jump all over that weakness.

[carolinarider09]

They say “a fool and his money are soon parted” but taking advantage of seniors is a whole other ballgame. Intentionally targeting people because they are frail or unintentionally ignorant regarding the new forms of con artists is maddening. Some of the elderly have some basic knowledge of modern day technology which can be a bad thing because they’ll take everything they read as a truth and conmen will jump all over that weakness.

As said, our home phone line (currently hardwire for security purposes) gets three or four calls a week, all from tele-marketers.  Ninety nine percent fake with foreign accents.  What I had not considered was we are getting more because of our age. 

I sometimes like to play along but when I tell them name is Charley Bullcrap, they usually hangup. 

My wife does not like me being "mean" to these callers since she figures most of them are doing this sort of because they are required to and not on their own violation.  I don't know. 

But like all things with the FEDs the "no call" list is basically a joke as well as the spoofed phone numbers you see for the caller.

[F6Dave]

I know there are scammers everywhere these days. The internet has made it much easier. But the internet has also made people more aware of the scams, and provides plenty of information to help them avoid being a victim. So I wonder if people are getting taken at a higher rate, or if we just hear about it more.

[F6Dave]

I write financial software and get questions about scams and security. Obviously it's impossible to cover the subject adequately, so I try to make a few basic suggestions.

I suggest they never answer a call from a number they don't recognize. If it's important the caller will leave a message. Also, never reply to an email or text message if they aren't sure who sent it. I mention how important (and easy) it is to learn to identify a spoofed email address.

I also suggest they charge their purchases and transactions to a credit card rather than a debit card. The credit card gives merchants (and thieves) access to their line of credit, while the debit card gives access to their bank account. When disputing a credit card charge they'll be fighting over the bank's money, but when disputing a debit charge they'll be fighting over their OWN money. They just need to keep the card's credit limit low and pay off the balance every month to avoid interest charges.

Lastly I mention account alerts. Lots of banks now offer this feature, so they (or a family member) will get an email or text notice within seconds of any transaction. It's a great way to catch fraud quickly, even if it can get irritating on a ride when you fill you Valkyrie several times a day.

[Jess from VA]

Good advice Dave.   

The only frauds ever happened to me was charges to my credit card, and my credit card company caught it and notified me (right away) every time.  I was not in Chicago or London at the times it got used there. 

Just a couple times, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how someone hacked my card.  I'm careful with it, and only use it (low limit) on line with vendors I trust, and at stores. 

[..]

I write financial software and get questions about scams and security. Obviously it's impossible to cover the subject adequately, so I try to make a few basic suggestions.

I suggest they never answer a call from a number they don't recognize. If it's important the caller will leave a message. Also, never reply to an email or text message if they aren't sure who sent it. I mention how important (and easy) it is to learn to identify a spoofed email address.

I also suggest they charge their purchases and transactions to a credit card rather than a debit card. The credit card gives merchants (and thieves) access to their line of credit, while the debit card gives access to their bank account. When disputing a credit card charge they'll be fighting over the bank's money, but when disputing a debit charge they'll be fighting over their OWN money. They just need to keep the card's credit limit low and pay off the balance every month to avoid interest charges.

Lastly I mention account alerts. Lots of banks now offer this feature, so they (or a family member) will get an email or text notice within seconds of any transaction. It's a great way to catch fraud quickly, even if it can get irritating on a ride when you fill you Valkyrie several times a day.

I like the alerts.

Last week I made a payment at a gas station in MO. $100

Problem was I wasn't there!!!

[Jersey mike]

I write financial software and get questions about scams and security. Obviously it's impossible to cover the subject adequately, so I try to make a few basic suggestions.

I suggest they never answer a call from a number they don't recognize. If it's important the caller will leave a message. Also, never reply to an email or text message if they aren't sure who sent it. I mention how important (and easy) it is to learn to identify a spoofed email address.

I also suggest they charge their purchases and transactions to a credit card rather than a debit card. The credit card gives merchants (and thieves) access to their line of credit, while the debit card gives access to their bank account. When disputing a credit card charge they'll be fighting over the bank's money, but when disputing a debit charge they'll be fighting over their OWN money. They just need to keep the card's credit limit low and pay off the balance every month to avoid interest charges.

Lastly I mention account alerts. Lots of banks now offer this feature, so they (or a family member) will get an email or text notice within seconds of any transaction. It's a great way to catch fraud quickly, even if it can get irritating on a ride when you fill you Valkyrie several times a day.

I like the alerts.

Last week I made a payment at a gas station in MO. $100

Problem was I wasn't there!!!

We keep one account for online purchases only and it has a very low limit and I serves the 5 of us…all 3 kids have access to it and can use it a their discretion. Any thing ordered over the phone or through a website goes through this card and this card only. We’ve had issues with it being skimmed (I think is the right phrase) but never an issue with the card company and get a new card next day or day after. We’ve been told it’s usually some type of clearing house which processes the cards.

For private purchases outside the house and local we all have our own accounts and the kids each have a joint account with Barbara and I for emergency use only, every few months we tell them to make some small purchases to keep the account active and in good standing.

[F6Dave]

A few card issuers offer 'virtual credit card' numbers. These are unique numbers linked to your card's account. You generate them online with an expiration date and daily spending limit of your choice. You then use them for online shopping.

You can let the virtual card numbers expire on the date you selected, or deactivate them early. In either case future charges are declined, and as far as a merchant can tell the account has been closed.

These are a nice tool for protecting your account when shopping online. But online shopping is probably less risky than handing your card to a waiter, who takes it and disappears for several minutes.

[Valkorado]

But online shopping is probably less risky than handing your card to a waiter, who takes it and disappears for several minutes.

I remember being told this many years ago, when there may have been more truth to it.  Thing is, nowadays the online "waiters" are from China, Russia, Iran and many Third World countries abroad.  And they're hack savvy.

[RP#62]

Scamming the scammers - I find these very satisfying to listen to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbybAnO2rXI

-RP