We received 5 calls on our home phone today, that we did not answer, from numbers we didn't recognize. No messages either. There were three of them on my wife's cell and one on mine.
I usually answer them, then if its a scam I have fun with them for a while then when they hang up I just block the number. I actually blocked the cable company I use because they call 4 times a week trying to get me to bundle my cable and internet. It's fun to hear the kid on the other end of the line when I tell him I don't own a computer the first 20 times, but after that it just gets redundant.....
I got the call today that I won the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. First thing I notice on the caller ID on my phone is Jamaica along with the number. Dude says I won $950,000.00 and a new car. Odd thing was he didn't have any accent, almost sounded believable. I was skeptical right from the beginning, but listened to him for a bit and played along. Then he asks if I am at home and I said no I'm at work. He tells me I need to leave work right then and go home. And that they will be coming to distribute my funds. I told him I couldn't leave right then, I have responsibilities. Now he starts telling me wasn't I interested in winning that much money? I tell him sure I would be if it's legit. So he tells me you can quit your job, go home right now and win big and start my own business. Now he changes gears and asks if I know there would be some taxes involved. I say yeah, probably $400,000 on that much in a lump sum. He comes back with No, only $5000. Next I ask how is that going to be handled? Well, now came the real part of the scam. He starts telling me it can't be taken out of the winnings. I need to go to the bank and withdraw funds and make a direct deposit for half of it and then once I get my winnings, I can pay the other half. CLICK!!
Yeah, I saw your post from December about that! That's one reason I posted mine, couldn't believe how similar our two calls were. These guys never give up.
I just remembered that I wrote this already and in the beginning of this thread! I'll have to delete that second one.
Just want to bring this back to the top... The scammers are still out there. Same old games, new names. Be careful with any transaction that separates you from your money. Be on the lookout for the red flags as mentioned in this thread and make sure it passes the smell test. I don't want to see any of my friends get ripped off.
This message was in my inbox this morning. Using the screen name "buickguru". Already reported it to the Mods. Yes. I have these parts and could check for other parts if you make a list to fishbornez78@gmail.com A working phone number will be great too. Regards, John Fishborne USA
Yeah, that does seem a little fishy. Especially the "USA" part at the end. Who puts that at the end of an email? Oddly, he's asking for a phone number... PM sent...
What was his "tell" Jason? You clearly picked up quick with this guy. Just got back from France and the tell for American, beside almost everything...is when you signal with your hand for one beers or coffee. Americans, usually use their first finger. Everyone else in the world seems to use their thumb up for 1. These scams are found with something small just not quite right and digging into the issue exposes the thing. Recently almost rented a place on Craigslist for 6 weeks that was a scam. Be careful, Mike
The bride just got a letter from "FBCS, Inc" at 330 S Warminster St. Suite 353, Hatboro, PA 19040 stating that they are a collection agency and demand $1,536.06 which supposedly Comcast referred to them for collection. The problem here is that we don't owe Comcast anything. The other problem is that in April we received a similar letter from "Credit Management LLP" from 200 International Parkway, Carrollton, TX 75007-1912 for the exact same amount. I referred the first letter to the Post Office as mail fraud. I have called them on the second but have received no reply. Do people actually fall for this stuff?
When multiple members get the same PM that says "I have the parts your looking for" and them wants you to email them off the board, that's a red flag.
They say never give out your credit card info unless you iriginate the call. Sure enough, I'm at the office and some lady claiming to be my wife calls and asks for my Discover card number. Like a fool I give it to her. Next thing I know, my card has charges for perfume, jewelery, and a couple new dresses -- money that could have been spent on car parts. Don't let it happen to you.
Recently had my credit card compromised and had charges from various companies. Filed fraud charges and got a new card. Turns out Visa automatically updated those companies with the new number. Took three months and three new cards to finally resolve the issues. Now I use Shop Safe to make online purchases. This gives a one time use number good for 2 months. Just trying to pass along another way to make safe purchases.