Responding to scam/hoax/pishing calls?

[Mia]

Have something of an interest in the scam calls I receive at home on a regular basis. Tonight it was the 'microsoft' virus, again, with 'you need to go to our website and we'll fix it for you' It was someone called Davy Jones with a slight caribbean accent. They tell you to turn on your computer. (I was online at the time) And rush to their site and they'll fix your virus. Where they actually place malware or a keylogger on your system to steal your bank and/or credit card information.

I've had a home computer since the late eighties, and dial-up internet in the early nineties. There are few things that I fall for. Usually I respond that I don't have a computer. Or I immediately hang-up.

Tonight I decided to have some fun, 'I run Linux.' Oh, well it's a Linux virus too, he said. My, is it across all platforms? Mac's and Windows and Linux? Yes, he said. It needs to be fixed Mam. Thank you young man, I'll call Microsoft directly. Screaming on the other end, no, no, no.

How do you respond to these kinds of calls?

FYI https://800notes.com/arts/16-ways-you-can-be-phone-scammed

 

[Adora]

I usually hang up on them,fortunately I don’t get many of them scam wise but the funniest one I got was through a email telling me that I have a parking fine that is overdue but the funny thing is that I don’t have a car license nor do I know how to drive and also the image of the ticket they sent me was dated 2001.

 

[Judge]

Years ago I used to respond in an alike manner to such a scam. However the game changed some years back to where I am buried in hundreds of such calls a year, along with any multitude of scams. So I have standard policy towards them now.

I NEVER respond to them. I just cut the connection. And I use caller id not to take them for who they aren't but rather who they are. If I'm curious, I look up the number online and usually determine that the caller has ominous intent. Lots of online sources track this sort of thing, not to mention the nomorobo service that can filter out some of those calls.

https://www.nomorobo.com/

Also beware of the "neighborhood scam". Unknown callers who use your area code and first three numbers to make you think you might know them. Dumb, but it works for gullible people who assume it's a friendly caller.

Never give a criminal scammer the opportunity to scam you. Sure you can play with them if you're clever and have a sense of humor. However these are criminals. Who may not appreciate a more savvy mark they're trying to scam. Where instead of just getting mad, they might attempt to get even. Imagine if they started spoofing their calls using YOUR phone number? Nope, you don't want to open the door to such a possibility.

Just be "the mark" who they never connect with. No harm, no foul. Sooner or later they move on to their next victim who may likely pick up the phone, much to their detriment if the scam is clever enough and their victim is dumb enough. Most scams are silly. Beware: a few can be quite convincing depending on how much information they might have on you.

One of our local news channels also makes a point of advising the public of any new scams...and they seem endless. So to be forewarned is to be forearmed. But still, it's best to make no contact at all with these people. Remain an enigma to them. And if they do leave a message on my answering system (most won't), they get an electronic voice- not my own.

mark= criminal fraud term for an intended victim

 

[Bolletje]

I don’t have a landline, which helps. With my cell phone I don’t answer the phone if I get a call with an unknown area code, or from abroad.

 

[Judge]

I don’t have a landline, which helps. With my cell phone I don’t answer the phone if I get a call with an unknown area code, or from abroad.

Another reason why my brother just uses a "burner" cellphone. He's not totally "off the grid", but he gets very few such calls in comparison.

 

[Adora]

I don’t have a landline, which helps. With my cell phone I don’t answer the phone if I get a call with an unknown area code, or from abroad.

I don’t have a landline either at home,i have no use for it since it’s a bill that is not necessary since I have a prepaid mobile but when I use to have a landline phone i got bombarded with telemarketing calls and I was getting calls at least six times a day and no one I knew would call the landline since they had my mobile but even when my husband put our number on the don’t call registry we still got calls so we decided not to have a landline and now I hardly get telemarketers or scammers on my mobile.

 

[clg114]

The people that I want to talk to have a identifiable ring. If it does not have that ring, I do not answer it. If they need to talk to me, they will leave a message and I can call them back if I want to talk to them. Does anybody have a landline anymore ?

 

[Ezra]

I never answer if I don't know who it is. If it's something important they can leave a voice mail. I've gotten a few calls from California lately and when I looked up the numbers, there were reports of them being from scammers.

The worst ones (which I haven't gotten) are from scammers pretending to be from the IRS. If you look up "IRS scam calls" on youtube, you'll see some pretty funny videos. They call cops, kids, anyone.

 

[Progster]

I have never got a call like that, but I get plenty of cold callers trying to sell me things that may or may not be dodgy. Another thing I've had in the past is prank callers. I hang up on them if I get them, but I rarely answer if I don't recognise the number.

 

[SusanLR]

That is exactly my attitude.
I get that IRS "you're in trouble now, boy." call all the time.
They do leave a message on my voicemail.

The MSN pretenders once actually hacked into my PC while I was using it and started flashing warning and alarm sounds that a virus was going to knock out my hard drive in 30 seconds if I didn't click a link to let them into fix it.
I couldn't shut it off and unplugging/reboot it was still there.
I was stuck, so I clicked the link while calling MSN and telling them what was happening.
Somehow they detected it and was able to get the thing off.
They also ran scans to try and find any damage that might have been done.
Luckily nothing was found.
When the hackers realized they were caught, they used something like a red magic marker on their side
and marked all over my screen just before they were cut off.
What a mess.

 

[Crossbreed]

Does anybody have a landline anymore ?

I keep a landline for fax capabilities and my DSL service.

 

[Crossbreed]

The worst ones (which I haven't gotten) are from scammers pretending to be from the IRS.

I have gotten quite a few voicemails from this kind of scam.

They had one tell* which they changed in later versions.
[Garbled] that you have unpaid taxes. The cops are on their way to your home, right now, unless you call [phone number] to make payment arrangements...!

Right away, the phrase "the cops" jumped out at me. I would expect that an official call would use more proper terms like "police" or "law enforcement (officers)," which later ones did. And they left a real number to call them back...! (They were all out of New York.)

*A "tell" is any odd, inconsistent mannerism that betrays a deception (or, in poker, a bluff).

 

[Bella Pines]

I never respond either, I'm well versed in not responding or noticing things so it's easy enough!

Saw this the other day, worst scam ever....

 

[Ezra]

^ Wow. That's funny on several levels. Especially, hurry put your exploding card in the mail asap!

 

[Crossbreed]

Saw this the other day, worst scam ever....

At least, they have "verification porpuses...!"

 

[Mary Terry]

I think I've received every type of scam call identified on this thread. I never answer my cell phone or landline phone unless I know who is calling. If it's important, they'll leave a voice message. It's so bad with our landline that I do not even bother get up to see who is calling and I've turned down the ringer volume as low as possible so I don't have to listen to the incessant ringing; I just let the answering machine get it. I have had my own name appear on my cell number as if I were calling myself from my landline.

Scammers use computer programs to randomly generate the phone numbers they call. Every time you answer the calls, it reinforces the program's "belief" that it is viable number and they will keep calling back. If you never answer the calls, then eventually the program drops your number from the rotation of numbers they target or reduces the number of times they call you.

 

[OkRad]

I never answer my phone. If anyone needs me, they can leave a message.

However, I DID have a phone that I answered long ago and I may not be overly proud of this one, but once this guy just kept going on and on and on.

I finally interrupted him and said, "Wow, you must get laid a lot because you never take No for an answer."

There was a slight pause and then the blessed dial tone. I wonder if he thought I was insulting him or complimenting him. Either way, it worked.

 

[Mary Terry]

I never answer my phone. If anyone needs me, they can leave a message.

However, I DID have a phone that I answered long ago and I may not be overly proud of this one, but once this guy just kept going on and on and on.

I finally interrupted him and said, "Wow, you must get laid a lot because you never take No for an answer."

There was a slight pause and then the blessed dial tone. I wonder if he thought I was insulting him or complimenting him. Either way, it worked.

I'm going to remember to use that response next time I deal with a persistent jerk!

I have a response that works with people who think they are experts at everything and that I'm incompetent or ignorant about something. I just sweetly say how reassuring it is to speak to an expert and then politely say excuse me, and I leave. They know they are not experts, they know I know they are not experts, and I have just insulted them in the nicest way.

 

[Progster]

I never respond either, I'm well versed in not responding or noticing things so it's easy enough!

Saw this the other day, worst scam ever....

View attachment 46469

There is a spelling mistake. That should be "Molten Keyes"

 

[DesertRose]

I got one once, told them I wasn't falling for their stupid scam and hung up. HE CALLED ME BACK and cursed me terribly! I've never in my life time heard the f-bomb used in so many ways!!
If they have a thick accent, and give you an American name, it's pretty much accent scam. You can fairly well tell it's a foreigner in a call center with hundreds of others.
I've tried to have a bit of fun, like telling them it's the sheriff's office, or something. But I'm not very good at that kind of thing, even lying to a scammer bothers me. LOL
What's funny is when they call my mom. She doesn't own a computer, and wouldn't know how to even turn one on. She plays them for a little bit, but they keep calling. Now they're using a fake number with local area codes. Argh.
We almost got scammed by one of those claiming we had an unpaid medical bill. We did, that's why it was so scary and nearly fell for it. That's when I realized that these Indian people in these call centers are given American sounding names to sound authentic. Seriously?! Why did that take me so long to catch??? Oh well, live and learn.
I call the "Windows techs", Microsoft Bob.