Have you ever dealt with scammers? I just did. (Somewhat long post)

[compl3x]

OK. I just received a call from someone claiming to be from "my bank". They didn't address me by name nor name the bank they were from. They tried the rather predictable and boring tactic of asking me a bunch of questions about my accounts, numbers, pins, birth dates addresses and so on. Obviously, I answered none. I kept saying things like "Why would you be asking me my address, birth date, account numbers etc." when you should have all that stuff on file when I opened the accounts with you.

 

They offer the tried and true, "Our systems crashed and we are calling all of our customers to get their info". I played along, commenting on how frustrating computers are. How I long for the "good old days" when you went into a branch and knew the tellers by name. I have nothing else to do on my day off, so I figure if I can waste this scumbag's time it is less time he has to scam others.

 

He keeps trying to get info out of my which I keep avoiding by making mindless small talk. I have the phone on speaker so I am just browsing news while I am wasting this idiot's time with mindless chatter.

 

He becomes frustrated and says that while he has enjoyed the chat he has "many more clients (victims)  to contact, so I would appreciate it if you could provide me with the info I've asked for".

 

I tell him I am uncomfortable with providing the info and that I should call my bank and discuss the "system crash". He protests, insisting that I will be on hold for hours trying to get through because of how busy they are due to the crash.

 

 

When I realise he is about to hang up I ask him, in a blunt way, "How often does this work?" "Work?" He replies, sheepishly. "Yes, how often are you able to con people into providing you with their private info? Statistically? 1 in 100? 1 in 1000? How many do you have to con to make this whole endeavour worthwhile?"

 

 

. . . . complete silence.

 

"Come on, dude, the jig is up. Your approach was amateurish. You didn't address me by name and you didn't mention the bank you were from. We have 4 big banks in Australia; you had a 1 in 4 chance of choosing the right one. On top of that you you tell me I need to provide you with my info because your system crashed."

 

. . . . still silence.

 

"OK. I know you're still listening. I've wasted a large chunk of your day which you won't be able to use to scam some poor pensioner out of her heating bill money."

 

 

 

Anyone else have any stories like this? Share 'em.

[Auditor]

All good but where is swearing part. 

[compl3x]

All good but where is swearing part. 

 

 

If you become too hostile or profane they tend to hang up. I wanted to string him along as long as possible.

 

Calling him an effing scumbag bastid would have ended the call in 12 seconds. He expects as much. It doesn't hurt him how much I detest him, he just moves onto the next victim. Wasting his time if far more enjoyable and amusing.

[AnotherITguy]

Good Job Compl3x!

[ctebah]

You guys have to listen to this, it's the best way to deal with scammers:

 

[User6060]

there is a special place in hell for these scammers. i usually just ask them to hold for a minute and never come back 

[astropheed Veteran]

I knew someone who fell for (and refuses to believe they were scammed) by a Nigerian Prince scam. Just an old Lady my Sister used to care for. She was so heart broken when we told her it was a Scam and just outright refused to believe it. We never brought it up again. Poor girl. She sent him like $400 or something ridiculous like that.

 

As for me, I've had a few phone calls from "Banks" and "Microsoft" and it always plays out pretty well how yours did. I make the time. I just need to know how far they'll go and how much time I can waste. I leave them little bread crumbs. I never get more than 5 minutes out of them before they totally figure out that I totally figured it out. Always brightens my day.

[compl3x]

I knew someone who fell for (and refuses to believe they were scammed) by a Nigerian Prince scam. Just an old Lady my Sister used to care for. She was so heart broken when we told her it was a Scam and just outright refused to believe it. We never brought it up again. Poor girl. She sent him like $400 or something ridiculous like that.

 

As for me, I've had a few phone calls from "Banks" and "Microsoft" and it always plays out pretty well how yours did. I make the time. I just need to know how far they'll go and how much time I can waste. I leave them little bread crumbs. I never get more than 5 minutes out of them before they totally figure out that I totally figured it out. Always brightens my day.

 

 

It really is heartbreaking when you find out someone has been had by this stuff. Especially someone who can least afford it. A lot of people say "Oh, how can people be so stupid to believe it?" but the reality is that scammers, and especially scammers who are very adept at social engineering, can con even the most sceptical and cynical of people.

 

I used this experience to explain to my parents how to be very wary of receiving unsolicited calls from anyone. My explanation to anyone is to always hang up on anyone claiming to be from anywhere asking you for info. If you get a call, and you are suspicious, hang up can call your bank, or the tax office, or Centrelink (welfare office) or whatever. If they are calling you, you can't know who they are. If you call them, you know who they are.

 

 

there is a special place in hell for these scammers. i usually just ask them to hold for a minute and never come back 

 

Ha. A good tactic, but they usually don't stay on hold all that long. I am at home nursing a bit of a hangover on my day off. It was a nice distraction.  :laugh:

[blerk]

I once went to the trouble of making a zip bomb and .zip files filled with horrible things (viruses, unpleasant imagery, etc) on a little virtual machine that I had set up specifically to use with scammers. These files were enticingly named such as "Bank_Passwords.zip"

 

My hope was that an unsuspecting scammer would use some tool to log-in remotely, see these innocent little files and decide to rescue them from their misery. Upon opening these files, they would either be mentally traumatised by the imagery displayed, or their computer/network would be destroyed by the various viruses, etc. To entice them into opening these poison files, I was planning to ask them for help in opening my word document with the passwords as it was broken.

 

Sadly, I have yet to be called by a scammer. Also, I've lost the DVD on which my little VM from hell was stored. :(

 

Now that I think about it, I may go create a new Scammer's Suprise VM. 

[compl3x]

I once went to the trouble of making a zip bomb and .zip files filled with horrible things (viruses, unpleasant imagery, etc) 

 

 

 

Do you have a lot of unpleasant imagery on hand?  :laugh:  :rofl:

 

 

I like the idea, though. When you get calls from "microsoft" asking to remote access your system, set up an enticing zip file full goatse or lemon party stuff.

[neufuse Veteran]

we played a scammer for a good hour once trying to sell us a "loan".... told them all this fake info... names are Alan E. Rection and ... my wife Hadda E. Rection... my son Fillmore Rection... they never caught onto the fake names somehow... at about 1hr in we asked the question of what can I use the loan for, what are the terms? they rambled off some B.S. and we asked so I can use it to buy me a nice hooker for my birthday? at that point we got a click

[neufuse Veteran]

Do you have a lot of unpleasant imagery on hand?  :laugh:  :rofl:

 

 

I like the idea, though. When you get calls from "microsoft" asking to remote access your system, set up an enticing zip file full goatse or lemon party stuff.

oh I got a call from "Microsoft" once about my PC having a virus with the typical indian call center in the background.... sent them to a VM I had made up that had a very good background picture... and the desktop was covered in large thumbnail images of similar pictures... and one folder called "Passwords I've scammed out of losers"... guess what folder they opened first... but it wasn't a folder, it was an exe that had a folder icon that popped up the Jurassic park uh uh uhhhhhh screen lock :rofl:

[link6155]

Whenever I get a scam call, I usually mess around with them for as long as I can :P

 

I usually get calls about Microsoft wanting access to my system because there are "errors" or calls from my "bank". It always sounds like the same guy with the Indian-ish accent. At the end of the call, the guy usually finds out that I've tricked them and they start cursing at me :D

[Shiranui]

In Japan, it's much easier. You just call up a semi-senile, elderly person with lots of money (there are loads of them), then say "It's me! I'm in trouble, I need money. These are my account details, can you transfer, say $50,000?"

 

Millions of pensioners are scammed this way each year. 

[CrashG]

I have before when they caught me in the mood. I had some fun with the "Microsoft" guy, nothing like having a VM trap waiting for him, but it was fun for a few minutes getting him to repeat himself/instructions as many times as I could, he eventually got ###### and hung up.

 

Also the "Card Services"  scammers. I gave William Goatez (goats) as the name and told him that most folks call me Billy while doing Jim Breuer Goat Boy noises. That guy hung up on me too.

[+Warwagon MVC]

I have before when they caught me in the mood. I had some fun with the "Microsoft" guy, nothing like having a VM trap waiting for him, but it was fun for a few minutes getting him to repeat himself/instructions as many times as I could, he eventually got ###### and hung up.

 

Also the "Card Services"  scammers. I gave William Goatez (goats) as the name and told him that most folks call me Billy while doing Jim Breuer Goat Boy noises. That guy hung up on me too.

 

I think the card services one is MUCH more wide spread. I just did a search on my Gmail voice mail log from my voice mail server. Everytime someone calls my house / business the voice mail server records the caller ID and message and text messages me the information and emails my phone call account along with the message. So I did a search for card services.

 

[compl3x]

In Japan, it's much easier. You just call up a semi-senile, elderly person with lots of money (there are loads of them), then say "It's me! I'm in trouble, I need money. These are my account details, can you transfer, say $50,000?"

 

Millions of pensioners are scammed this way each year. 

 

 

I'm curious, why is this scam easier in Japan? Why aren't the people more sceptical?

[Xilo]

I'm curious, why is this scam easier in Japan? Why aren't the people more sceptical?

Senile old people wanting to help dear ol grandson that sounds the same as every other japanese person?

[compl3x]

Senile old people wanting to help dear ol grandson that sounds the same as every other japanese person?

 

 

Shiranui made the point is was easier in Japan, as if there was something about Japanese culture that makes elderly people more vulnerable. At least, that is what I thought Shiranui meant.

[Shiranui]

Apparently, these scammers are far less successful in Osaka, where people don't part with their money so easily......

If you are interested (not in trying it..) google "ore ore scams" or something.

[Hum]

Send me your money -- I won't tell anyone. :shifty:

[eXtermia]

Send me your money -- I won't tell anyone. :shifty:

but but if I just randomly send you money you really didn't scam me if I did it willingly. what to do , what to do

[notuptome2004]

Here we go  Ned calls he is so dang funny  tho pl,enty of profanity in it  

 

 

Edited December 22, 2014 by Andrew

[Haggis Veteran]

"Come on, dude, the jig is up. Your approach was amateurish. You didn't address me by name and you didn't mention the bank you were from. We have 4 big banks in Australia; you had a 1 in 4 chance of choosing the right one. On top of that you you tell me I need to provide you with my info because your system crashed."

 

 

All you have done is given him pointers on how to make his conversation better for the next person her calls

 

Well Done </sarcasm>

[Intersect]

All you have done is given him pointers on how to make his conversation better for the next person her calls

 

Well Done </sarcasm>

After reading compl3x's post id say the only persons who time was wasted was his. The scammer has come off better here.