A Very Strange Scam

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What has helped me is that most spammers try to use the same area code as who they are calling, to trick people into answering a call that isn't identified from their phone list. I've kept my number after a number of moves (since there are no more roaming or long distance charges, and I can remember it), and I KNOW that nobody from that area code is going to be calling me, so I just ignore them. I also don't know anyone on the East Coast, where some others seem to originate, and ignore them as well. I check my voicemail every so often, but rarely do spammers leave a message.

It is incredibly difficult to stop these calls. Even using the law to go after them is hard, because of the requirements. I've looked up the steps, and couldn't follow them the way it is required to do so, apparently because the scammers know the law as well. I really despise people like that, preying on the unsuspecting... 
 
It is incredibly difficult to stop these calls.
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Not really, I rarely get calls like these. My phone number is a secret and I only give it out to someone who has a definite need to know. I don't even get one spam call a week.
 
docj said:
My Google Pixel 2 already has a pretty good built-in spam filter which marks many calls as likely spam before you have a chance to answer them.  Now Google has added to that by creating a "Screen Call" button which I can push instead of either answering or rejecting a call.  Screening the call means that it is answered by a "robot" that asks the caller the reason for the call.  The text of the question and the answer is displayed on the phone's screen.  You can pick up the call at any point or simply hang up on it.
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Wish Apple had something like this to filter the garbage.
Larry N. said:
The big problem with that is that the caller ID is often spoofed, so you may well have called an innocent party. A couple of weeks ago I had one of those spam calls that the caller ID showed was me- yes, name and phone number. When I laughed in their face (and a couple of choice comments), they hung up. After a couple of those, I started getting the same ID but (same voice -- the one from the "IRS") saying "Goodbye" then hanging up. After letting a couple of those go to the answering machine they quit (at least for now).
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You?re right, number is usually spoofed.
signcut said:
It is incredibly difficult to stop these calls. Even using the law to go after them is hard, because of the requirements. I've looked up the steps, and couldn't follow them the way it is required to do so, apparently because the scammers know the law as well. I really despise people like that, preying on the unsuspecting... 
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Unfortunately, here in Canada, the Feds have the national do not call list but NEVER seem to do anything to enforce it.
I realize that they can?t do anything about the numbers that are spoofed, but they don?t seem to care or do anything about the numbers that are not spoofed and ARE local.
Go figure, our tax dollars at work!
 
SeilerBird said:
Not really, I rarely get calls like these. My phone number is a secret and I only give it out to someone who has a definite need to know. I don't even get one spam call a week.
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Tom, I typically don?t give my number out either, I have heard that they have computers that generate the numbers. Call is placed and if it is answered, someone at the other end starts woth ?Hello sir?.

It is terrible here, for example, on my landline here one day last week I had to have received a minimum of 15 calls, not one was legit.

There are lately ones that say they are from the Visa MasterCard center and due to my great credit history, I have qualified for 0% interest.

Getting to the point where I don?t even want to have a phone or email anymore.
 
Bob T said:
Tom, I typically don?t give my number out either, I have heard that they have computers that generate the numbers. Call is placed and if it is answered, someone at the other end starts with ?Hello sir?.
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I know that they do that and that is probably where my one phone call a week comes from.
 
My landline has a physical call blocking machine plugged in between the phone and the wall box.  A CPR Call Blocker V5000, if anyone is interested.  I've not just blocked phone numbers, I've got a bunch of area codes totally blocked.  If I don't have family living in that area code, there's NO ONE there I need to talk to.  Anyway, that's cut down on the annoyance calls about 99%.  I now get maybe one a week.

A week ago, we started getting phone calls where a recording announced it was a collect call from the local county jail, and would we accept the charges?  Of course we didn't.  I suggested adding that number to the call blocker, and my brother wondered what would happen if one of us were arrested and trying to reach the other one.  I had to point out that the recording didn't say who it was from, and therefor we wouldn't accept the charges anyway!
 
Oldgator73 said:
How long after looking at porn before you get the email? And how would someone get ahold of this bitcoin thing? Just asking for a friend.
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Good one :D :D
 
It sounds like you received what is known as "Scare ware". Not a big problem. But if you get "Ransom Ware" you could have real trouble. The FBI asked everyone that gets ransom ware to not pay the ransom. BTW...ransom ware locks your computer and can be costly to get rid of. According to the FBI, on Google, 35% of all small businesses in the US got some form of ransom ware in 2017 and it cost those businesses millions of dollars a year to correct. If you can't remove the ransom ware, the FBI suggests you purchase a new computer rather than pay the ransom. That is just one reason why we should all back-up our files daily.
 
ro1459 said:
That is just one reason why we should all back-up our files daily.
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That's why I love my Chromebooks. I never have to back it up, it is done automatically. And the scammers cannot claim that they have control of my Chromebook, they can't do it.
 
Almost everyone got that e-mail in my office several weeks ago; practically word for word.
We all had a good laugh, except for one guy who was quite nervous about it and asked me if I thought it could possibly be legit.
Says a lot about that guy...?.. ???
 
SeilerBird said:
Not really, I rarely get calls like these. My phone number is a secret and I only give it out to someone who has a definite need to know. I don't even get one spam call a week.
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What I said is that it is incredibly hard to stop these calls, once they start. If you haven't been getting them, good for you, but that clearly, obviously, isn't the case for many. Once a number becomes known, and hits the list of numbers sold to these d-bags, then it is really difficult to bring an end to it. Period.
 
signcut said:
What I said is that it is incredibly hard to stop these calls, once they start. If you haven't been getting them, good for you, but that clearly, obviously, isn't the case for many. Once a number becomes known, and hits the list of numbers sold to these d-bags, then it is really difficult to bring an end to it. Period.
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Stopping them is very simple. Change your phone number and only tell people and places that are important. Spam calls will stop immediately.
 
I understand what you?re saying Tom but personally it pisses me off to no end that I have to go to the extent of changing my number AND incur the expence to do  so because of these d-bags .

Sorry for the rant but I am fed up with this crap.
 
Bob T said:
I understand what you?re saying Tom but personally it pisses me off to no end that I have to go to the extent of changing my number AND incur the expence to do  so because of these d-bags .

Sorry for the rant but I am fed up with this crap.
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Changing your number is free, it only takes a few minutes and is extremely successful. All you gotta do is send one email to all your close friends and change it at any business that you deal with. All free. 
 
SeilerBird said:
Changing your number is free, it only takes a few minutes and is extremely successful. All you gotta do is send one email to all your close friends and change it at any business that you deal with. All free.
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And you may end up with a number that's even worse........My phone rings about 3 time a week with junk calls. My wife's phone gets twice that many calls a day.....But at least the calls for Shindiqua Stopped....I don't think Shindiqua liked to pay her bills.
 
Gizmo100 said:
And you may end up with a number that's even worse........My phone rings about 3 time a week with junk calls. My wife's phone gets twice that many calls a day.....But at least the calls for Shindiqua Stopped....I don't think Shindiqua liked to pay her bills.
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So it is much better to do nothing and then complain about the problem?
 
SeilerBird said:
So it is much better to do nothing and then complain about the problem?
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I'm not complaining....I offered to get the wife a new number and she decided the new number might be worse.

In my world a few junk calls is not that big of a deal....I just wish it was a live person calling...I love screwing with them ;D
 
Seems like a good way to get your email address out there.
If you go to the website "https://haveibeenpwned.com/", and enter your e-mail, you can see if your information has been stolen in recent or past data breaches.
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Gizmo100 said:
I'm not complaining....I offered to get the wife a new number and she decided the new number might be worse.

In my world a few junk calls is not that big of a deal....I just wish it was a live person calling...I love screwing with them ;D
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If a computer calls you just stay on the line. Eventually you will get a human.
 
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