Ever been scammed?

[FnB]

My mail account is full of spam for everything under the sun - get rich quick schemes, viagra at discount prices, loans at great interest rates, credit cards, ebay auctions...

 

I received an email that was addressed from my bank (ie. iBank@FnBsBank.com) and it looked ok (it wasn't from aq72342@Hotmail.com but actually looked like it was from my bank).

 

The content of the email was that they were updating their online security and required customers to login to their account and update their details. There was a link to the bank site (ww.FnBsBank.com) and also a number for customer services.

 

The phone number was the genuine number but the html on the email sent you to a different site from ww.FnBsBank.com and clicking the link actually sent you to a ripped off version of the bank website that was one letter out from the real thing : ww.FnBBank.com

 

The page was completely bogus and only I spotted the lack of security on the site page I could have very easily tried to log into my account....

 

Anyway, my bank say that they would never ask for details by email or phone only by letter to my registered address.

 

Still, I'm a software geek by trade and I'm pretty clued up on scams and hoaxes and things - this was one of the best ones I've seen - and came pretty close to catching me out - I was impressed by how slick this was...

 

So anyone fallen victim to a scam (or possibly scamola) and want to share?

 

Fnb

[Rod S]

Originally posted by FnB:

Still, I'm a software geek by trade and I'm pretty clued up on scams and hoaxes and things - this was one of the best ones I've seen - and came pretty close to catching me out - I was impressed by how slick this was...

 

So anyone fallen victim to a scam (or possibly scamola) and want to share?

This one is actually quite common. I received one about a month ago, and man, did it look genuine at 1st glance. There was one with citibank here in Brazil a few months ago, and a lot of people fall for it.

 

I consider myself a pretty smart person, and I generally think the scams are pretty easy to spot. I've gotten a few over the phone like 'oh yeah, tell us your credit card number just to confirm...' yeah right.

 

What pisses me off are the people that prey on the elderly, who are a lot of times a bit more naive and trusting.... I wish all these people a slow horrible death from hypothermia.

[FnB]

Yeah preying on the elderly should be a shooting offence.

 

I know a lady who handed over her bank account details for a "spend this to get this" email scam. She had sent off 20 pounds for something and they were looking for £100s more money for a get rich quick scheme.

 

When she started to tell me about it alarm bells were going off in my head the whole time. The bank told her that they couldn't prevent any transaction from taking place if it was requested but that she should keep an eye on her account and report any unusual transactions. She ended up closing her account and moving elsewhere to be on the safe side...

 

Another scam that I've seen here... I'm sitting at a table in a bar and the next thing this arm reaches past me and starts putting junk plastic keyrings and lighters and things onto the table.

I look round and this guy hands me a piece of paper saying "I am deaf and dumb. Please buy one of my items for £1"

 

Now, the stuff is carp but people here are really generous, plus combined with a few drinks and not wanting to look bad in front of their friends - the guy was raking it in...

 

Of course, I later read in the paper that it's all bogus like I suspected...

 

If I was clever I'd say no then wait till he turns away and then go "Got change of a 20?"

 

Then when he turns back go.... ah ha! I knew it!

 

(Of course hindsight is always 20/20)

[boosh]

Originally posted by FnB:

 

If I was clever I'd say no then wait till he turns away and then go "Got change of a 20?"

 

Then when he turns back go.... ah ha! I knew it!

 

(Of course hindsight is always 20/20)

We've got the same scam in Amsterdam too and believe me, they don't blink their eyes, they're damn good when it comes to pretending they're def. We tested one with a firecracker between his fet and he didn't move.

[Rog]

Originally posted by boosh:

Originally posted by FnB:

 

If I was clever I'd say no then wait till he turns away and then go "Got change of a 20?"

 

Then when he turns back go.... ah ha! I knew it!

 

(Of course hindsight is always 20/20)

We've got the same scam in Amsterdam too and believe me, they don't blink their eyes, they're damn good when it comes to pretending they're def. We tested one with a firecracker between his fet and he didn't move.

Yep, that happened to me the first time I was in Amsterdam. A lady walked up to us with lighters and other bits of tat, put a laminated card on the table and walked off to do the same to other people. When she came back I just looked at her and shrugged.

 

It's a nasty scam ... playing on people's sympathy.

[Rod S]

Well, the 'disability' scam is quite common here, unfortunately. It goes as far as people claiming to have AIDS, Cancer, kids who claim their parents are ill, etc... Unfortunately, some of the stuff IS genuine - I try to help these people out thru the regular channels when I can, since in these situations it's impossible to determine what is a scam and what isn't.

 

I think the worst is the kids - knowing that they are there doing the scam instructed by their parents (if you probe them enough, you can get the story out; I've done it - it's sad).

[Mats Olsson.]

I give money to the red cross and to shelters for the homeless, never to strangers. I give money street performers if they are good.

 

If it wasn't for all con-artists, I would give to beggars.

 

/Mats

 

PS

At my old job we donated sewing machines and computers to a school in Uganda, a colleague also went there and trained people on how to use them.

[Dwarf]

As a general rule I don't click on links in e-mails from banks or governments or any other organization that has access to personal information about me. If my bank sends me an e-mail saying that I need to update something in my online account then I will use my own bookmark to get there - never the link provided in the e-mail.

 

But there are a lot of naive people out there who aren't as suspicious as I am. Then again I also don't give money to blind, dumb, deaf, victims of incest, just damn ugly or any other people who come looking for money.

 

--

Rob

[zeronyne]

How about the family here in Illinois two years ago who shaved their 8 year old daughter's head and constantly gave her cough medicine so she'd look and behave as though she was receiving chemo?

 

When I read this, I really wanted to drive down to their house and beat the parents. I think if they were right in front of me at the time, I would've done it without batting an eye. And this was before I had a kid of my own. Now that I have a child, I think I would go through the extra effort and drive down there to do it.

 

The only attempted scams I get involve Nigerian banks. Those are easy enough to ignore. And no legitimate agency is going to ever ask you for personal information in an email.

[seclusion]

Ya I once gave a bum, some $$$ only to find that she then proceeded to use her cell phone to get her buddy down a few blocks to ask me for more. Unfortunately none get it now. There was a big scam in Toronto a few years ago where a lady had a condo etc. Really had some $$ behind her, she spent her days beggin for more... Ya emails from Paypal asking to update your info.. I always do.. With all bogus info... I would do the same if my bank asked for it cause they already know my info. I can be a real ass sometimes... Cause I even said in the email that I just inherited a lot of $$$ and wanted it to be safe!!... It can be fun to fabricate an identity... You have to hand it to them.. They go all out!!

Later

Bri

[dementia13]

The one I see a lot is emails that pretend to be from eBay or PayPal. The PayPal one is pretty obvious, since it's spelled "PayPaI" (If you can't see it, the last letter is a capital "i" instead of an "L": PayPai). Another recent one takes you to the actual website of your financial institution, but has a bogus pop-up window asking for your login information.

Speaking of eBay, if you bid for any used ProTools equipment, you'll get a message through eBay's system from a guy claiming to be selling a set of RTAS or TDM plug-ins. His asking price is way lower than what the plug-ins would fetch if he put them up for auction. At first, I thought it was too good to be true, especially since he didn't have any seller history, but the scam was really clear when I got the identical e-mail later. Since I'd corresponded with the guy, you'd think he'd have known me and not sent me the same e-mail over again, right? He's got some kind of automated script sending the messages and he has many different seller names, all tied to the same email address. I've reported him to security, but I've continued to get that email.

[KenElevenShadows]

Banks and other organizations are not going to ask for you to upgrade your password - at least, I've never been asked for any of that. If it does, use your own bookmark or type in the url yourself.

 

I've never been scammed by email yet. Lucky? Maybe. But be careful, whatever it is that you're doing.

 

I wonder how many people got nailed by emails pretending to be "Microsoft Safety Pack" updates or things of that nature, but instead simply carried a virus? They look very convincing at first glance? But does Microsoft ever send you "safety packs" or much of anything else? Noooooooooooo.....

[phaeton]

I'm sure *everyone* has been taken on something.

 

Several years ago I bought a second-hand Alesis HR-16 drum machine. All the pads and buttons for the control panel had been broken off their mounts on the inside, and had been hot-glued back on. That was a quick $125.

 

The one that burns me up the most, though....

 

In 1999, for my 25th birthday, i decided to buy myself a brand-spankin-new truck. I had been car-less for over a year and had never had a *new* vehicle before.

 

Long story short, the guy at the dealership gave his spiel about a teflon-based paint treatment. it costs $1000. And his exact words:

 

"If you do not get this paint treatment, you will have NO WARRANTY on the paint and finish of your new Ranger. But if you *do* get this, you will never have to wax your truck. Ever."

Well, not only did the actual cost of said treatment actually turn out to be $1500, but other stories of people who've been taken by this (on usenet) shows that in most cases the dealership charged them somewhere between $189 and $300.

 

Within a year, the beautiful black paint oxidized. I took it to the dealership, they gave me some spiel about how application will fade the paint by 15% but it will never fade beyond that, and that I was not a paint technician and I have no authority to judge the condition of the finish on a vehicle. They also warned me against waxing it. Apparently, waxing it will gum up the clearcoat, which would make it look horrible and remove all protection of the teflon sealant.

 

By the second year, the paint was oxidized really bad, and in some places it was starting to pop up. I took it to a different dealership, who told me teflon (like silicone) will seep through the paint, permeate the metal underneath and cause the paint to lift. He reccommended i talk to the paint & body shop of the dealership i bought it from, but he wasn't about to touch my truck with a 10-foot pole.

 

By the 3rd year, I talked to several dealerships, none of which would say or do anything other than "did you buy it here? Take it back to where you bought it."

 

The truck was no longer black, more like a dark grey. Out of desperation, i waxed it, and it looked beautiful again, but it was too late.

 

I guess that the way it turns out, the quote above was a loaded statement.. He said "NO WARRANTY if you don't buy sealant".. he didn't implicitly say "if you buy the sealant you WILL have a warranty on the paint."

 

So i'm fucked.

 

Not only that, according to the warranty that comes with the vehicle, the finish is covered for exactly one year. Failure to wax the vehicle qualifies as neglect and voids the warranty on the finish. Application of any 3rd party paint sealants voids the warranty on the finish.

 

The paint sealant company warrants the vehicle for 15 years, but if the paint oxidizes, you have exactly 30 days to report it to them by contacting your dealer. Since the dealership never reported it, their coverage is voided now too.

 

So now, i've got dime and nickel sized chunks of paint peeling up and flaking off the roof, hood, fenders and doors. The best response i've gotten out of the dealership i bought it from was:

 

"I'll give you $500 off if you trade it in on a brand new vehicle."

So..... It's finally paid off in September. As soon as that happens, i get to save up to get it repainted.

 

Next truck is a Toyota.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by phaeton:

[QB]I'm sure *everyone* has been taken on something.

 

QB]

Well, that's for sure. I just haven't been scammed via email. Yet. There's always a first time!

 

I've gotten scammed on used cars, my lunch money when I was 14, and probably a whole lot of other things that I can't remember because I've blocked out the pain...

[phaeton]

speaking of scamming the elderly..

 

My grandmother (in her late 70s) gets a number of unsolicited publications.

 

The worst of the lot is one called The Watchtower or The Lighthouse or something. It's an uber-religious Christian magazine. These folks just up and started sending her a magazine in the mail every couple of months. The magazines are light on any content, and chock full of ads. Pretty clear what sort of game they're trying to pull.

 

At the end of the year they send her an invoice for something like $140 for her magazine subscription that she never ordered or consented to. The first year she just paid it (probably out of guilt). The second year, my dad got involved, and convinced her not to send them any money.

 

These assmunches started calling her up and harrassing her for money, threatening to take her to collections, to court, threatening that she's pissing off God and all sorts of other dumb crap. They'd call sometimes 2-3 times a day, and poor grandmother would be reduced to tears.

 

Fucking criminal, i tell you.

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

I will only say this:

 

Do NOT play 3-card monty on Hollywood Blvd.!

[theblue1]

I got stuck for $10 back in the 70's working at a rundown gas station. A pair of real nice guys in a big white Cadillac eased me into the "change-for-a-20" scam so soft I was still joking with them when I started really paying attention to the money. I'd been through the scam so many times without getting burned once that I was totally sure we were square when I froze the transaction and told them to ---k off and never come back.

 

But they had the last laugh.

 

__________________________

 

On your near-unfortunate experience, yeah, that one's been around about as long as corporations have been sending out html email.

 

That's only one of the reasons I have 'html display' off on my email clielnt (Outlook Express). That helps prevent mouseover triggered worm activations. I also have it strip non-graphic file attachments (actually, it just hides the attachment. Stinkin' MS. But I also intercept my email on my server and scan it all using Mailwasher... I manage five domains and I get flooded with contact-email-spam.)

[FnB]

phaeton said :

 

The worst of the lot is one called The Watchtower or The Lighthouse or something. It's an uber-religious Christian magazine.

If it is called The Watchtower then it's the Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

I know only two things about them from pop culture :

 

1) They go from door to door and if people are nice and invite them in they leave a copy of their magazine called Watchtower. Didn't know they charged for it though, just that they had a reputation of coming back to places where anyone showed any interest and that people would hide behind the sofa when they knew that they were going from door to door down their street in order to avoid them.

 

2) They don't believe in blood transfusions (I think based on a passage St Paul says in Acts about taking blood into your body). So you would hear stories on the news like "Jehovah's Witness parents prevent dying child form having a blood transfusion".

 

Anyway, I don't know enough about them to make any informed opinions - and I don't like saying "This is what they believe" when it probably isn't, it's just the bits and pieces that I've picked up from the media.

 

FnB

[Wewus432]

Originally posted by phaeton:

speaking of scamming the elderly..

 

My grandmother (in her late 70s) gets a number of unsolicited publications.

 

The worst of the lot is one called The Watchtower or The Lighthouse or something. It's an uber-religious Christian magazine. These folks just up and started sending her a magazine in the mail every couple of months. The magazines are light on any content, and chock full of ads. Pretty clear what sort of game they're trying to pull.

 

At the end of the year they send her an invoice for something like $140 for her magazine subscription that she never ordered or consented to. The first year she just paid it (probably out of guilt). The second year, my dad got involved, and convinced her not to send them any money.

 

These assmunches started calling her up and harrassing her for money, threatening to take her to collections, to court, threatening that she's pissing off God and all sorts of other dumb crap. They'd call sometimes 2-3 times a day, and poor grandmother would be reduced to tears.

 

Fucking criminal, i tell you.

You are shitting me man, that is so fucked up. I have a way of dealing with people like that, that works sometimes. I tell them I'd like to come to their offices and set this matter right. Then they'll say something like "uh we're in Colorado", and then I say, no problem, I have some business up there tomorrow and I'll just pop in and discuss this.

 

You'll be surprised what people will do when they think you're going to actually show up, and talk to them in person.

 

ALSO, no creditor, no matter who they are is allowed to call more than once a day. This is Federal Law. If you can document that they did call more than once a day intentionally, then you have very good grounds for a law suit. Federal LAW, do a websearch for Debtor's Rights, or something similar.