Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Way OT: unsolicited text messages


cedar

Recommended Posts

Once in a blue moon, I've received a text message that was plainly meant for someone else, and someone clearly mistyped the phone number. Every now and then, I've received text messages that are obvious spam.

 

Just now, I got one that confused me. Reads "Darling, when is our agreed golf game with Mr. Wilson today?"

 

I almost replied "wrong number" but then thought this might be some kind of scam. Just seems like weird language (not to mention past the time of day for golf).

 

But here is my question: if this text was just designed to produce a reply, what is the end-game? Could I be giving away personal information somehow just be replying?

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

I keep getting appointment reminders from ohio (I'm in ca but with an ohio cellphone number). They are from different businesses and agencies so it would imply that the intended party has given my number out multiple times. Either someone cant remember their own number or they give mine out on purpose. The appts and notifications have been beauty appts, test results and something else I cant remember. I considered trying to get it straightened out, especially when it was about test results, but I just deleted the text instead. You never know when something will get you sucked into some scam.

FunMachine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't pay any attention to texts but even more so phone calls if they aren't a contact. I simply have too much garbage coming in. I screen everything, anything important they can leave a message.

 

The most annoying are texts related to one of the properties we own. "Hi, I was wondering if you'd like to sell" blah blah. No, dipshit, if I wanted to sell it would be for sale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to ignore texts and phone calls that come to me that I don't recognize.

 

But sometimes it's a good thing to go ahead and answer.

 

The other day I got a call that I figured was someone trying to get me to enroll in Medicare coverage, but I answered anyway, figuring I could at least tell them to take me off the phone list.

 

Turns out it was my Instacart driver that was lost and could not find my apartment.

 

So, it can be hard to say what is and is not a real call

 

At least with texts you can see if it's bogus.

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spammers are experts at social engineering.

 

You get a text from an unknown sender "Darling when is our golf game appointment again?" which is sent by a spammer. Social engineering means they count on you to reply with "wrong number".

 

Answer that, and you confirm to the spammer that he found a live human and you just got on a spammer list.

 

I don't even pick up phone calls unless it is a name/number that I know. Everything else goes to voicemail. Real friends will leave a message.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spammers are experts at social engineering.

 

You get a text from an unknown sender "Darling when is our golf game appointment again?" which is sent by a spammer. Social engineering means they count on you to reply with "wrong number".

 

Answer that, and you confirm to the spammer that he found a live human and you just got on a spammer list.

 

I don't even pick up phone calls unless it is a name/number that I know. Everything else goes to voicemail. Real friends will leave a message.

 

 

You respond in any way they know they have a good number and the user is sorry gullible enough to reply. There are people selling lists of numbers, emails, etc that they confirmed person will respond to. Even stuff from companies I do deal with I will contact them myself I never use their links or etc.

 

Sucks how a great idea like the internet has turned place you need to be streetwise to navigate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of these scams are aimed at separating the elderly from their money, and they succeed to a degree that keeps them going. My wife's grandmother was within a hair's breadth of giving $10,000 to a scammer. Only by dumb luck did a family member discover it in time to intervene.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once in a blue moon, I've received a text message that was plainly meant for someone else, and someone clearly mistyped the phone number. Every now and then, I've received text messages that are obvious spam.

 

Just now, I got one that confused me. Reads "Darling, when is our agreed golf game with Mr. Wilson today?"

 

I almost replied "wrong number" but then thought this might be some kind of scam. Just seems like weird language (not to mention past the time of day for golf).

 

But here is my question: if this text was just designed to produce a reply, what is the end-game? Could I be giving away personal information somehow just be replying?

i have my own questions/thoughts about why they chase you to confirm the number then hangup on you when answer the phone. if scammers are hanging up when you answer the phone then what's the point of the call? Anyway, over the past year i use an app that sets numbers not on my call list to not ring. been doing this for a year and have yet to have someone tell me that i havent returned their calls. i just got one from Italy on Friday, thought it was maybe Guido calling me from Crumar but he doesnt even respond to my emails so I know he wouldnt call me out of the blue.....

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

Exit93band

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have my own questions/thoughts about why they chase you to confirm the number then hangup on you when answer the phone. âif scammers are hanging up when you answer the phone then what's the point of the call?

Here in Brazil, most of spam calls are placed by machines. According to the news, they place six or more times more calls than the available telemarketing bloody operators available. That is why they hangup here.

 

Anyway, over the past year i use an app that sets numbers not on my call list to not ring.

 

I use the "do not disturb" function of my smartphone to do the same. I call the number back later just to check if was not a mistake call (in most of the cases, it is not) and I just block the number and report to the anti-spam system.

 

Not answering the calls is a good policy; my non-scientific experience is when I answered, than the machine knows there was a fool answering and the calls increased. After I stopped answering, the calls eventually stopped as the machine "learns" there is no point wasting time calling my number.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Starting with one of the more recent iOS updates, iPhone has a feature called "silence unknown callers." Calls from unknown numbers do not ring, but do go to voicemail. The phone rings if anyone on your contacts list calls. It works well, and anyone that is legitimately trying to contact you will leave a voicemail, while most robot callers do not.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of these scams are aimed at separating the elderly from their money, and they succeed to a degree that keeps them going. My wife's grandmother was within a hair's breadth of giving $10,000 to a scammer. Only by dumb luck did a family member discover it in time to intervene.

 

Yes they tell the victim not to tell their family, it will be a surprise.

 

They almost got my elderly mother. They even talked her into giving them the routing number for her bank account. Luckily I got wind of it, so we went right to work and they never got the $$$. I told her not to answer their calls. By falling for their scam she got herself on a scammer list so I had her telephone number changed to cut all of them off.

 

My elderly parents had been getting piles of junk mail - commemorative coins, sweepstakes, donations, junk products, etc. While I was helping them, one day they got a debt collection notice. Dad had been buying commemorative coins and the collection was for a past due bill. This collection arrived just after Dad had just been found alive after he had gone missing. So I fired off a nastygram about their atrociously bad timing, that they had violated federal laws to protect the elderly from abuse, and I was going to report them to the state BBB, AG, the FTC, and other enforcement agencies. When a family member intervenes, they jump to attention. A few weeks after that letter was sent, ALL THE JUNK MAIL STOPPED.. I never heard back from the collectors.

 

Scammers are operating debt collection offices too. I found it interesting that this rogue office was operating with the junk mailers.

 

I can compose a really mean legal sounding letter when provoked, without using curse words. Mom always said I should had been a lawyer, and she used to work for one. Two months ago I received a scam debt collection over an unpaid turnpike toll, and I fired off a letter not only disputing the collection but pointing out glaring omissions such as date of the incurred debt and description of the vehicle, I had kept my address current yet received zero invoices from the turnpike authority, and they included no invoice with the official turnpike or state letterhead. I had just relocated, it was pretty obvious they were collecting mail forwarding from the USPS and using that info to scam victims. I never heard back from them after I replied.

 

The deepest hottest crevices of hell are reserved for scammers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tried to utilize programs/apps that are designed at stopping robo calls and various types of spam. But it's a constant battle. So at least when it comes to phone calls, I basically never answer any call when I don't recognize the number. This means I avoid unwanted calls, but also have to return a lot of legitimate calls.

 

To some extent, it feels like we've effectively lost a basic function of the phone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tried to utilize programs/apps that are designed at stopping robo calls and various types of spam. But it's a constant battle. So at least when it comes to phone calls, I basically never answer any call when I don't recognize the number. This means I avoid unwanted calls, but also have to return a lot of legitimate calls.

 

To some extent, it feels like we've effectively lost a basic function of the phone.

 

Yes the callerID is broken, and the phone companies won't fix it because they make $$$ on the volume of calls and on the "tools" they sell you to prevent those calls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

But here is my question: if this text was just designed to produce a reply, what is the end-game? Could I be giving away personal information somehow just be replying?

 

The goal is to build a list of cell phone numbers that can be sold to marketers which will then spam marketing text. If you respond, that lets them know the number is a cell phone. I get them, including group texts sending to consecutive numbers. They will send a text that sounds common and friendly, but anyone who replies "Who is this" or "You have the wrong person" has just signed up for spam on their phone. I ignore and when I can, block. In addition, I turn off the ability to receive texts that does not originate from a cell phone.

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...