Two More Telephone Email Scams Today

[Thomas McCurnin]

The first one was a repeat caller, a pre-recorded robo caller that wants me to help the police. When I repeatedly hit zero, I got the actual name of the organization, and it is PAC, which means it doesn't have to spend a dime on police officers, has no oversight, and can spend the money anyway its wants to. No Thank You!

The second one was a little more creative--an email which said some woman is requesting money from me through PayPal. Never heard of the woman, go to PayPal and there is no such money request, but decide to call the woman's phone number which was curiously on the email, but not her email. Yeah, my spidy sense was up, this was not right. The foreigner on the phone says he's from PayPal and wants my email and phone number. Great, where are you located? Oh, New Dehli, great, can you tell me where PayPal is located, what city? Nope, he can't. I hang up.

Tom=2
Scammers=0

[Bill Dufour]

Scam calls seem to have dropped off for me. The last five or six they sound like they clipped off the intro and just say your service will be cut off unless you contact us to pay the bill. Smart move, leaving it up to me to decide it must be a service I have and must be the most important one. Not some service provider I do not use.
Bill D

[Lee Schierer]

We switched our land line to VOIP and listed the robo call numbers on their call block app. I found that the three robo callers rotated numbers between 4-6 numbers according to the caller ID. It is really nice that when the phone rings now it is actually someone we would want to talk to.

[Jerome Stanek]

I get all so many calls that are for SS benifits that sometimes I take the phone off the hook. I can't block them as they change thier number every time they call. most times if the machine picks up as soon as it ends I get another call from a different number.

[Lee Schierer]

I get all so many calls that are for SS benifits that sometimes I take the phone off the hook. I can't block them as they change thier number every time they call. most times if the machine picks up as soon as it ends I get another call from a different number.

I thought that as well until I started tracking the numbers. In my case one caller only used 4 different numbers another used 7. One I'm still tracking, so far they are up to 3.

[Myk Rian]

If the phone number isn't in my contact list, I send the call to voice mail.
Gmail does an excellent job of filtering spam. I get maybe 2/month that make it to my inbox.

[Larry Frank]

Unfortunately, scam calls and emails are common and not going away. You just have to ignore them, hang up or delete as the case may call for.

[Chris Parks]

If the phone number isn't in my contact list, I send the call to voice mail.
Gmail does an excellent job of filtering spam. I get maybe 2/month that make it to my inbox.

I agree, gmail is excellent but then they get a lot of practise to refine their methods. I keep getting emails supposedly from friends and family members saying in many different ways that they have forgotten to send some photographs and I should click on the provided link to see them. All of these emails finish up in the spam folder but I have always been curious what they are all about as there is no way I am clicking on any live link in an email unless I know it is good.

[Keegan Shields]

Nice Tom. Some people like to engage the spammers in order to take up their precious time. While they are engaged with you, they can’t scam someone else. I once kept a guy on the phone for 30 min as he repeatably tried to enter my various credit card “numbers”. I don’t have time for that these days, but for those retired creekers…. Just pretend to be a fumbling fool on the call, tell them stories while you look for your information, etc. Keep that fish on the hook…

Turns out many of those scams are obvious in order to select for the most gullible (i.e. your uncle is a Nigerian Prince). The limit for scammers is how many people they can engage each day.

[Doug Garson]

I'd never fall for the Nigerian Prince scam cuz I found out in an email that my great great grandfather was a Scottish King. Just waiting for the familly jewels to arrive by courier. Should be any day now cuz I paid for express shipping. ����

[Bill Dufour]

I'd never fall for the Nigerian Prince scam cuz I found out in an email that my great great grandfather was a Scottish King. Just waiting for the familly jewels to arrive by courier. Should be any day now cuz I paid for express shipping. ����
I think you got scammed. I think he was really a french waiter. Maybe a Scotish waiter in a french restaurant.
Bill D.

[Rob Luter]

Nice Tom. Some people like to engage the spammers in order to take up their precious time. While they are engaged with you, they can’t scam someone else. I once kept a guy on the phone for 30 min as he repeatably tried to enter my various credit card “numbers”. I don’t have time for that these days, but for those retired creekers…. Just pretend to be a fumbling fool on the call, tell them stories while you look for your information, etc. Keep that fish on the hook…

Turns out many of those scams are obvious in order to select for the most gullible (i.e. your uncle is a Nigerian Prince). The limit for scammers is how many people they can engage each day.

My wife and I have both done that sort of thing. One time we had some boob on the phone for 15 minutes. Any more I have no patience. I've taken to answering the land line with "Vinnie's Pizza". It shuts the scammers down immediately and the few folks we know that call that number are already in on the gag.

Here's one of my favorites from Tom Mabe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvXxnSEQKY&ab

[Bill Dufour]

Brother used to answer with "disaster center, joe disaster speaking." His name was john not joe

[Jerome Stanek]

Back when my parents had a greenhouse the seller that they used would call every day to get an idea of how many baskets of tomatoes they were going to have. My brother would answer Mort's funeral home you stab em we slab em until one time it wasn't the seller but my aunt.

[Patty Hann]

My wife and I have both done that sort of thing. One time we had some boob on the phone for 15 minutes. Any more I have no patience. I've taken to answering the land line with "Vinnie's Pizza". It shuts the scammers down immediately and the few folks we know that call that number are already in on the gag.

Here's one of my favorites from Tom Mabe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvXxnSEQKY&ab


omg.... I was dying listening to that.
That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. :D:D:D

[Larry Frank]

Our landline has an answering machine with a simple message..."Please leave a message after the beep.". Amazing how well this does for spammers....none have left a message.

[Myk Rian]

Here's one of my favorites from Tom Mabe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvXxnSEQKY&ab
Damn. That's funny.

[Rob Luter]

My wife and I have both done that sort of thing. One time we had some boob on the phone for 15 minutes. Any more I have no patience. I've taken to answering the land line with "Vinnie's Pizza". It shuts the scammers down immediately and the few folks we know that call that number are already in on the gag.

Here's one of my favorites from Tom Mabe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvXxnSEQKY&ab

Well, the "Vinnie's Pizza" gaga got a chuckle this morning. Phone rings. I'm thinking medicare supplement huckster? Extended car warranty? Cable TV? So I answer.

Me: Vinnie's Pizza
Caller: Huh? Can I speak to Robert?
Me: Who's calling?
Caller: This is XXXXX from Lee Valley Customer Service.
Me: Doh! I'm sorry. We get lots of spam calls and answering the phone that way usually shuts them right down.
Caller: That's clever!

We went on to have a delightful conversation about an exchange involving a tool I just received that had some problems. In their typical first class manner they're taking care of me with good cheer and expediency.

@Rob Lee - I didn't catch her name (we were too busy laughing) but she was a real peach. Kudos to the whole Lee Valley team.