[On-going Scams - Post them here]

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
ScubaHogg
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ScubaHogg »

Brushing:

This was one I had not heard of before but just figured out we were the victims of. It's something to watch out for cause it'd be easy not to notice.

tl;dr: Someone uses your credit card to send you something from Amazon, but under a new account they created. Ostensibly the purpose is so they can post a "verified review" on the product page.

How we saw it unfold:

We received an Amazon package to us. Something we didn't order but with a gift note on the inside, just saying "enjoy your gift" and was signed with a generic "Tom." We don't know any Toms. I immediately checked our amazon account but there were no unauthorized charges, nor on our Amazon Visa card, which is the only card we use at Amazon.

A few days pass and we notice an amazon charge on our Amex, which was weird as we don't use that at Amazon. I scoured our past purchases trying to match the charge up with a purchase but never could. Finally after chatting with the Amazon agent we pieced together that someone opened a new account in my name, used my credit card to order a product (which was shipped to me) and, presumably, is using it to post a review. Amazon claims they will delete the fake account. AMEX is obviously refunding the charge
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Tubes
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Tubes »

ScubaHogg wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 6:01 pm Brushing:

This was one I had not heard of before but just figured out we were the victims of. It's something to watch out for cause it'd be easy not to notice.

tl;dr: Someone uses your credit card to send you something from Amazon, but under a new account they created. Ostensibly the purpose is so they can post a "verified review" on the product page.
Wow, sorry to hear your credit card was used for this scheme.

I was brushed with 4 deliveries of cheap junk, but they didn't use my card or name. It was a random name to my address. I think the name was something like Regnab Bleather, totally fake generated. All they wanted was the "verified purchase." The producer cost of these items was probably less than $2 each. Retail most were in the $10 or less range.

I reported this to Amazon after the first delivery. 3 more came over the next few weeks, then stopped. They told me to throw the crap away. I did. I checked one product and never saw a review from Regnab... although they can change the name.

Even though this is mostly harmless to me, it isn't without problems:
1) It is part of the whole fake review machinery
2) If we are away for a few days and packages unexpectedly arrive, it indicates our absence.
bberris
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Re: police fund phone calls?

Post by bberris »

Dusn wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:05 pm We have a call cell phone that the surgeons take when we’re on call to field hospital emergencies. So technically we can’t turn it off even at night. It rings every hour from one of these robocall/spam calls. I’ve personally handed each of our ER docs my personal cell # to use instead but sometimes they forget or a new locums doc/travel nurse is calling or they’re not calling from the known hospital number. These robocallers are infuriating.
Get the hospital to change the number. It's obviously compromised. I get 2 spam calls a day.
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JoMoney
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Re: police fund phone calls?

Post by JoMoney »

bberris wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 8:35 am
Dusn wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:05 pm We have a call cell phone that the surgeons take when we’re on call to field hospital emergencies. So technically we can’t turn it off even at night. It rings every hour from one of these robocall/spam calls. I’ve personally handed each of our ER docs my personal cell # to use instead but sometimes they forget or a new locums doc/travel nurse is calling or they’re not calling from the known hospital number. These robocallers are infuriating.
Get the hospital to change the number. It's obviously compromised. I get 2 spam calls a day.
If the phone is only to receive calls from a specific location, seems like they should configure to automatically reject/forward to empty voicemail any call that's not from the hospital or white-listed phone# or range of phone#
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hsmith
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Re: police fund phone calls?

Post by hsmith »

Dusn wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:05 pm We have a call cell phone that the surgeons take when we’re on call to field hospital emergencies. ... It rings every hour from one of these robocall/spam calls...
Speaking of robocalls and spam calls, I received an e-mail today stating:

"A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit claiming that National Grid [my electric and gas utility] and its debt collectors made calls to cellular telephones involving the use of prerecorded messages or artificial voice messages. National Grid denies any liability or wrongdoing, and the Court has not decided who is right, but the parties reached a Settlement of these claims."

Apparently, under a federal law known as the "Telephone Consumer Protection Act," someone brought a class action against National Grid. It was alleged that National Grid and its debt collectors made unsolicited robocalls relating to debts owed and/or a variety of other matters in violation of the TCPA. A $35.8 million settlement fund has been established to pay claimants.

At first, I thought the e-mail itself was a scam, but I checked it out, and it appears to be a real thing https://nationalgridtcpasettlement.com/ ... stions.php.
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ResearchMed
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ResearchMed »

This one is new, and looks "okay", but I have no doubt that it is not okay at all:

Every month, I get a text message from AT&T noting that the bill has been paid.

And just now, the same - the ALMOST same - just arrived. Same formatting, wording, abbreviations.
However, the amount isn't given, and it always has been.

And... this time, "Here's a little gift for you: " (followed by a link)

How nice. I guess I just need to click on the link, right, and get my "gift"?
:annoyed

I'll bet this one gets a bunch of action, unfortunately.

RM
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Hofburg43
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Re: police fund phone calls?

Post by Hofburg43 »

Mr. Rumples wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:36 pm Can't say for sure, only when we lived in CO, I went to a fraud seminar put on by the Denver DA's office. When asked specifically about "police funds" for lack of a better catch all term, the presenter said they were a scam.

As noted above, ask them for their financial statement by mail. They should also be on the IRS's website as a tax exempt organization and in most states have to have a state license to collect charitable donations.

If folks want to make donations to public safety folks, one way to do it is when you see firefighters at the grocery store, help pay for them. Where I live, they have to pay for the food consumed at the firehouse. That was news to me, I always had thought it was part of the dept.'s budget.
Firefighters are extraordinarily well paid, and have working schedules that allow most of them to moonlight at another job. In addition they have lucrative pensions that kick in so early, many move to another fire department and wind up collecting two. They can afford the hot dogs and warm Mtn. Dew.
My lifetime requirement for investment advice was satisfied upon reading Jack Bogle write that most people need only a low cost S&P 500 Index fund.
Silk McCue
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Silk McCue »

ResearchMed wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:34 pm This one is new, and looks "okay", but I have no doubt that it is not okay at all:

Every month, I get a text message from AT&T noting that the bill has been paid.

And just now, the same - the ALMOST same - just arrived. Same formatting, wording, abbreviations.
However, the amount isn't given, and it always has been.

And... this time, "Here's a little gift for you: " (followed by a link)

How nice. I guess I just need to click on the link, right, and get my "gift"?
:annoyed

I'll bet this one gets a bunch of action, unfortunately.

RM
My wife and I have been getting these fake AT&T messages multiple times per week for a few weeks.

Cheers
Mr. Rumples
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Re: police fund phone calls?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Hofburg43 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:38 pm
Mr. Rumples wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:36 pm Can't say for sure, only when we lived in CO, I went to a fraud seminar put on by the Denver DA's office. When asked specifically about "police funds" for lack of a better catch all term, the presenter said they were a scam.

As noted above, ask them for their financial statement by mail. They should also be on the IRS's website as a tax exempt organization and in most states have to have a state license to collect charitable donations.

If folks want to make donations to public safety folks, one way to do it is when you see firefighters at the grocery store, help pay for them. Where I live, they have to pay for the food consumed at the firehouse. That was news to me, I always had thought it was part of the dept.'s budget.
Firefighters are extraordinarily well paid, and have working schedules that allow most of them to moonlight at another job. In addition they have lucrative pensions that kick in so early, many move to another fire department and wind up collecting two. They can afford the hot dogs and warm Mtn. Dew.
In Albemarle City, NC, starting pay is $33,000. In Albemarle County, VA its $42,280. Both have long rotating shifts. In Fairfax, one of the most expensive areas, the average pay is $56,000. In Richmond City, VA, firefighters have not had a pay raise in years and shifts can be as long as 72 hours in accordance with § 9.1-701. With the exception of Richmond City employees who are under a different pension plan, firefighters in VA are all under the same pension plan and hence can't double dip.
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Mudpuppy
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Mudpuppy »

ResearchMed wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:34 pm This one is new, and looks "okay", but I have no doubt that it is not okay at all:

Every month, I get a text message from AT&T noting that the bill has been paid.

And just now, the same - the ALMOST same - just arrived. Same formatting, wording, abbreviations.
However, the amount isn't given, and it always has been.

And... this time, "Here's a little gift for you: " (followed by a link)

How nice. I guess I just need to click on the link, right, and get my "gift"?
:annoyed

I'll bet this one gets a bunch of action, unfortunately.

RM
I haven't paid my AT&T bill since late December, but that means I do need to pay it this week. I'll let you know if I get the same. AT&T is one of those companies who has done legitimate campaigns that look super, super scammy in the past.
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ResearchMed
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ResearchMed »

Mudpuppy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:46 pm
ResearchMed wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:34 pm This one is new, and looks "okay", but I have no doubt that it is not okay at all:

Every month, I get a text message from AT&T noting that the bill has been paid.

And just now, the same - the ALMOST same - just arrived. Same formatting, wording, abbreviations.
However, the amount isn't given, and it always has been.

And... this time, "Here's a little gift for you: " (followed by a link)

How nice. I guess I just need to click on the link, right, and get my "gift"?
:annoyed

I'll bet this one gets a bunch of action, unfortunately.

RM
I haven't paid my AT&T bill since late December, but that means I do need to pay it this week. I'll let you know if I get the same. AT&T is one of those companies who has done legitimate campaigns that look super, super scammy in the past.
Just be careful. At first glance, it looked just like the regular notification.
DH said he got the same thing, with his very own special free gift offer!
:annoyed

RM
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Mudpuppy
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Mudpuppy »

ResearchMed wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:52 pm
Mudpuppy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:46 pm
ResearchMed wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:34 pm This one is new, and looks "okay", but I have no doubt that it is not okay at all:

Every month, I get a text message from AT&T noting that the bill has been paid.

And just now, the same - the ALMOST same - just arrived. Same formatting, wording, abbreviations.
However, the amount isn't given, and it always has been.

And... this time, "Here's a little gift for you: " (followed by a link)

How nice. I guess I just need to click on the link, right, and get my "gift"?
:annoyed

I'll bet this one gets a bunch of action, unfortunately.

RM
I haven't paid my AT&T bill since late December, but that means I do need to pay it this week. I'll let you know if I get the same. AT&T is one of those companies who has done legitimate campaigns that look super, super scammy in the past.
Just be careful. At first glance, it looked just like the regular notification.
DH said he got the same thing, with his very own special free gift offer!
:annoyed

RM
I've got a sandbox for investigating such things. It's probably a scam, but sometimes their marketing team exercises very poor judgment and sends out marketing messages that look like scams.
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Sandtrap
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Sandtrap »

Here's one for humor:

I kept getting these scam phone calls on my cell phone in Mandarin Chinese. (I don't speak Chinese).
The origin phone number looked like a Hawaii zip and number.
Normally, I never answer a call if the display is nobody or number I know. But, if I'm in the car, or using my ear buds and busy with my phone in my pocket, I can't look at the phone so I just answer it.
After a few weeks of these daily calls, I got fed up with it. I thought it was a recording anyway. So, one day I answered and the female voice started off in Mandarin.
I swore back into the phone using the choicest construction jobsite profanity I could think of.
Well, the supposedly prerecorded Chinese language female voice started yelling back Chinese language profanity that sounded much like my grandmother growing up, then hung up. And, that was the last of the scam calls in Chinese language.
I found it all humorous.

j :D
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Silk McCue
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Silk McCue »

Mudpuppy wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:55 pm [
I've got a sandbox for investigating such things. It's probably a scam, but sometimes their marketing team exercises very poor judgment and sends out marketing messages that look like scams.
That’s definitely not the case this time. The real AT&T message includes the amount, doesn’t come from a full number and has an actual link to att.com. The scam message has none of those attributes and looks like this.
ATT Free Msg: December bill is paid. Thanks, Here's a little gift for you: sjja1234567.com/p0AKfF4
scam link above modified so that no one trys it.

Cheers
likegarden
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

I just got an Email from Bank of America, that "Your Online Banking account has been locked - ID .......***",
but we do not have that, are also not a B of A customer. -Scam, want probably to get my financial ID.
This morning another Email from someone Wells_c : 'Alert: Active Your Account Information'. Probably same scam.
I did not read any of these Emails, simply deleted them.
VeryBlessedCali
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by VeryBlessedCali »

I still receive the scam e-mail saying my Paypal account had been suspended. I roll my eyes and then delete it.
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dratkinson
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by dratkinson »

Just received what appears to be an old-style air mail letter---striped/colored edge. (Isn't all mail, sent by air, today?)

Inside was a 12-page letter. Plus an application form and return envelope.

Letter said that since it came by first class mail, and not third class junk mail, that I could trust that it is legit.

It promised lots of good things if I joined "The Society".

Said I'd associate with lots of famous and influential people.

Said all of this was secret, and that I should not tell anyone. So don't tell anyone I told you.

Since it was too long, and the exclamation points and underlined topics made it too "busy" to easily read, thought I'd ask here if any BHs have joined "The Society". If you tell me, I promise not to tell anyone else.

So what do you do in "The Society". Is it worthwhile? Is everything really free?


Oops! Just noticed the return envelope expects me to use my own stamp. If this were truly a beneficial thing, you'd think they could afford to pay for return postage (mail a brick?). Never mind. I'll use letter for fireplace tinder.
d.r.a., not dr.a. | I'm a novice investor; you are forewarned.
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ResearchMed
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ResearchMed »

dratkinson wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 7:35 pm Just received what appears to be an old-style air mail letter---striped/colored edge. (Isn't all mail, sent by air, today?)

Inside was a 12-page letter. Plus an application form and return envelope.

Letter said that since it came by first class mail, and not third class junk mail, that I could trust that it is legit.

It promised lots of good things if I joined "The Society".

Said I'd associate with lots of famous and influential people.

Said all of this was secret, and that I should not tell anyone. So don't tell anyone I told you.

Since it was too long, and the exclamation points and underlined topics made it too "busy" to easily read, thought I'd ask here if any BHs have joined "The Society". If you tell me, I promise not to tell anyone else.

So what do you do in "The Society". Is it worthwhile? Is everything really free?


Oops! Just noticed the return envelope expects me to use my own stamp. If this were truly a beneficial thing, you'd think they could afford to pay for return postage (mail a brick?). Never mind. I'll use letter for fireplace tinder.
I think most of us are probably members here on BH, but dear d.r. atkinson, the instructions were NOT to tell anyone! :oops:
Now we might all lose out on all of those good things!

:(

RM
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MichaelAZ
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Gift Card Scam

Post by MichaelAZ »

[Merged into ongoing discussion -- moderator oldcomputerguy]

Public service reminder about the famous gift card scam.

My 74 year old mother-in-law had a pop-up appear on her computer while browsing the web. It said her computer had been compromised and to call "Microsoft" for tech support help at the number on the screen.

She called and, to make a long story short, was transferred to a "Level 5 technician." They tricked her into giving them remote desktop access. And then they said that hackers had taken $13,000 from her checking account, but there was a three hour window that Microsoft still had to help her get the money back.

He told her to drive to Lowe's, Home Depot, and the grocery store and buy 26 $500 gift cards. She tried to use her credit card to buy them, but it was rejected. So she used her debit card. And she read the gift card numbers to the scammers.

The scammer then asked for her checking account and routing number. She suspected fraud at that point and ended the call.

Money is gone. Gift cards are drained. And my MIL is mentally and emotionally distraught. It's a lot of money for most people, but especially her.

Tl;Dr: Never believe that you need to buy gift cards for any reason for someone over the phone or text or email. Seems obvious to me and most people, and yet many people fall victim.
gougou
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Re: Gift Card Scam

Post by gougou »

She should immediately call the gift card company to dispute and "charge back" the gift card transactions. Online transactions such as these can typically be reverted. She would get back all the gift card balances in the form of a check.
The sillier the market’s behavior, the greater the opportunity for the business like investor.
MichaelAZ
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Re: Gift Card Scam

Post by MichaelAZ »

gougou wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 12:59 am She should immediately call the gift card company to dispute and "charge back" the gift card transactions. Online transactions such as these can typically be reverted. She would get back all the gift card balances in the form of a check.
Lowe's said they can't do anything. Home Depot's fraud department asked for receipts of the gift cards, which she provided, but hasn't responded back to her yet. The third store, a "high-end dept store" whose name she couldn't remember in our conversation, she didn't really give me a concrete answer as to their response.

All the articles I've read online suggest stores and banks do not compensate or make whole the victims. An AARP article I read says that if the scam was through coercion, as opposed to hacking a bank account, then you are out of luck. Banks and stores differentiate between coercion and fraud. If you authorize the purchase and hand the cards over willingly, even under duress, then they won't make you whole.

It's truly a confidence, or con, game that manipulates human emotions.
andypanda
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by andypanda »

"This secret society says it can help you attain wealth and power"

Google it - The Society or The League

There are articles on it going back ten years from what I saw at a glance.
gougou
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Re: Gift Card Scam

Post by gougou »

MichaelAZ wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 6:43 am
gougou wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 12:59 am She should immediately call the gift card company to dispute and "charge back" the gift card transactions. Online transactions such as these can typically be reverted. She would get back all the gift card balances in the form of a check.
Lowe's said they can't do anything. Home Depot's fraud department asked for receipts of the gift cards, which she provided, but hasn't responded back to her yet. The third store, a "high-end dept store" whose name she couldn't remember in our conversation, she didn't really give me a concrete answer as to their response.

All the articles I've read online suggest stores and banks do not compensate or make whole the victims. An AARP article I read says that if the scam was through coercion, as opposed to hacking a bank account, then you are out of luck. Banks and stores differentiate between coercion and fraud. If you authorize the purchase and hand the cards over willingly, even under duress, then they won't make you whole.

It's truly a confidence, or con, game that manipulates human emotions.
The stores can’t do anything but the gift card issuer can. Gift card issuers such as Incomm or Metabank can most likely charge back those online transactions since those are “card not present” transactions and she didn’t authorize those transactions.

You can find the telephone number of the gift card issuer on the gift card itself. Don’t waste your time talking to the stores they can’t do anything.
The sillier the market’s behavior, the greater the opportunity for the business like investor.
squirm
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by squirm »

We should be telling our parents don't do anything in the computer where someone is instructing you what to do if it involves money or computer problems of any kind without contacting you first.
Dregob
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Dregob »

I work at a major university (the name has been changed) and received a call:

Spammer: "Hello is this Princeton?"
Me:"Yes"
Spammer: "Princeton, what is your last name?"
Me: "University"
Spammer: "Okay Princeton. I am going to connect you to a senior advisor. Please stay on the line"
Me: click
Last edited by Dregob on Sun Feb 13, 2022 12:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
andypanda
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by andypanda »

"We should be telling our parents don't do anything in the computer where someone is instructing you what to do if it involves money or computer problems of any kind without contacting you first."

:) Old people are the ones who invented the personal computer and the internet.
peppers
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by peppers »

We have received text messages that our accounts at Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and TD Bank have been frozen because of suspicious activity. Yes, that is suspicious because we don't have accounts at any of them. (delete message).

A rep supposedly from AT&T called and apologized for the service interruption and our service is restored. Then proceeded to say that I should call back and set up an appointment so a technician could come out and confirm the service is working. Funny, I was on the computer and phone all day and I didn"t notice anything. (delete message).

And it's that time of the year when the IRS will call and say they are coming the next day to arrest me if I don't call them back. Should I have coffee and doughnuts waiting for the agents?

And the Asian lady who would call regularly and leave voicemails has stopped calling. I hope she is alright.
"..the cavalry ain't comin' kid, you're on your own..."
hicabob
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by hicabob »

"Your McAfee anti-virus has expired". Problem is I never had it. They send those weird emails to my secondary email with italics, symbols, etc to avoid spam blockers. I'm not sure if it's really McAfee since its owned by Intel now I think and it seems so tacky or if it's scammers trying to get a cc number?
scrabbler1
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by scrabbler1 »

hicabob wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 1:10 pm "Your McAfee anti-virus has expired". Problem is I never had it. They send those weird emails to my secondary email with italics, symbols, etc to avoid spam blockers. I'm not sure if it's really McAfee since its owned by Intel now I think and it seems so tacky or if it's scammers trying to get a cc number?
I get about 5 of these per day, telling me my McAfee or Norton antivirus or antispyware license has expired. The email addresses are always "gobbledygook @ garbage.nonsense.com"
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dratkinson
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by dratkinson »

andypanda wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 6:49 am "This secret society says it can help you attain wealth and power"

Google it - The Society or The League

There are articles on it going back ten years from what I saw at a glance.
Thanks. Tried that. Must have done something wrong because all I found was a movie review.
Search: https://www.google.com/search?q=the+society

Ditto, the league: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+league%22
Or it may be a dating website.

Do you have a direct link? I'd like to know what I dodged.
d.r.a., not dr.a. | I'm a novice investor; you are forewarned.
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ResearchMed
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ResearchMed »

dratkinson wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 4:22 pm
andypanda wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 6:49 am "This secret society says it can help you attain wealth and power"

Google it - The Society or The League

There are articles on it going back ten years from what I saw at a glance.
Thanks. Tried that. Must have done something wrong because all I found was a movie review.
Search: https://www.google.com/search?q=the+society

Ditto, the league: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+league%22
Or it may be a dating website.

Do you have a direct link? I'd like to know what I dodged.
You might be interested in this report from October, 2039:

https://www.wmar2news.com/matterformall ... -life-with

Or Google "the society secret club"

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gavinsiu
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Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by gavinsiu »

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek]

May be it's the Super Bowl, but I am starting to get a lot of cryptocurrency scam calls. What usually happen is that I get a call with a real number of an actual financial instuitition that said if I authorized coinbase transaction and to press 1 to transfer to a fraud department if I didn't. The thing is that I don't have any cryptocurrnecy and don't have relationship with the banks and credit union supposedly calling me. It's only a matter of time before they call using a bank that I use though.

Just as a warning, numbers can be spoof. The scammer is using a phone number matching the bank's website on caller ID, but is probably calling from somewhere else. If you ever get "fraud" calls and is not sure if it's a fraud or not, do not answer the phone but call your instuition by the phone number listed on your statement.
Last edited by gavinsiu on Thu Feb 17, 2022 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jebmke
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by jebmke »

Robo/scam calls got so bad that we simply shut the ringer off on our phone. Peaceful.
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Yarlonkol12
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by Yarlonkol12 »

I felt like all the calls I used to receive were scam calls or spam, back in the day when I used to answer the phone. I just auto-send everyone not in my phonebook to voicemail
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valleyrock
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by valleyrock »

Don't tell anyone, but a person could be elected to office if they promise to end spam calls, no matter what else is on their agenda.
Californiastate
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by Californiastate »

My cell spam calls come in waves. It seems whenever I need to add my phone number to some form they reappear. We got rid of our landline years ago. It was nothing but a spam portal.
valleyrock
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by valleyrock »

Californiastate wrote: Thu Feb 17, 2022 4:47 pm My cell spam calls come in waves. It seems whenever I need to add my phone number to some form they reappear. We got rid of our landline years ago. It was nothing but a spam portal.
I use a few numbers, using Google Voice. Also the app, Textfree, supplies numbers. Actually, my main number is a Google Voice number, and Google seems to filter out a fair amount of spam and allows screening.
Nicolas
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Re: Starting to get a lot of Cryptocurrency Scam Calls

Post by Nicolas »

Yarlonkol12 wrote: Thu Feb 17, 2022 4:44 pm I felt like all the calls I used to receive were scam calls or spam, back in the day when I used to answer the phone. I just auto-send everyone not in my phonebook to voicemail
I do the same on my iPhone. But for my VOIP phone I use Nomorobo, it works great. I don’t get scam calls anymore.
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LadyGeek
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by LadyGeek »

I merged gavinsiu's thread into the ongoing discussion.
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EnjoyTheJourney
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by EnjoyTheJourney »

This is a scam report, and an inquiry intended to cut down on potential future scams.

The 'Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon"' email scam, and Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon" itself ...

I've received a couple of emails recently that look like scams. They are blatant extortion attempts telling me my world will be turned upside down unless I make a bitcoin payment (a bitcoin wallet address is provided in the email).

I blew off the first one because it had virtually no personal information, and yet claimed to have full control over my computer. The second one was more of the same, with a twist being that it named 'Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon"' as having been installed on all of the devices I use to access the internet; it was claimed that it would be invisible to my antivirus software because it was fileless malware. With that as the claimed method of access, the email claims it has accessed basically everything it was possible to access (ie: everything) and downloaded it.

So, I did a search on Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon" and, as expected, it is fileless malware (there was likely to be some patina of truth to it). But, it seems focused on Microsoft SQL, which seems like an oblique way of accessing home computers.

I came up blank with whether or not defensive software could spot and neutralize it after going through a few screens of search results; admittedly, I was reluctant to click on many of the links because often sites claiming to help with malware are actually looking to install it.

Whether or not the emails are true, which they virtually certainly are not, it does look like Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon" is potentially bad news. Does anybody know to what extent it is a threat to Windows 10 computers and iPads? Do the standard anti-malware software packages and antivirus software prevent it from being installed? Are there things that can be switched off to refuse it access to our home computers (Windows 10 and iPads)?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions provided.
veggivet
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by veggivet »

Has anyone heard about college tuition payments being diverted into hacker accounts? This happened to my GF, whose daughter attends Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Hackers did an amazing job reproducing the payment interface. We're talking $40K per occurrence. First scam occurred back in November, 2021, but this continued until early January, supposedly. Pretty sure their insurance company is covering this, because the bursar hasn't requested another payment.
random_walker_77
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by random_walker_77 »

veggivet wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 7:47 am Has anyone heard about college tuition payments being diverted into hacker accounts? This happened to my GF, whose daughter attends Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Hackers did an amazing job reproducing the payment interface. We're talking $40K per occurrence. First scam occurred back in November, 2021, but this continued until early January, supposedly. Pretty sure their insurance company is covering this, because the bursar hasn't requested another payment.
wow, that's amazing if true. Googling for this, I can't seem to find it anywhere? Seems like it ought to be in the news, unless it was hushed up.
veggivet
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by veggivet »

Administration keeping it on the qt for sure...I don't know how many times it happened, but I know it was more than just a couple, according to the person at Pitzer my GF has been in contact with regarding this.
Mudpuppy
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Mudpuppy »

EnjoyTheJourney wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:34 am Whether or not the emails are true, which they virtually certainly are not, it does look like Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon" is potentially bad news. Does anybody know to what extent it is a threat to Windows 10 computers and iPads? Do the standard anti-malware software packages and antivirus software prevent it from being installed? Are there things that can be switched off to refuse it access to our home computers (Windows 10 and iPads)?
Here is a Mandiant (a respected security company) blog about Cobalt Strike: https://www.mandiant.com/resources/defi ... components

The way the spam is using the terminology makes me think they're blowing smoke. They fail the very first step of the Mandiant blog: identifying and separating the different components of the software suite, and instead regurgitate the full word salad in an attempt to intimidate (or perhaps they don't even understand what they're using to threaten with and just think it sounds scary).

But in essence, this isn't one piece of malware. It's an entire suite of software tools that can be used for good (scanning and patching one's own systems as part of the "red teams" identified in the blog) or evil (scanning and attacking other people's systems). That also makes me think this is a spammer blowing smoke, because real security companies are aware of the software in both its legitimate (red teams) and illegitimate (attacks) usage.

The customized modules might take a while to make it into scanners, but this isn't some veiled dark-web mystery software. It's legitimate commercial security software being cracked and stolen for illegitimate uses. The likelihood of anyone using it against a random personal computer, when there are far greater profits to be made targeting organizations and businesses, are slim, which again brings me to the conclusion that they're blowing smoke.
Mudpuppy
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Mudpuppy »

veggivet wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:31 am Administration keeping it on the qt for sure...I don't know how many times it happened, but I know it was more than just a couple, according to the person at Pitzer my GF has been in contact with regarding this.
Sounds like it might have been a targeted attack against that particular university. Doesn't preclude the same APT team from making similar attacks at other universities, but depending on how they pulled it off, it could be limited in scope.
veggivet
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by veggivet »

I hope it was limited in scope. I will post additional details if/when they become available from the college.
EnjoyTheJourney
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by EnjoyTheJourney »

Mudpuppy wrote: Sat Feb 26, 2022 2:15 pm
EnjoyTheJourney wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:34 am Whether or not the emails are true, which they virtually certainly are not, it does look like Cobalt Strike Agent "Beacon" is potentially bad news. Does anybody know to what extent it is a threat to Windows 10 computers and iPads? Do the standard anti-malware software packages and antivirus software prevent it from being installed? Are there things that can be switched off to refuse it access to our home computers (Windows 10 and iPads)?
Here is a Mandiant (a respected security company) blog about Cobalt Strike: https://www.mandiant.com/resources/defi ... components

The way the spam is using the terminology makes me think they're blowing smoke. They fail the very first step of the Mandiant blog: identifying and separating the different components of the software suite, and instead regurgitate the full word salad in an attempt to intimidate (or perhaps they don't even understand what they're using to threaten with and just think it sounds scary).

But in essence, this isn't one piece of malware. It's an entire suite of software tools that can be used for good (scanning and patching one's own systems as part of the "red teams" identified in the blog) or evil (scanning and attacking other people's systems). That also makes me think this is a spammer blowing smoke, because real security companies are aware of the software in both its legitimate (red teams) and illegitimate (attacks) usage.

The customized modules might take a while to make it into scanners, but this isn't some veiled dark-web mystery software. It's legitimate commercial security software being cracked and stolen for illegitimate uses. The likelihood of anyone using it against a random personal computer, when there are far greater profits to be made targeting organizations and businesses, are slim, which again brings me to the conclusion that they're blowing smoke.
Thank you very much for the explanation. It's better to have some understanding than, well, next to none, which is basically what I had earlier.

It may be that I'm at least a bit dense about IT in general. But, it's not completely clear if standard antispyware or antivirus software used commonly by individuals for their home computers would pick up the use of a cracked / illegal / modified version of Cobalt Strike. It's also not completely clear how somebody might likely try to insert this into somebody's system except perhaps via the usual efforts to trick people into clicking on weblinks, etc. So, the spammer may have picked a particularly good software to mention to try to fool people into paying up.
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K72
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by K72 »

I've probably gotten 100 phone messages in the last three years telling me that the extended warranty on my car is about to expire. At first I diligently blocked the number each time, but that didn't help. The last 20 or so calls all said it was the "final" notice. My car is 12 years old and I never purchased extended warranty.

Been tempted to answer one and ask which specific car they are referring to, but decided it wasn't worth my time.
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Lou Sevens
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Lou Sevens »

something called work- they exploit you- track your every move- and expect you to be loyal to them.
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dratkinson
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by dratkinson »

K72 wrote: Mon Feb 28, 2022 2:02 pm I've probably gotten 100 phone messages in the last three years telling me that the extended warranty on my car is about to expire. At first I diligently blocked the number each time, but that didn't help. The last 20 or so calls all said it was the "final" notice. My car is 12 years old and I never purchased extended warranty.

Been tempted to answer one and ask which specific car they are referring to, but decided it wasn't worth my time.
Tried that one time.

They: Your car's warranty is about to expire....
Me: I want to renew my warranty.
They: Which vehicle do you have?
Me: The one you called me about.
They: Which one is that?
Me: The one you know I have. That one.
They:.... [click]

You're right, it wasn't much fun. So now let everything go to answering machine... with volume just loud enough to distinguish friend from foe.
d.r.a., not dr.a. | I'm a novice investor; you are forewarned.
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