[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
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Random Musings
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Random Musings »

I have phone numbers of all key groups I do financial transactions/medical/whatever with. I call them, even if they call me first (I don't answer). I don't do any financial transactions on a cell phone. I scan all calls. The only phone scams I get are the boring extended car warranty and pick up at Walmart ones. I delete everything. Besides this site, I have no social media accounts.

These days, I don't trust information flow coming from both the public or private sectors. And I question their ability to keep information away from hackers.

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

Post by roamingzebra »

Random Musings wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 12:16 pm
These days, I don't trust information flow coming from both the public or private sectors. And I question their ability to keep information away from hackers.
I sometimes listen to a podcast by a former law enforcement official who worked digital crimes. He recently brought up the point that companies now realize they are vulnerable to ransomware attacks, so now they are more diligent about making backups to avoid paying ransom. Why is this bad? Because this makes the ransomware guys mad. If they don't get their money, they release all the data to the public in retaliation. So in addition to the constant data breaches we are all suffering as a result of companies that don't protect our personal data, we now have to worry about companies who are okay with having our personal data released publicly as long as they don't have to pay ransom.
likegarden
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

For a very long time we never picked up phone calls from names and phone numbers we do not know. All phone calls go onto our answering machine, we might listen to messages, but not more.
I notice getting E-mail messages from places I never signed on to, never did business with, or not recently, as if someone signed up under my name. I do not answer those messages, because that would initiate some more scams, let those people figure it out.
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Tubes
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Tubes »

RetiredAL wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:47 pm
RickBoglehead wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 12:49 pm
Colorado Guy wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 12:43 pm Am not sure if this is legitimate or not.

Received a physically mailed card from BCBSsettlement.com, a Blue Cross Blue Shield Settlement org, stating that BCBS overcharged for some period ($2.7 BILLION), and saying I could join the group being represented by this team so I could get what's coming to me! Going online one has to enter personal information just to get a form, and I am reluctant to be added to a junk mail list (at the very least).

If this is legit, and they know I had BCBS for part of that period, why do I need to respond? I received something like this decades ago regarding working with asbestos claims, didn't join that one either. Now, a bit older and not much smarter (but a little bit), I am inclined just to throw this away, as I am skeptical to say the least.

Any insight would be appreciated, otherwise this card goes into the recycle bin in a day or so.
It is 100% legitimate.

If you never respond to be part of the class, you'll receive nothing.

viewtopic.php?t=346367

https://www.bcbssettlement.com/
IMO, usually the only people that receive anything meaningful in most of these lawsuits, are the lawyers.
Lawyers always make out, but sometimes the class does OK. I got a couple of hundred dollars from the first Invesco class action (2010), not to be confused with another going on now. It was well worth my time to dig up old records and send in the fairly extensive paperwork.

Luckily, I save everything in a long term file so I had proof of ownership from the late 90s period when I held the shares before finding my way to Vanguard and the BH way.

I should note that this came through US mail and not email or text. Perhaps it is different today, but it seems that a significant class action will result in US Mail. I have been in a few other $1 to $5 classes that did come only through email, though.
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bertilak
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by bertilak »

Lately I've been getting MANY, what I call "confirm delivery" scams via text (SMS) messages. There are several variations on a theme:
  • Confirm [some personal info] so delivery can be made, otherwise it will be returned to sender, warehouse, or the like.
    Another variation is refund of overpayment, also with requests for personal info or the money will not be refunded.
I suspect some of these lead to links where one will have to log in with ID/PW from someplace like Amazon or the phone company.

There are so many it is getting annoying. I'm just letting off steam here as I don't think anyone really needs to be warned that these are scams.
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
EnjoyIt
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by EnjoyIt »

bertilak wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:58 am Lately I've been getting MANY, what I call "confirm delivery" scams via text (SMS) messages. There are several variations on a theme:
  • Confirm [some personal info] so delivery can be made, otherwise it will be returned to sender, warehouse, or the like.
    Another variation is refund of overpayment, also with requests for personal info or the money will not be refunded.
I suspect some of these lead to links where one will have to log in with ID/PW from someplace like Amazon or the phone company.

There are so many it is getting annoying. I'm just letting off steam here as I don't think anyone really needs to be warned that these are scams.
It really is annoying. In a month I get dozens of calls, dozens of emails, and dozens of texts. I delete or ignore all of them, but I am annoyed at the waste of time these scammers cause me.
A time to EVALUATE your jitters: | viewtopic.php?p=1139732#p1139732
scrabbler1
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by scrabbler1 »

One of the most frequent scam emails I have been getting the last year or two are those "thank you for your purchase of anti-spyware" or "anti-virus" program, often from a name brand such as Norton or McAfee. The email tells me my credit card or debit card of Paypal account will be billed ~$400 for the purchase, and to call some phone number if I did not make the purchase. The email is usually sent from gobbledygook@moregobbledygook.com.
Hebell
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Hebell »

The number of student loan scams must be soaring. My daughter's old email address, that she seldom uses, has been getting legitimate looking emails. And I've gotten calls for student loan scams too, too.
donfairplay
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by donfairplay »

bertilak wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:58 am Lately I've been getting MANY, what I call "confirm delivery" scams via text (SMS) messages. There are several variations on a theme:
  • Confirm [some personal info] so delivery can be made, otherwise it will be returned to sender, warehouse, or the like.
    Another variation is refund of overpayment, also with requests for personal info or the money will not be refunded.
I suspect some of these lead to links where one will have to log in with ID/PW from someplace like Amazon or the phone company.

There are so many it is getting annoying. I'm just letting off steam here as I don't think anyone really needs to be warned that these are scams.
Add the actual SMS number to your contacts, or just keep a few of the latest SMS messages from Amazon, Target, etc. because your phone is not going to (or shouldn't) run out of storage space from your SMS messages.
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user9532
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by user9532 »

I have a Citi Costco credit card. Today I received a text message asking whether I made a purchase for about $250 at a particular store. I got skeptical and logged on to the account. I saw this transaction as pending and another transaction for about $2,800 at an out of state store that was declined. I called Citi and they immediately cancelled both transactions, cancelled the credit card and told me they would mail me a new card.

I googled the out of state store, got a tel no and talked to them. They said somebody personally came there and used the card and they may have video footage of the person. I told them I would be contacting law enforcement, and they gave me their contact info and said they would cooperate. I reported to local police and gave them all the info. Hopefully they will catch the guy.

I can think of two possibilities how somebody got my credit card number. Recently I travelled out of state and used the card at several restaurants. Somebody might have noted down my credit card number at one of the restaurants. The other possibility would be I was a victim of card skimming at a gas station. The state where this person attempted the purchase is not one of the states I travelled to though.

Generally I am careful about my online transactions. I use a separate, dedicated laptop with a dedicated email address exclusively for my personal finance. I checked all my other accounts and everything else is ok.
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ResearchMed
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by ResearchMed »

user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:13 pm I have a Citi Costco credit card. Today I received a text message asking whether I made a purchase for about $250 at a particular store. I got skeptical and logged on to the account. I saw this transaction as pending and another transaction for about $2,800 at an out of state store that was declined. I called Citi and they immediately cancelled both transactions, cancelled the credit card and told me they would mail me a new card.

I googled the out of state store, got a tel no and talked to them. They said somebody personally came there and used the card and they may have video footage of the person. I told them I would be contacting law enforcement, and they gave me their contact info and said they would cooperate. I reported to local police and gave them all the info. Hopefully they will catch the guy.

I can think of two possibilities how somebody got my credit card number. Recently I travelled out of state and used the card at several restaurants. Somebody might have noted down my credit card number at one of the restaurants. The other possibility would be I was a victim of card skimming at a gas station. The state where this person attempted the purchase is not one of the states I travelled to though.

Generally I am careful about my online transactions. I use a separate, dedicated laptop with a dedicated email address exclusively for my personal finance. I checked all my other accounts and everything else is ok.
You were wise to follow up.

These days, I'm not sure how one can truly be sure about keeping those numbers "safe" (be it charge cards, SSN, or whatever).
Despite *your* care and caution, any vendor you've used, online or in person, could have had *their* website compromised. We hear about some of these, but I have no doubt that there are other breaches that we never hear about.
And once those numbers are "out there"... well... there they are... at least until you change the card number, etc.

Did that person in the out of state store actually swipe a card...? Or did they have a card that, um, "wouldn't swipe right", so they verbally gave the vendor the "right" numbers (meaning, *your* numbers)?

How easy is it for someone to create - or "get" - a card that is swipe-able? Are there places that "do this" for the right fee? :annoyed
I'm feeling a bit naive about this just now.

I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often, which I attribute to better and better fraud-detection software by the charge card issuers, etc.

RM
This signature is a placebo. You are in the control group.
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user9532
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by user9532 »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:28 pm

Did that person in the out of state store actually swipe a card...? Or did they have a card that, um, "wouldn't swipe right", so they verbally gave the vendor the "right" numbers (meaning, *your* numbers)?

I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
RetiredAL
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by RetiredAL »

user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
RetiredInTheWest
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by RetiredInTheWest »

We have a rule in our house that if someone calls, no matter how believable or from an apparent real number, we give no personal information whatsoever. If personal information is necessary, we have to hang up and call them back at a valid number we have independent from the call (hasn't happened yet - just scam attempts). Some of the scams out there are remarkably clever too.

Fraud alert vs. credit freeze to me is like the difference between being told "your house just burned down" vs. "we made it so your house can't burn down". Fixing identity theft sounds like a major drag. I think everyone should have a credit freeze.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by sport »

RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:28 pm
user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
When we travel, I notify the credit card bank that I will be traveling. So, they do not think that the out of town charges are fraudulent.
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AnnetteLouisan
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Re: Scam alert - USPS new feature playing a role

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

dowse wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:04 pm
yohac wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:01 pm There have been so many horrendous data breaches that most scammers don't bother with Informed Delivery or breaking into mailboxes anymore. That's too much work. They just buy your data online. Everyone should freeze their credit reports.
Totally agree everyone should freeze. Open up only when necessary. The process has been made very easy and free. It took me all of about 10 minutes.
My family has security freezes. Good for peace of mind.
dukeblue219
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by dukeblue219 »

Catching up on the last set of posts on this thread I'd add:

Getting an email from Walmart or a text from Apple doesn't mean it's really from them.

That's why the other thing to remember is NEVER give out the 2-factor verification code to anyone. If someone calls to ask for the code you just received, it's 100% a scammer who just requested the code for your account themselves, and now you're about to let them in.
Silverado
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Silverado »

dukeblue219 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:56 pm Catching up on the last set of posts on this thread I'd add:

Getting an email from Walmart or a text from Apple doesn't mean it's really from them.

That's why the other thing to remember is NEVER give out the 2-factor verification code to anyone. If someone calls to ask for the code you just received, it's 100% a scammer who just requested the code for your account themselves, and now you're about to let them in.
Yeah, it’s this sort of one that I could see tripping almost anyone up if they catch you at just the right (wrong) time. Too many things juggling, guard down, gotcha. So good to read these things, repetition, repetition, repetition.
squirm
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by squirm »

dukeblue219 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:56 pm Catching up on the last set of posts on this thread I'd add:

Getting an email from Walmart or a text from Apple doesn't mean it's really from them.

That's why the other thing to remember is NEVER give out the 2-factor verification code to anyone. If someone calls to ask for the code you just received, it's 100% a scammer who just requested the code for your account themselves, and now you're about to let them in.
Man, I hope everyone knows that 2FA code is not to share with anyone. I guard that 2FA code with my life....

One nice thing with Microsoft's Authenticator is you can have it ask for a passcode or fingerprint to just to get access to it.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by RetiredAL »

sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:11 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:28 pm
user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
When we travel, I notify the credit card bank that I will be traveling. So, they do not think that the out of town charges are fraudulent.
I've never had any other card complain about a 400 mile destination in a next door state (Nevada). That CITI card has been Montana several times before, but that was the first time since Covid. Ironically, the previous drive to Montana included the 1st night's stay in the same city, but in a motel across the street. Do they not keep history for more than a year? This is a prime use card and often has substantial charges place on it.
sport
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by sport »

RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:54 pm
sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:11 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:28 pm
user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
When we travel, I notify the credit card bank that I will be traveling. So, they do not think that the out of town charges are fraudulent.
I've never had any other card complain about a 400 mile destination in a next door state (Nevada). That CITI card has been Montana several times before, but that was the first time since Covid. Ironically, the previous drive to Montana included the 1st night's stay in the same city, but in a motel across the street. Do they not keep history for more than a year? This is a prime use card and often has substantial charges place on it.
There is no way to know what they look for, and it might change. IMO it's better to take precautions than to assume there will be no problems.
RetiredAL
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by RetiredAL »

sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:12 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:54 pm
sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:11 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:28 pm
user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
When we travel, I notify the credit card bank that I will be traveling. So, they do not think that the out of town charges are fraudulent.
I've never had any other card complain about a 400 mile destination in a next door state (Nevada). That CITI card has been Montana several times before, but that was the first time since Covid. Ironically, the previous drive to Montana included the 1st night's stay in the same city, but in a motel across the street. Do they not keep history for more than a year? This is a prime use card and often has substantial charges place on it.
There is no way to know what they look for, and it might change. IMO it's better to take precautions than to assume there will be no problems.
I can tell you, that if that card was not so integrated with Costco, I'd weigh dumping them. When a company provides substandard service, it's time for them to see the soles of my shoes as I walk away. They are not the only player. I will not be their chore-boy. My 4-bits!
Silverado
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Silverado »

sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:12 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:54 pm
sport wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:11 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:28 pm
user9532 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:50 pm
I didn't specifically ask whether the person swiped the card, probably I should have asked. He personally came there and attempted to use the card, either swiped or inserted the card or gave the number. In any case the transaction didn't go through, it was showing up as declined on my account.

I was impressed with Citi's promptness in preventing the fraud.
In late June, we traveled from our home in the SF Bay Area to Montana to visit daughter and grand-kids. We stopped less than 400 miles from home for the night and CITI blocked the room charge, so I paid with a different card, with me planning on giving them a piece of my mind after we unloaded and had some dinner. The text msg from them asking if the charge was me arrived while at dinner. IMO, no AI (intelligence) in those validation algorithms, nor timely from my perspective.
When we travel, I notify the credit card bank that I will be traveling. So, they do not think that the out of town charges are fraudulent.
I've never had any other card complain about a 400 mile destination in a next door state (Nevada). That CITI card has been Montana several times before, but that was the first time since Covid. Ironically, the previous drive to Montana included the 1st night's stay in the same city, but in a motel across the street. Do they not keep history for more than a year? This is a prime use card and often has substantial charges place on it.
There is no way to know what they look for, and it might change. IMO it's better to take precautions than to assume there will be no problems.
During a recent vacation far from home, we were chatting about this. I commented that I was surprised a $150 charge at a liquor store did not raise an alert. We postulated that since we used the same credit card to buy the plane tickets, the rental to the airport, a meal, another rental car at destination, that maybe the AI routines actually knew we were now in a new place.
likegarden
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

Can someone tell me if there is a scam starting up in my Email List. When I look into my Inbox I see every day one or more new messages with all characters of several colors and designs. I thought first a scammer was trying to get me interested to open up the message and then continue from there on. I always delete those messages without opening them.
Are these messages from scammers? I notice that some of these messages are now from sites I have bought from. Perhaps my Inbox has a virus which is spreading?
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Tubes
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Tubes »

likegarden wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:46 pm Can someone tell me if there is a scam starting up in my Email List. When I look into my Inbox I see every day one or more new messages with all characters of several colors and designs. I thought first a scammer was trying to get me interested to open up the message and then continue from there on. I always delete those messages without opening them.
Are these messages from scammers? I notice that some of these messages are now from sites I have bought from. Perhaps my Inbox has a virus which is spreading?
A lot of this depends on what software you use for an inbox. Some of them can't handle special characters very well. For example: Google Fiber recently started sending me mail with special characters in the title using some weird font. On Gmail, it reads fine. On my smart watch, it is all gibberish.

On thing I noticed is that in recent months, I've been seeing more and more special characters in email titles from vendors. Not the entire line, but an occasional emoji. This trend is spreading.

What do you use as an "inbox reader?"
likegarden
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

I have my Email via webmail.spectrum.net.
I looked into Microsoft Word which has about 200 different fonts, but not that crazy one I get in these Emails.
A friend simply deletes those messages too, same what I am doing. A company does not look proper and secure to me when it decides not to stick to standard protocol.
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Tubes
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Tubes »

likegarden wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:28 am I have my Email via webmail.spectrum.net.
I looked into Microsoft Word which has about 200 different fonts, but not that crazy one I get in these Emails.
A friend simply deletes those messages too, same what I am doing. A company does not look proper and secure to me when it decides not to stick to standard protocol.
I see no harm in deleting them as they are just getting cute with marketing. I don't recall ever getting anything serious that included a frilly font in the title.

Here are some examples of marketing I'm seeing with special characters. Google Fiber's slanted text. Coffee cups. Hearts. It all ends up as garbage on my smart watch. I subsequently send them to the garbage.

Image
Lynette
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Lynette »

I have started to get these on my gmail account. I delete all of them.
likegarden
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

Thank you!
I just got one from Walgreens with some of that. But all the other Emails with special fonts have all the same special colorful fonts, as if they all come from one sender.
But it seems that someone might want me to click on things and then my computer gets something downloaded. I have Webroot and Malwarebytes installed and they hopefully would help me then. But to prevent anything at all I will continue to delete any Email with special characters without clicking on it.
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Stinky
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Stinky »

Lynette wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:07 am I have started to get these on my gmail account. I delete all of them.
Yes, all of a sudden I’m averaging 25 or so spam emails per day in my gmail account.

I was getting none as recently as two months ago.
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roamingzebra
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by roamingzebra »

EDIT: Haha I tried twice on this post and screwed it up. What I was trying to say was too complicated, involved too many variables; I'll just skip it for now.
Last edited by roamingzebra on Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lynette
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Lynette »

Tubes wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 7:00 am
likegarden wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:46 pm Can someone tell me if there is a scam starting up in my Email List. When I look into my Inbox I see every day one or more new messages with all characters of several colors and designs. I thought first a scammer was trying to get me interested to open up the message and then continue from there on. I always delete those messages without opening them.
Are these messages from scammers? I notice that some of these messages are now from sites I have bought from. Perhaps my Inbox has a virus which is spreading?
A lot of this depends on what software you use for an inbox. Some of them can't handle special characters very well. For example: Google Fiber recently started sending me mail with special characters in the title using some weird font. On Gmail, it reads fine. On my smart watch, it is all gibberish.

On thing I noticed is that in recent months, I've been seeing more and more special characters in email titles from vendors. Not the entire line, but an occasional emoji. This trend is spreading.

What do you use as an "inbox reader?"
Yes, my email was involved in a data breach about a year ago. My credit card was compromised and I got a demand from a scammer for $6000. I fixed the credit card problem and took the most drastic measure I could think of. I now have a few more email accounts that I use for financial transactions - all secured by Google's Advanced Security Program. I am also using a password manager and have two factor authentication enabled where possible by Yubico keys or an authenticator. If the company does not use Yubico or an Authenticator I use my phone. I am aware of the weaknesses of this. My credit has been frozen for years - currently with five credit bureaus. I use Chromebooks most of the time. I only use Microsoft for Adobe's photoshop. I cannot think of anything else to do except delete the scam emails, not click on links and check my financial accounts regularly.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by hsmith »

Lynette wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 11:58 am Yes, my email was involved in a data breach about a year ago. My credit card was compromised and I got a demand from a scammer for $6000. I fixed the credit card problem and took the most drastic measure I could think of. I now have a few more email accounts that I use for financial transactions - all secured by Google's Advanced Security Program. I am also using a password manager and have two factor authentication enabled where possible by Yubico keys or an authenticator. If the company does not use Yubico or an Authenticator I use my phone. I am aware of the weaknesses of this. My credit has been frozen for years - currently with five credit bureaus. I use Chromebooks most of the time. I only use Microsoft for Adobe's photoshop. I cannot think of anything else to do except delete the scam emails, not click on links and check my financial accounts regularly.
In addition to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, what are the other two credit unions where you have freezes?
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Duckie
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Duckie »

hsmith wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 4:37 pm In addition to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, what are the other two credit unions where you have freezes?
I can think of Innovis, NCTUE for phone and utilities, and ChexSystems for bank accounts.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by LeftCoastIV »

Lynette wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 11:58 am
Tubes wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 7:00 am
likegarden wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:46 pm Can someone tell me if there is a scam starting up in my Email List. When I look into my Inbox I see every day one or more new messages with all characters of several colors and designs. I thought first a scammer was trying to get me interested to open up the message and then continue from there on. I always delete those messages without opening them.
Are these messages from scammers? I notice that some of these messages are now from sites I have bought from. Perhaps my Inbox has a virus which is spreading?
A lot of this depends on what software you use for an inbox. Some of them can't handle special characters very well. For example: Google Fiber recently started sending me mail with special characters in the title using some weird font. On Gmail, it reads fine. On my smart watch, it is all gibberish.

On thing I noticed is that in recent months, I've been seeing more and more special characters in email titles from vendors. Not the entire line, but an occasional emoji. This trend is spreading.

What do you use as an "inbox reader?"
Yes, my email was involved in a data breach about a year ago. My credit card was compromised and I got a demand from a scammer for $6000. I fixed the credit card problem and took the most drastic measure I could think of. I now have a few more email accounts that I use for financial transactions - all secured by Google's Advanced Security Program. I am also using a password manager and have two factor authentication enabled where possible by Yubico keys or an authenticator. If the company does not use Yubico or an Authenticator I use my phone. I am aware of the weaknesses of this. My credit has been frozen for years - currently with five credit bureaus. I use Chromebooks most of the time. I only use Microsoft for Adobe's photoshop. I cannot think of anything else to do except delete the scam emails, not click on links and check my financial accounts regularly.
Re scam mails, one additional thing you could consider is setting your email to not automatically download images. This is more about privacy rather than directly preventing fraud.

See: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-sto ... -in-emails
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by radiowave »

I had a new one today. Got a group text, about 20 numbers on my phone and the area code and exchange were all identical and same as my cellphone number except for the last 4 digits. There was some multiple annoying messages for a few minutes, then saw several text to take them off the list. So I guess someone was phishing for active phone numbers? I didn't reply.
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heartwood
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by heartwood »

radiowave wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:30 pm I had a new one today. Got a group text, about 20 numbers on my phone and the area code and exchange were all identical and same as my cellphone number except for the last 4 digits. There was some multiple annoying messages for a few minutes, then saw several text to take them off the list. So I guess someone was phishing for active phone numbers? I didn't reply.
This started for me a month or so ago. I get several a week. I don't respond. My nexus phone sends them to spam/blocked automatically.

I get several other phishing texts a week that mention unclaimed funds or covid stimulus funds or other other trys to get me to open the link.

I'm less concerned with verifying my phone number than downloading something from the link site. As always never click on a link.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by bberris »

I got this message after a high-value auction ended from this brand new ebay guy who was not my buyer. who kindly provided his name and address for law enforcement. And I love the little note distraction.:

New message from: sxaa_9158 (0)
Hello, thanks for the good auction, today I'm in another state .I have small request, I’m making a surprise for my special friend, i want send it to the specified address, so if you don’t mind, please send and add a little letter with the following text: "Consume in peace. Love you!" it’s very important to me, I will deposit money as soon as possible. Wait for the money! to be reflеctеd and then send it to the following address:


Full name: george qavtaradze

Address: New Castle, DE, USA!

Addresss-2: 8 mcculloughਪDr. ; Unit 245624

ZIP: 1 9 7 2 0
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ FYI - That address is publicly posted on ebay: SCAM - 8 McCullough Dr u140784 New Castle, Delaware

(Credit to moderator oldcomputerguy for the find.)
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by tortoise84 »

Yes I also sold a high value item on eBay and shortly after it was bought, I received a message from a different member that was clearing marked by eBay as "This user isn't a buyer for this item":

"Hi. I bought it from u. I am sending u my new address where I want to get it. coz I moved and forgot to change it when paid."

The address was in an image to evade eBay's automatic message scanning for fraud, and it was also in Delaware, presumably a mail forwarding service which are common in DE because they have no sales tax. So these scammers just search for items that were recently sold and send out messages phishing for naïve sellers to change the shipment to their address.

In my case, I just ignored the message and shipped to the original buyer.

You should never change the address after payment because eBay will no longer protect you. In fact, for items >$750 you also have to get signature confirmation of delivery. If the ORIGINAL buyer asks to change the address, then you just have to cancel the transaction and relist it. I think you'll lose any credit card transaction fees though.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by bberris »

Maybe the odd address formatting was to evade Ebay's fraud filter.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Elsebet »

Stinky wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:44 am
Lynette wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:07 am I have started to get these on my gmail account. I delete all of them.
Yes, all of a sudden I’m averaging 25 or so spam emails per day in my gmail account.

I was getting none as recently as two months ago.
Are you a Tmobile customer? I am, and my spam email increase started a bit before the time they announced the breach.
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Stinky
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by Stinky »

Elsebet wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 1:50 pm
Stinky wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:44 am
Lynette wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:07 am I have started to get these on my gmail account. I delete all of them.
Yes, all of a sudden I’m averaging 25 or so spam emails per day in my gmail account.

I was getting none as recently as two months ago.
Are you a Tmobile customer? I am, and my spam email increase started a bit before the time they announced the breach.
No I’m not. Thankfully that’s one data breach that I avoided.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by LadyGeek »

Elsebet wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 1:50 pm Are you a Tmobile customer? I am, and my spam email increase started a bit before the time they announced the breach.
I'm a T-mobile customer. You should have already done 2 things:

1. Update your Customer PIN/Passcode
2. Freeze your credit

The breach can be discussed in: Possible T-Mobile data breach
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by phxjcc »

“Hi, YOUR LEGAL NAME, this is THEIR.FRIENDLY.SOUNDING.NICKNAME I just sold my house in our neighborhood and I want to put that money to work for me in another house and I would like to talk to you about your property on YOUR STREET NAME. Please call me at xxx xxx-xxxx.”

4 different voices, same exact words, 4 different names. 4 different phone numbers. No local numbers.

Only 3 sales in the neighborhood, and I knew all the owners.

REITS? Low ballers?
Don’t know/don’t care.

50% appreciation in 3 years is driving this, I suspect.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

We found a message from Amazon Customer Service yesterday (Sunday) on our house phone answering machine, that they cancelled my purchase of an Iphone 11 for $1429. because something suspicious came up. We did not order that phone. There is nothing in my credit card account, and no Email from Amazon this Monday morning. So I think the suspicious event might have been that the crook tried to change the deliver-to address, as others had here experienced.
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5th_Dimension
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by 5th_Dimension »

likegarden wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:47 am We found a message from Amazon Customer Service yesterday (Sunday) on our house phone answering machine, that they cancelled my purchase of an Iphone 11 for $1429. because something suspicious came up. We did not order that phone. There is nothing in my credit card account, and no Email from Amazon this Monday morning. So I think the suspicious event might have been that the crook tried to change the deliver-to address, as others had here experienced.
The most likely suspicious event was that the person calling was not Amazon Customer Service. I have had calls from "Amazon" recently as well and I looked it up. It is a known scam trying to get your account info.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by investingdad »

After just completing a refi, both my wife and I had unemployment claims filed on our behalf. The first batch used our names and addresses, the second batch used our addresses but different names. We both had to let our HR departments know they were fraudulent.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by RetiredAL »

5th_Dimension wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:39 am
likegarden wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:47 am We found a message from Amazon Customer Service yesterday (Sunday) on our house phone answering machine, that they cancelled my purchase of an Iphone 11 for $1429. because something suspicious came up. We did not order that phone. There is nothing in my credit card account, and no Email from Amazon this Monday morning. So I think the suspicious event might have been that the crook tried to change the deliver-to address, as others had here experienced.
The most likely suspicious event was that the person calling was not Amazon Customer Service. I have had calls from "Amazon" recently as well and I looked it up. It is a known scam trying to get your account info.
My very elderly father gets these as emails, and when you look at the sender details, it's not from vendor listed. I see Amazon, various banks, Norton Anti-virus, and Office subscriptions. The best defense is knowing that these are out there, both phone and computer, and don't get taken in by the flashy lure.

Now that my Dad no longer retrieves his e-mails, I do that for him, my worry level about him getting taken in has gone to near zero. I've written a series of email rules to move many of these into spam or other special folders to keeping the out of the inbox as much as possible, but there are always leakers.

I guess it's not different than the old snake oil salesman, here today trying to sell to the gullible, gone tomorrow.
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Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Post by likegarden »

5thDimension, yes I thought that too, that this Customer Service was fake. Suspicious was also that we got 8 phone calls with the first 6 digits the same as on our phone number. Usually we get only about 1 of those on a Sunday. And then we got 2 Emails with those colorful characters with suspicious text in the title. As always we do not answer phone calls from unknown phone numbers and do not open suspicious Emails.
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