Beware of phone scammers... goddamn

Re: Beware of phone scammers... goddamn

• MobKaz member

  

  May 2016

  MCmeow said:

  MobKaz said:

  MCmeow said:

  Ok so I always assumed I was a smart reasonable person, someone who can't be fooled by scams "Psh how do people fall for those Nigerian prince scams? It's so obvious". But today I nearly got scammed by someone who plays with life or death situations. It's a lot easier than I assumed and I nearly lost $1000. This is how: (it's a long story but also a warning)
  
  Before I start I'll say my brother is fine, the worst time for his phone to be dead, but he answered afterwards.
  
  First I was at work and got a missed call and got a text saying "Your family member was in a car accident, call back at this number" I'm in a few family member's emergency contacts so I thought it was reasonable. I called the stranger's number back. A guy answered and said there was a car accident and my brother or husband was in the crash and wasn't looking good, he was unconscious and I freaked out and panicked and asked which brother? and gave their actual names, and he chose one of the names.
  
  He explained that my brother was in a car crash and the scammer's 10 year old nephew got badly hurt as well and they had no insurance for medical expenses. So the nephew's dad wanted to shoot my brother but the caller calmed him down and decided to call me for the money. So as I was shaking thinking my brother was being held hostage he walked me through trying to get money out of account and send to him through Western Union. 
  
  That started to sound suspicious of course, but I was panicking because my brother wasn't answering his phone. He told me to get out of work and do this "It's ok if you get fired, you can get another job but you won't get another brother", he's disgusting. So I stalled for 30min walking around some blocks pretending I couldn't find a western union but they were monitoring my every word. I was scared of saying the wrong thing and triggering them. Still scared texting my fiance through all of this, he researched that this is a common scam (that I never heard of). So I looked up the number while on my headset and the same story happened to someone else with this number a few weeks ago. So I asked the guy if he can put my brother on the phone. He lost his patience and freaked out and I hung up.
  
  It sounds stupid looking back at it but these scammers play with your emotions, first by you thinking your family member is hurt, then by making up a story that they are taken hostage and you'd believe anything. This taught me to look up all numbers before calling them. I never wanted to know what it feels like to think your brother is going to die, but that's what it felt like and it's disgusting that people make a living off making strangers feel this way.
  
  Just giving a warning about this sort of scam, never knew they go this far.

  It is always nerve wracking to receive any call like this, legit or scam.  The important thing to remember is to stay calm and think the scenario through reasonably and rationally. 
  
  In a bad car accident, how would a stranger get the phone of someone else?  If they are still at the accident scene, ask what town they are in, and call that local police department.  If the scammer says they are at the hospital, ask for the name of the hospital.  Hang up and call the actual hospital. 
  
  Do not give these callers any information.  Do not leave a workplace or do anything that isolates you.  Never agree to give anyone any money without contacting your local police department.
  
  There are so many scammers out there.  My sister in law almost got scammed through her computer, because someone was able to manipulate her screen and make it appear as if she needed to purchase anti-virus protection.  They were even able to lock her screen in an attempt to force her to call a phone number.  She did.  Thankfully, she called me before giving up any personal information.
  
  It is better to err on the side of caution, and even suffer some personal embarrassment, rather than get caught up in these scams.  They are everywhere!
  

  
  Yeah i agree with all of this. But when you think a family member can die you don't think rationally. It was easy for me to see how obvious it was afterwards. At first I assumed it was because I was on his emergency contact list. This is what they aim for and it's gross. They know people would do anything for family. Also the leaving work advice, I agree, depends where you are though. I'm in NYC where all the streets are crowded and it's pretty safe for this sort of situation. If you're in the middle of no where, absolutely do not leave.

  @MCmeow, I wrote my response rapidly first thing in the morning, and realized I did not allow enough time to write thoughtful explanations.  I absolutely realize that rational thought often flies out the window in a time of perceived crisis. 
  
  One of the reasons I suggested you not leave the workplace is because these scammers prey on your adrenaline and emotions.  I wasn't suggesting you remain at work for personal safety reasons alone.  If you leave the workplace, then you have no one to use as a sounding board or for support.  Scammers hope to catch you off guard and panicked to prevent you from seeking advice or a second opinion.  More often than not, once you share your story, someone more calm and less personally involved will become your rational voice and open your eyes to the possibility of a scam.
  
  I am so hardened to these scams that I almost ignored a legitimate identity theft.  Our SS#'s were used to file a false federal tax return.  To make a long story short, we did immediately notify police.  Apparently this is extremely typical during the tax filing months, and any given town will report scores of false claims.  The police were extremely helpful and sadly, had an entire large booklet that took us through a step by step process of what to do, and who to notify.
  

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• morewineplease member

  

  May 2016

  I received one of these calls a few months back and it freaked me out too. I realized there was no way my brother would have given my number though because I am not even in the same state, so how could I help. Then I started screaming at the guy and telling him what shit he was till he hung up. 

  

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