Hi all,

 

I've been on this board for a little more than 4 months now. From what I gather, most members are from the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Europe. Some members, like me, are from India. I have not come across members from any other countries, or maybe I have and don't know it. I have also noticed that most people on this board are senior citizens. Either way, irrespective of nationality, many may be getting calls from unknown numbers or getting weird pop-ups on their devices such as computers and phones about the device being infected by some sort of virus and that you will need to call a specific number to resolve the "issue". If any of you haven't figured it out yet, such calls and pop-ups are all scams. Sadly, most of these scams originate from my country of residence, India. I am unaware, but some scams may originate from other countries as well. Either way, such scammers target senior citizens and/or vulnerable people who do not know much about computers and the electronics they use. Some may be tech savvy, while others may not. To conclude, this thread is about bringing such scams to your attention. If you know about them already, that's good, as this knowledge will prevent you from getting scammed.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that there are resources and/or help you can reach out to prevent being scammed. There is a growing scam baiting community on Youtube, where scambaiters call these scam numbers and just waste their time to prevent them from scamming people. In some cases, some scambaiters do some pretty impressive investigative work and make life hell for scam call centers. Do note that in some one off cases, some employees of such scam call centers may not even be aware that they are part of a scam, while others may know that they are part of a scam.

 

Here are some Youtube links to channel owners who are scambaiters. The best, in my opinion, is Jim Browning's channel, followed by NeeP.

Jim Browning's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNG0osIBAprVcZZ3ic84vw

NeeP: https://www.youtube.com/user/Glumanda94

Kitboga: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm22FAXZMw1BaWeFszZxUKw

Scammer Revolts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0uJKUXiU5T41Fzawy5H6mw

 

If you can make a note of these phone numbers that you may get a call from or be prompted to call in case of a pop-up, you can post the numbers at the following scambaiting forums:

https://www.scammer.info/

https://techscammersunited.com/

 

The purpose of this thread is to make you all, if you aren't, aware of this scam nuisance that has been plaguing us. People from India also are targets of such scams. I never knew it, but I learnt that some senior citizens and/or disabled people and/or people in some sort of financial crisis in the west have committed suicide after falling prey to such scams. Before posting numbers, I would recommend you check out some of those channels to learn about all that I've mentioned here. Please note that, some videos can escalate to abusive language between the scambaiters and scammers. This is at a minimum on Jim Browning's and NeeP's channel. If this thread is irrelevant to the board, the moderators are obviously free to delete it. Since it is not about smoking, and I want only members to see it (not any scammer that may be prowling the internet in search of such posts), I'm posting this thread in "Off The Record". I'm just trying to help you all because I don't want any of you to fall for such scams.

 

Thanks. Ankush

I get them all the time because I also have a landline

and, if i have the time, I play along just to waste their time

but, the best way is to just hang up and block their number if possible.

 

The worst was when the 'IRS' (our taxman) called in a mean aggressive voice saying I was about to be arrested

but, if I just call......they would 'fix' it.

They are scurrilous.

 

Thank you for the heads-up @Ankush.  

They are not just from your country, they are ubiquitous.

Scammers abound on digital devices of all types.  If you are unsure research on the internet and realize government sites/calls will not ask for money on a direct phone call (we got a "your social security number has been compromised" call just this morning) and if they call sometimes the number shown will be a "government" number on your caller ID.  Just be careful!!!!

@Sazerac and @Martian5, yes, there are many types of scams, including but not limited to, SSN scams, Google Play Card scams, and Apple iTunes Card (or something along those lines as far as Apple is concerned). The SSN scams are really devious. They will read a script and convince the person they have called that "their car was found in some part of Texas with traces of blood and cocaine in the car, and because of this, a case has been filed and the SSN blocked". In some cases, they go as far as playing a recording of a cop car over the phone and trying to convince people that cops are on their way to arrest them. Is there a "Do Not Call" service where you live? Maybe you could put your numbers on such a service and reduce or eliminate such calls.

The 'do not call' service is sadly inadequate, things still get through.

On my landline, I screen calls and answering machine is in French (just for a joke) which keeps many at bay.

The security program on the mobile is awesome and well worth the money.

Thank you Ankush for the useful information....

I get nuisance calls constantly....

Having a home land line is not a pleasure anymore ...

I needed mine because Tony had that many medical people involved in his life ..

It was so frustrating ...now all my friends and family know to call my mobile ...I don't answer my land line ..

 

@Doreensfree If possible, do away with the land line. I mean, a land line is no longer a requisite for internet services. Or maybe, take a cue from @Sazerac screen calls (I'm not sure how that will be done) and keep the answering machine (if you have one) recording in another language.

Here's the best response. Scare thew crap out of them