> Maybe the newer scams are more sophisticated. <
They are. A friend of mine got a text message from his boss. His boss was at a conference, and couldn’t get away to buy a last-minute birthday gift for his sick wife.
Could my friend help? Please buy a $100 Target gift card, then text the redemption code to the wife’s cell phone number. Thanks much!
Except that it wasn’t his boss. And there was no wife. And the “wife’s” cell phone number was actually the scammer’s own cell phone number.
My friend came an inch away from following those directions. Only at the last minute did he pull back, and question what was really going on.
My boss ever texted me that I’d reply with GFY... and he’d of expected that.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3731774/posts
Scambaiting is a way to fight back against these pukes, who prey on the elderly and trusting souls.
The idea is that every min of their time that you waste is a minute where they can’t take Grandma’s retirement money.
If I am having a slow day, and I get an email announcing a $399 credit card charge for tech support, I’ll call that 844 number for tech support after blocking my number. I tell them that my name is Nigel Tufnell (or sometimes Graham Chapman), and my address is 1060 West Addison in Chicago.
I let the charade run as long as I’m entertained. Sometimes they get a lecture at the end of my call.
Some guys are so good at Scambaiting that they make a living out of it, and stream their calls on Twitch. They can hack into the scammer’s PCs and delete files and steal back gift cards while they get cursed out in a foreign language. It’s hilarious. https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4087042/posts
The local school district staff regularly get phishing emails designed to look like the principal’s and superintendent’s email address.
At the beginning of COVID, someone in the district screwed up and got the entire system locked down with ransomware. The insurance company negotiated with the scammers and regained access at a reduced amount.