OT - scams you've received and not fallen for.

[MadAmster]

Subpoena received from "Interpol" today. Sender's email address is Europol <[email protected]> I don't believe Europol would use a Mexican email address so I'll ignore it.

[Andy_Faber]

Subpoena received from "Interpol" today. Sender's email address is Europol <[email protected]> I don't believe Europol would use a Mexican email address so I'll ignore it.

Facebook phantom sellers (hundreds)
Hello mum texts (which I enjoy playing along with)
Utility provider texts (lots)
Bank urgent action texts

I’m the resident killjoy in our family WhatsApp group who kills discussion on bargains/ offers/ urgent actions etc with my one word contribution: ‘SCAM’.

Not been contacted by interpol yet though

Try reading ‘yes man’ by Danny Wallace, he deliberately ‘falls for’ a scam then manages to make contact with, and meet, the scammer…

[MadAmster]

just got another. Subject is that my account has been blocked, photos and videos will be deleted today, renew for free.

It doesn't say which account which is a red flag. Sender email address is [email protected] Another one I don't think I'll be falling for.

[SithHappens]

I get loads, I only open emails I'm expecting or from companies that might genuinely have offers i want

[Ramshank72]

I also like to play along with scams. The trick, is to seem confused, as that's what they prey on. My favourite tactic is to choose a television show of my liking, then respond only with quotes from the show that would roughly align to their messages. They get annoyed after a while, and I've had some fun, whilst hopefully distracting them long enough to avoid someone else being scammed.
There are lots of scam baiting YouTube channels, where they really wind them up, and in some cases reverse the scam and call in the law for a raid. It's handy to be familiar with how scams operate, to give yourself a better chance of not falling victim, or noticing signs if a friend or family member is being scammed, so I'd recommend watching some.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Just recently Ive been receiving various emails from HMRC (the Branch that uses a Japanese gmail account rather than the more conventional one) asking me to do things with them re my government gateway account. Also various VAT related scams attempted using similar email account.

Went through a phase of loads of "Hello Mums" on text and whatsaopp. Dodgy job offers at random on whatsapp.

Countless "young topless model" type emails - less a scam but more an inducement to join random websites with credit card and consequent problems with that.

One of the problems is that I have my own websites which put my email address ot there for all to use and abuse, so get more than average number of scams, most of which are very obviously so - but like the good old Nigerian advance fee / 419 scams they only need a tiny number of targets to respond to make it worth the scammers while doing them.

They are however fun to bait when Im bored

[MadAmster]

1.Facebook phantom sellers (hundreds)
2.Hello mum texts (which I enjoy playing along with)
3.Utility provider texts (lots)
4.Bank urgent action texts

I?’m the resident killjoy in our family WhatsApp group who kills discussion on bargains/ offers/ urgent actions etc with my one word contribution: ?‘SCAM?’.

Not been contacted by interpol yet though

Try reading ?‘yes man?’ by Danny Wallace, he deliberately ?‘falls for?’ a scam then manages to make contact with, and meet, the scammer?…

1. Snap
2. ... and hallo Pops or Pa. My two call me Dad
3. not had one of those yet (presuming you mean gas, leccy and water)
4. bank urgent action texts, not had one yet

I have had, and still get, a lot of...

5. You have been named as beneficiary, God knows how many millions... all from solicitors and the UN and all sorts of impressive sounding organisations. Sender is then a hotmail account and the reply to button at the bottom is a gmail account. 3 different names quite often too. In the sender box it will say one name, the first sentence will be hello, I am "another name" bla bla bla and at the bottom, the reply to name will be "yet another different name"

6. Countless reminders that my McAfee licence is about to expire... I don't have one (just deleted yet another from my spam box)

7. regular bouts of ***tortion mails. They've hacked my account and have video of me knocking one off while watching extreme ****. The amounts started off at something like $200 in ******* paid into a particular wallet. Most recent one was $1500 and the amount has steadily risen through the years. I ignore them

8. Microsoft has discovered a virus on my PC. A variant on the annoying telephone calls from someone called Fred who has an Indian accent.

9. Package deliveries via UPS, Fedex, DPD, GLS and God knows how many more courier firms that I have to pay €2.99 to in order to release the package they are holding...

10.... and the list goes on.

[Geoff Parkstone]

One I havent seen in a while is from the person who has filmed me looking at **** sites and filmed me cranking out one off the wrist. the threat is then to send it to all your email contacts unless I pay x in ***coins (other cryptos are available) to an account somewhere. Went through a phase of getting several of them a few years back - but more disturbing so did my son who was 12 when he got one on his school email account!

[Geoff Parkstone]

Snap MA - even to the censorship of a particular bit of a crypto currency!

[MadAmster]

With regard to bank account texts, as I said, not had one yet but I have had scam emails purporting to be from many banks but none yet purporting to be from the only bank I have an account with. Also from folk claiming to be International Card Services regarding credit cards other than the one I actually have.

[Geoff Parkstone]

The bank ones are all very scattergun - they try to avoid naming the bank quite often referring to being from "your bank". As Im with 6 different banks thats no help.....

[ramAnag]

One I havent seen in a while is from the person who has filmed me looking at **** sites and filmed me cranking out one off the wrist. the threat is then to send it to all your email contacts unless I pay x in ***coins (other cryptos are available) to an account somewhere. Went through a phase of getting several of them a few years back

Not just on here you’re a bit of a ****** then.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Not just on here you’re a bit of a ****** then.

Yep, me and MA, who made the observation simultaneously, must be international ****ers....

[Andy_Faber]

I also like to play along with scams. The trick, is to seem confused, as that's what they prey on. My favourite tactic is to choose a television show of my liking, then respond only with quotes from the show that would roughly align to their messages. They get annoyed after a while, and I've had some fun, whilst hopefully distracting them long enough to avoid someone else being scammed.
There are lots of scam baiting YouTube channels, where they really wind them up, and in some cases reverse the scam and call in the law for a raid. It's handy to be familiar with how scams operate, to give yourself a better chance of not falling victim, or noticing signs if a friend or family member is being scammed, so I'd recommend watching some.

Its great fun playing the scammers. I've had a fellah screaming threats and obscenities down the line at me after stringing him along for ages, the penny finally dropping when I asked him 'can you call me back on my burner phone?'