# F\*ck With Scammer - Need Answer Fast! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 8, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090 "2014-11-08T19:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/21 "2014-11-08T22:29:15Z")
Good effort Shodan! I get calls from these parasites at least once a month. I reckon we should turn this thread into a never-ending brainstorming session for tips and tricks on how best to fuck with 'em. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/22 "2014-11-09T10:26:45Z")
Half an hour. Not too shabby. Well done! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/23 "2014-11-09T10:32:13Z")
Nice work. My regards, **Shodan**. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/24 "2014-11-09T11:02:23Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Ask him if you need to close open windows, then leave and make window slamming noises. Then tell him youā€™ve closed all the open windows. Genius. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/25 "2014-11-09T11:19:31Z")
I usually tell them weā€™re Amish and donā€™t have electricity. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/26 "2014-11-09T15:54:25Z")
I had one of these call yesterday and ask for me by name. Is this unusual? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/27 "2014-11-09T16:16:40Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > I usually tell them weā€™re Amish and donā€™t have electricity. Or computers or phones. Good job **Shodan**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/28 "2014-11-10T05:42:05Z")
The next time, Iā€™m closing all our windows, too. That was great, M. 30 minutes is exceptional for keeping one on the line (and I mean fishing)- kudos! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/29 "2014-11-10T06:23:35Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > I had one of these call yesterday and ask for me by name. Is this unusual? Not necessarily. There are reverse phone number lookup sites that for a fee can tell you a great deal about somebody just by their phone number. A name should be no great challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/30 "2014-11-10T11:11:19Z")
30 minutes! Not bad! My record is 22 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/31 "2014-11-10T15:02:36Z")
These bastards have called several of my family members, who have all just hung up on them, but none of them have called me, damn it! Would it ever be possible for the FBI to trace their number if, say, you made up some bullshit excuse to put the scammer on hold while you called them? I believe they try to get you to allow them to remotely access your computer. If you have a spare computer kicking around, perhaps you can ā€œsacrificeā€ it in order to get some identifying information about the scammers. Wireshark, perhaps? Make sure everything else on your network is turned off! Or perhaps theyā€™d be dumb enough to give you an IP address if you told them you needed it to allow them through your firewall. Such information could be very useful to the authorities, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/32 "2014-11-10T15:12:05Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > I believe they try to get you to allow them to remotely access your computer. If you have a spare computer kicking around, perhaps you can ā€œsacrificeā€ it in order to get some identifying information about the scammers. Wireshark, perhaps? Make sure everything else on your network is turned off! Or perhaps theyā€™d be dumb enough to give you an IP address if you told them you needed it to allow them through your firewall. Such information could be very useful to the authorities, I suspect. If you have a firewall, you should be able to find his IP when he tries to access. Then you can read it back to him and ask if itā€™s correct. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/33 "2014-11-10T15:26:40Z")
I got an email from Home Depot telling me that my email address had been compromised (along with 70000000 others); I should watch out for people trying to use that address to get something more from meā€¦the very next email was from Wells Fargo, I think, saying that Home Depot had arranged for all the accounts to get a free credit checkā€¦and when I went to that site, claiming to be completely safe, it asked questions that included my SSN, etc. I bet it was all n the up and up, stillā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/34 "2014-11-10T22:15:44Z")
He has your phone number, your name, maybe your email. You have nothing. So, you want to get him angry so heā€™ll get back at you. Smart.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/35 "2014-11-10T22:24:01Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > I got an email from Home Depot telling me that my email address had been compromised (along with 70000000 others); I should watch out for people trying to use that address to get something more from meā€¦the very next email was from Wells Fargo, I think, saying that Home Depot had arranged for all the accounts to get a free credit checkā€¦and when I went to that site, claiming to be completely safe, it asked questions that included my SSN, etc. > > I bet it was all n the up and up, stillā€¦ I would have been really suspicious of that one. Make sure that the link actually goes to where it claims. Iā€™ve been getting lots of these with fake links purporting to be from Walmart, Chase, etc. and theyā€™re not. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/36 "2014-11-10T23:46:05Z")
Time to get [Tom Mabe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmKtS-k12b0) on the job. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/37 "2014-11-11T08:33:26Z")
Kick it old school, and ask him if heā€™s accepted Jesus as his personal savior. Follow up by asking him if heā€™s saying Jesus canā€™t hit a curve ball. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/38 "2014-11-11T09:10:17Z")
Ok Oakminster, letā€™s not start a holy war here. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/39 "2014-11-11T18:43:26Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Kick it old school, and ask him if heā€™s accepted Jesus as his personal savior. Follow up by asking him if heā€™s saying Jesus canā€™t hit a curve ball. Thatā€™s a good one. Iā€™ll have to try that next time they call. BTW I suspect they randomly generate numbers. If they had any real record keeping the management would keep people from calling those who are on to them. Or who say nasty things about their mothers. They donā€™t. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090/40 "2014-11-13T02:29:06Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Kick it old school, and ask him if heā€™s accepted Jesus as his personal savior. Follow up by asking him if heā€™s saying Jesus canā€™t hit a curve ball. Hats. Hats for bats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ck-with-scammer-need-answer-fast/704090.md?page=3)