# Fucking scammer motherfuckers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 28, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240 "2022-12-28T21:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/461 "2024-06-18T19:17:14Z")
For what reason? ---
**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:** [June 18, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/462 "2024-06-18T19:26:22Z")
Legitimate business call centers spoof each line to a single unified number (the number for a customer to call back). There are also legitimate cases for concealing caller identity (e.g. shelters). That said, there’s no good reason to allow just anybody to use spoofed numbers outside specific justified cases. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/463 "2024-06-18T19:30:34Z")
I know that exact sound LOL, I heard it in my head when I read your post. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/464 "2024-06-18T19:37:37Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > WaPo had an article on just this, yesterday: Thanks for gifting us that. I used it to set my iPhone to silence unknown callers and send them to voicemail. If it’s important and legitimate they can leave a voicemail that I can check at my leisure. Thank you again! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/465 "2024-06-18T21:59:01Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If it’s a real person all they know is that I answered, paused briefly then started the conversation, like someone having to set down a pen or otherwise situate themselves before talking; it’s normal enough that nobody has commented on it at least. And with Today’s Terrific Telephony Technology, a (real) caller doesn’t know if your phone has a gap between them being connected and you being able to hear them. I think your strategy is sound, I wouldn’t even notice that I was being screened. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/466 "2024-06-19T12:04:07Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > There are also legitimate cases for concealing caller identity (e.g. shelters). I’ll occasionally place a work related call from my cellphone, but I do not want anyone to know my number. So, I block caller ID. But some people have their phones set up to not accept calls from callers who block caller ID. I looked into spoofing my number, but using a Google phone number was simpler. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/467 "2024-06-19T18:59:54Z")
> > There are also legitimate cases for concealing caller identity (e.g. shelters). I use a program that disguises my cell phone as my office number. I really don’t want patients to have my personal cell number and I have a 24/7 answering service that can page me or call me on my cell so I can always be reached if they call the office number. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/468 "2024-06-20T19:50:22Z")
By “spoof” I don’t mean an assigned number used by call centers. I mean a fake number (usually in my area code) and a fake name attached to it that are thrown away after the call is finished. Sometimes the I.D. lies about the nature of the business (ID reads “State Farm Insurance” or “Sammy” and the number is “503-###-####”), but the person on the other end says “This is David Jones with Credit Bureau”. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/469 "2024-06-20T21:16:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > By “spoof” I don’t mean an assigned number used by call centers. I mean a fake number (usually in my area code) and a fake name attached to it that are thrown away after the call is finished. There is a distinction between the two. In the first case, the number is coordinated with some service provider and on record. In the second, the first telephone company to receive the call is accepting the originating number provided at face value, but it’s originating “outside the network” and not on record with an official provider. Phone networks are still very trusting, an artifact of a time when they were a closed system and everyone on them were assumed to be trustworthy peer operators. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/470 "2024-06-21T19:23:53Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Phone networks are still very trusting, an artifact of a time when they were a closed system and everyone on them were assumed to be trustworthy peer operators. Q: Can phone systems within the US be changed in a meaningful way to prevent spoofing and to pull the rug out from under these fraudsters? Or are we all just on our own to seethe and wish the movie “[The Beekeeper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beekeeper_(2024_film))” was real? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/471 "2024-06-22T19:33:52Z")
One that recently happened to a family member: approached on the street for a charity donation and being a softie agreed to donate $5. They don’t carry cash so agreed to do phone tap to pay on the Apple Card. Yeah besides being charged $2100 the entire Apple wallet information was vacuumed up. They thankfully thought to check the amount within a few minutes and were on the phone canceling everything soon after and filed a formal police report with description but crap. They were embarrassed at being so naive as much as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/472 "2024-06-23T19:41:21Z")
I got a pig butchering scam text just the other day. Sometimes (especially when killing time in an airport) I’ll toy with them. Of course, he sent a picture of a beautiful woman and said “That’s me at a jewelry store in New York” I googled “really fat men in speedos” and found a great picture of “me at the beach” He stopped responding after that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/473 "2024-06-24T17:32:52Z")
You should have done a reverse image lookup and linked to all the copies of said photos you could find, then say something like, “Hey Babe, you sure do get AROUND!” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/474 "2024-06-24T18:54:26Z")
Interpol wants me to send them an Apple gift card so they can give me the $2.5 Billion I am owed… > Please be informed that your consignment boxes are one box worth **$2,500,000,000.00 USD** two billion five hundred million dollars > United States Dollars, So I would advise you to move ahead and purchase a $100 Apple Card or Steam Wallet card, scratch the back of the card and attach The picture enables us to obtain a Tax Approval Certificate to declare that your Consignment box is free to move to your home address without any further delay. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/475 "2024-06-24T19:00:20Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Interpol wants me to send them an Apple gift card so they can give me the $2.5 Billion I am owed… > > > Please be informed that your consignment boxes are one box worth **$2,500,000,000.00 USD** two billion five hundred million dollars > > United States Dollars, So I would advise you to move ahead and purchase a $100 Apple Card or Steam Wallet card, scratch the back of the card and attach The picture enables us to obtain a Tax Approval Certificate to declare that your Consignment box is free to move to your home address without any further delay. - I’ve had several of those. Since sending a fake card won’t extend the scam further, there’s no scambaiting to do. Instead, I send a close-up picture of a prolapsed anus. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/476 "2024-06-24T19:18:48Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Interpol wants me to send them an Apple gift card so they can give me the $2.5 Billion I am owed… That’s how Interpol works. I’m glad I followed through when they contacted me, or I wouldn’t be living on my privately-owned tropical island. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/477 "2024-06-24T20:03:32Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Interpol wants me to send them an Apple gift card so they can give me the $2.5 Billion I am owed… This is _such_ a scam. Interpol sends you the money, then arrests and extradites you for not declaring and paying taxes on it. They get a bust to pad their arrest numbers and you do 30 years in a Turkish prison. 🤬 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/478 "2024-06-24T20:09:49Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That’s how Interpol works. I’m glad I followed through when they contacted me, or I wouldn’t be living on my privately-owned tropical island. Your own tropical island… with good Wi-fi, yet! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/479 "2024-06-24T20:18:51Z")
With that kind of money you can afford your own satellite. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240/480 "2024-06-25T00:30:32Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > You should have done a reverse image lookup and linked to all the copies of said photos you could find, then say something like, “Hey Babe, you sure do get AROUND!” Honestly I wouldn’t provide anything that could be construed as helpful advice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-scammer-motherfuckers/977240.md?page=25)