Someone tried to scam me today

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

It’s useful if you’ve done tech support. Have trouble hearing, be slow, be ignorant. Basic idea is to be courteous and compliant (with fake info), but dense.

I kept one of those “I’m calling from Window” callers on the phone almost an hour one day. They tried everything to get me to download Teamviewer or a similar program to remotely control my computer. I had trouble finding icons, I had trouble clicking, I had trouble with the browser, I had trouble typing the address. I kept dropping hints that I had an Apple computer but they never caught on to that. Finally after almost an hour I said something like “I don’t have internet, do I need internet for this to work?” The previously patient and polite person went silent for like 10 seconds and then put me on with his supervisor, who started pressuring me for a timeline on if/when I was getting internet.

Unfortunately I don’t usually have the time/patience to keep them going that long.

22

Ah, OK, I’ll try that next time.

23

When someone successfully scammed my MIL, i lost patience, and stopped taking with them. Now i saw, “does your mother know you scam people for a living?”, and they curse and hang up on me.

24

One thing I do to string them along by telling them what I am doing. For example:

Scammer: What is the name on the remote control?

Me: Let me go into the next room and look for it…Hmm… I thought I left it on the table…it should be right next to the TV…
I don’t see it here…Sorry to keep you waiting…one moment…I’m sure it was right
here…Ah, there it is…it fell on the floor. OK, where will I find the name?

Scammer: I think it should be on the front.

Me: Hmm I don’t see it… there is just a bunch on buttons…wait a sec, let me turn it over…OK, I see the name now. It’s on the back of the remote.

Scammer: And what is the name?

Me: [gives name of random cable company]

Etc. Etc.

The trick is to make the scammer think that he is about to get some important
information and then string him along for a minute or two. Giving them an appology
or two while you are “searching” for the remote/checkbook/credit card
will make them think that you are sincerely looking for the item. Just don’t
overdo it or they will end the call early.

Another thing I would like to try in the future is to mess around with the fake account numbers I give them:

Scammer: Please give me your checking account number

Me after pretending for 1 or 2 minutes to look for my check book: OK, I found it.
You want the number on the bottom of the check, right?

Scammer: Yes, please.

Me: Ok it’s [speaking slowly as if I want to help the scammer] 314159265359. Can you repeat that back to me so we can make sure that it is right?

Scammer: Sure. 314159265359. Is that correct?

Me: No that’s not right. You reversed a couple of digits. The number is [speaking
slowly again] 314159265395. Can you repeat that back to me, please?

Scammer: OK it’s 314159265395, correct?

Me: No, sorry, the 6 should be a seven. [speaking
slowly again] 314159275395

Scammer: It’s 314159275395, right?

Me: Yes that’s right. You got it.

I would guess from that point the could check to see if the number was valid.
Once they figure out that the number is false would give up and end the call.

One time I manage to string the scammer along almost to the end of his scam
when all of a sudden he yelled “Sir, you are a very good liar!!” and hung up.

25

I will do my best next time! Mostly, I get calls for scam solar panels these days, though.

26

Guess they never took high school math either.

27

I one time did that with “my” social security number. Every time I’d give them a number and they’d read it back to me, I’d change it. And I’d get exasperated that he wasn’t listening carefully enough.

The guy hung up after about 20 seconds of this, but it was fun while it lasted,

28

I had someone call once who needed to verify my Medicare number - this was after they changed from not using Social Security claim numbers. I made him wait while I got my card, and then gave him a letter-number sequence that matched the pattern of mine, but with completely different digits. Apparently there’s some some of checksum or something built in, because he said that wasn’t a valid number. So I played the “change/transpose” game until he gave up in disgust.