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[Finance] ******** The Scam Thread *********



thedonkeycentrehalf

Moved back to wear the gloves (again)
Jul 7, 2003
9,412
BBC1 Scam Interceptors, on right now.

Filmed in real time, they’ve recorded telephone scammers trying to wipe out an old and ill victim. Painful viewing. The BBC team are attempting to tell the victim in time.
I think that is an older series they are repeating. The latest one now has ground interceptors who get help,people in the middle of a scam.

I think it is usually a daytime programme but I would recommend anyone with elderly parents to get them to watch this as it shows how they can get caught out.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
69,881
Withdean area
I think that is an older series they are repeating. The latest one now has ground interceptors who get help,people in the middle of a scam.

I think it is usually a daytime programme but I would recommend anyone with elderly parents to get them to watch this as it shows how they can get caught out.

I never saw the daytime showings. A hard watch, just by voices alone you could hear some extremely vulnerable, old and confused prey.
 


clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,968
Very rare I get something via text.

Had a job agency "interactively" texting me to give them details last week and they even gave me their name.

Rang the agency up and they had no employee under that name.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
69,881
Withdean area
Received an email that had copied the DPD logo. Utter bullsh1t.

DPD

Dear Customer,​

We unable to deliver your parcel GB39472642720 because you need to pay fee of 1.27 GBP to process your parcel delivery.

When your parcel will be delivered ?​

Your parcel will be delivered in the next business day after payment. if you don't pay the fee your parcel will be returned to the sender.

DPD Customer Service​



 




raymondo

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2017
7,647
Wiltshire
Received an email that had copied the DPD logo. Utter bullsh1t.

DPD

Dear Customer,​

We unable to deliver your parcel GB39472642720 because you need to pay fee of 1.27 GBP to process your parcel delivery.

When your parcel will be delivered ?​

Your parcel will be delivered in the next business day after payment. if you don't pay the fee your parcel will be returned to the sender.

DPD Customer Service​




Excellent English from them 😁
 


Zeberdi

“Vorsprung durch Technik”
NSC Patron
Oct 20, 2022
7,219
I though I was a good WUM to telephone scammers but I’m a novice compared to this guy

 








raymondo

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2017
7,647
Wiltshire
Here's a Winter fuel scam Mrs Raymondo received an hour ago. Anyone else had this?
IMG_20241018_204252.jpg
 








Albion my Albion

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 6, 2016
19,922
Indiana, USA
1729341365170.png
 


herecomesaregular

We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
Oct 27, 2008
4,670
Still in Brighton
Rather nasty email popped up in my Junk folder today.

Heard some stories of young people falling for this one. Nasty angle.

"Hello,

I'm contacting you regarding an urgent matter that demands your immediate attention.
You have an opportunity to address this situation, but prompt action is essential.

I have installed advanced spyware, referred to as Candid, on your devices.
This spyware gives me full access to all your online activities-your webcam, messages, emails,
and call logs! Compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows, I've been monitoring you for months. Find out how!

Over this period, I've captured several images and videos of you involved in explicit activities. Given the sensitive nature of these recordings,
it's understandable that you wouldn't want them shared with friends, family, or colleagues.

Here's what you can expect if you choose not to comply: I will share these pics and videos with everyone in your contact list via WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, email, etc.
This exposure could have serious repercussions for both your personal and professional life.
To avoid this, you need to take action immediately.

Please transfer $999 USD to my cryptocurrency wallet (btc) address provided below: bc1qw6y5ce2n6mwep83qd33c7tnfzjxy6g5dpcx0au

Once I verify the payment, I will delete all compromising photos and videos and remove the spyware from your devices.
My only interest is financial gain; if that weren't the case, I would have already shared the videos and images.

You have precisely 48 hours from the moment you read this email to complete the payment.
If you're unsure about how to use cryptocurrency, simply search for "crypto exchange" to find helpful instructions.

Critical Notices:

Avoid contacting the authorities. If I detect any police involvement, I will release the videos immediately.
Additionally, do not try to reset or destroy your devices-I already possess compromising information about you.

Keep in mind that cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous, making it impossible to trace me through the wallet address.

Take action now to prevent irreversible consequences."
 




Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,958
I had this message yesterday in my work email account.

[Message title was "Benjamin zzzzzz's Estate"]

Dear xxxxx,

I trust this email finds you in good spirits. I'm writing to you independently concerning Benjamin [zzzzzz]. It is important that you receive this message promptly as there's an opportunity for us to discuss matters related to Benjamin's estate with Sedco Investments.

After conducting a thorough examination of the relevant documentation pertaining to the estate, I believe there may be a potential avenue for you.

I encourage you to reach out to me at your earliest convenience to explore this further.

Your prompt response would be greatly appreciated as it will help in advancing this matter.

Thank you for your attention, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Jim Grenham



Now the 'zzzzzzz' was my surname, and the 'xxxxx' was my first name, so it's targeted, and also my surname isn't part of my work email address, so they haven't just picked it up from somewhere. The email address it came from was jim.grenham[at]procklaw.com, and when I checked the headers that appeared genuine, although I'm not enough of an expert to completely verify it.

Obviously I googled it. Prock Law (procklaw.com) seems to be a valid company, and there are no reports of their address or name being used in any scam. But surely it has to be? It has the classic 'you must act promptly' message. Anyway, has anyone else had one of these? And should I follow it up, if just for fun?


EDIT: Changed the email address format so that it didn't display as a 'Mailto' link.
 
Last edited:


Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
26,331
Great call today from 'British Gas' telling me I can save money and to book a visit.

At first I think it is real and tell them I look on Money Supermarket. I'm ignored and asked if I prefer morning or afternoon. The voice them asks another question and I say 'You're not listening are you ?'. I'm then asked for details and ask 'Do you prefer Vegemite or Marmite ?'

The call is clearly and data mining exercise by a scam group
 


Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,815
GOSBTS
I’ve had to deal with a fairly simple, but complex chain of events for my mum.

Yesterday I got a call to say her bank had blocked her because of fraud. They wanted to send her a text and her to go to local branch with ID to get this resolved. She then mentions she’s not had a mobile signal for 24 hours so can’t get the code. She’s also been getting PayPal emails but they were disappearing from her inbox by the time she went to open them.

It appears her email + common password (with some variations) were in haveibeenpwned database tied to her email and PayPal. It looks like they made a handful of transactions , the bank flagged as suspicious and blocked it. PayPal were good and also helped block the transactions and increase security to include WhatsApp notifications.

It looks like she was sim swapped with Lebara and having been on calls with them I can see how, there was a real lack of security - and if you had access to an email + PayPal you could pass the check. They initially seemed good but despite being told they’d put a block in place, will investigate and look to move the number back to her sim we just got an email that suggests the fraudster has initiated a PAC request to move the number to another provider. Waiting game now but reading other horror stories about Lebara I’m not holding my breath.

Definitely highlighted importance of password management either with iCloud native or 1password or similar. Also worth checking for data leaks on haveibeenpwned for older relatives periodically.
 


herecomesaregular

We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
Oct 27, 2008
4,670
Still in Brighton
Went into a famous independent jewellers a few days back to sell some gold. Old bloke served me, the original proprietor no less. Dropped a few small pieces out of the scale rather than into the scale, maybe just half a gram or so but I had to prompt him. Weighed it all up and then spent a while tapping things into the computer and looking at the live price screen. Then printed off the sales invoice, gave to me and went off to get some cash. I sat looking at it, let him continue, he took the gold downstairs, came back with the cash. Then I pointed out that the weight shown on the invoice was 10 grams* less than that that had showed on the scales. Oh I'm tewwibly sorry, very apologetic, long day. Settled up politely with them. Left thinking hmmm time to retire the old boy (he looked about 90)? or was he trying to scam a novice? We'd separated the different carats and weighed them at home, looked up prices etc so I had a rough idea of total value.

*240 quids worth!
 




Bodian

Well-known member
May 3, 2012
14,660
Cumbria
Not a scam on me, but a scam on the local authority.

I have sent this to Stagecoach:

I got on this bus at xxxxxx and clearly stated my journey was to yyyyyyy. The bus ticket I purchased states that the journey was to zzzzzzz, some 25 miles further on.

The fare was the Government subsidised £2 capped fare. I understand your company are subsidised to the amount of the difference between the £2 cap and the fare it would have been without the cap.

To enter an incorrect destination, one that is 25 miles further on, seems to me to result in your company being able to claim a higher amount from the government than you are entitled to. This is surely wrong.

The two passengers who got on the bus behind me ALSO had tickets issued to zzzzzz, when they were also going to yyyyyyyy - so this was not an accident.

Please investigate.
 


Wes Tupper

Active member
Feb 27, 2024
133
Not a scam on me, but a scam on the local authority.

I have sent this to Stagecoach:

I got on this bus at xxxxxx and clearly stated my journey was to yyyyyyy. The bus ticket I purchased states that the journey was to zzzzzzz, some 25 miles further on.

The fare was the Government subsidised £2 capped fare. I understand your company are subsidised to the amount of the difference between the £2 cap and the fare it would have been without the cap.

To enter an incorrect destination, one that is 25 miles further on, seems to me to result in your company being able to claim a higher amount from the government than you are entitled to. This is surely wrong.

The two passengers who got on the bus behind me ALSO had tickets issued to zzzzzz, when they were also going to yyyyyyyy - so this was not an accident.

Please investigate.
Interesting. I know that in the West Midlands you just tap your card for the fixed £2 fare. No ticket and no record of where you get off. I wonder how the subsidy claim operates in that scenario?
 


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