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Posted

Fooled. Pantsed. Suckered.

I am used to flushing out the run of the mill Calcutta boiler room flunky. Guys who claim they're from my credit union but don't know which state it's in.

But like Bama playing a year of Chattanoogas, I got punched in the gut coming up against real competition. They had texted me a couple of days ago from my credit union's number, as my credit union does any time I do an unusual transaction. Something about somebody trying to log in fron a second phone #. Type "No" if it's not you. "No." Forget about it.

They'd laid the groundwork that they and I were working together, against crime. I shoulda called back to talk to a person, but I get this stuff a fair amount as I roam the land.

Tonight I get a call about the same "infiltration" attempt. Person on the phone, vague American accent, slightly huffy. No doubt AI looking back. When I ask them where my credit union is, they misdirect and answer something else. Happens twice. Third time they tell me the town, Obvious now that they stalled and googled it. This is where I fumbled the ball, shoulda just hung up. At the very least, say bye and then call my credit union's number on my own. But for some reason thinking I just had a snitty employee on the phone that I had offended, I kept talking. 

After all, they were just trying to help me.

For the rest of it I was a sheep led to slaughter. They texted me a log in to my account, me, brain turned off, signed in. Then (to howling laughter now) they explained how they'd be contacting the Feds as well as state authorities, so maybe don't log in for a day or two as they'd be looking for pings to hunt down the suspect and they didn't want me to muddy the trail. Even in my brain-washed state my instincts said "Wut th'FUCK" at that, while my rational brain said "No, stop that, they're trying to HELP us..."

About 5 minutes later I get a call back from a very human, slightly frazzled person who says she's credit union security. She knows where my credit union is, she sounds like she lives there, and she knows how to pronounce the weird street name it's on, I'm still burnt but I wave her into the compound. Turns out the bastards were running transactions through my credit card into my checking, about 2,000 at a time, she put a hold on it before it got astronomical.

Now my bank account is locked up. In the morning I'll call the credit union and we'll do the good ol' police report/start a new account thing.

Got got gotdammit. I had a simple trick for sussing out scammers, they failed the test, and I let em in the door anyway.

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Posted (edited)

Sorry man. Hopefully they help you to keep the losses to a minimum.

IMG_9672.thumb.jpeg.e8118ea6a2745bed9ebf555a8dd019a0.jpeg

also, if there are any other accounts, logins, etc. that you use the same email, username, password combos for I would change those immediately. 

Edited by orange dream
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Posted
1 minute ago, orange dream said:

Sorry man. Hopefully they help you to keep the losses to a minimum.

also, if there are any other accounts, logins, etc. that you use the same email, username, password combos for I would change those immediately. 

Thanks. Luckily this password was very different from my usual ones, which go---

Ha! Almost got me. You're good mannnn, real good.

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Posted
Just now, immamac said:

Damnit that sucks. People suck. It's really lame that there's people that do this. 

I didn't up my game as fast as they upped theirs. I've had credit cards hacked that we caught later, credit union's good at catching it before it goes crazy. But that was hacking. This is the first time I got talked into it.

Guess it's time to subscribe to Franklin Mint collectible plates.

Posted

I answer no calls that aren't in my contacts, as in live people.

They don't get my voice to work from.  They can eat shit. Fuck scammers.  

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I answer no calls that aren't in my contacts, as in live people.

They don't get my voice to work from.  They can eat shit. Fuck scammers.  

If you don't answer the phone, how will I hire you to parachute into this scammer compound with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a rusty bayonet in the other?

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Posted
2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

1. don't answer

2. ask them for your security word / phrase lol

3. 'email me everything' 

I need to adopt my Mom's technique from back in the 90s.

They'd pester her on the phone, she'd tell everybody "Just mail me the info." It shut down land-slides of shit.

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Posted
4 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

They had texted me a couple of days ago from my credit union's number, as my credit union does any time I do an unusual transaction. Something about somebody trying to log in fron a second phone #. Type "No" if it's not you. "No." Forget about it.

They'd laid the groundwork that they and I were working together, against crime. I shoulda called back to talk to a person, but I get this stuff a fair amount as I roam the land.

When I ask them where my credit union is, they misdirect and answer something else. Happens twice. Third time they tell me the town, Obvious now that they stalled and googled it.

I had a simple trick for sussing out scammers, they failed the test, and I let em in the door anyway.

Geezus, man, I'm really sorry that happened. Truly. That sucks.

****

So, I've quoted only the stuff from your post that I'd like to address:

I'm kinda in the same boat as you, often traveling around the country, and also having a local credit union. It used to be that I'd get calls from Calcutta or wherever from an unrecognized number. The first time it happened, I didn't answer (for obvious reasons) and was then quickly surprised when my card didn't work at the gas pump. I then called the 1-800 number on the back of the card, and they itemized the questionable transactions specifically, asking if I had authorized each one, like checking off boxes. All of them were good, and they released my card.

Nowadays, I also get text alerts, like you, asking me to call a number to verify transactions. Again, they are the ones who tell me, unprompted, which specific transaction raised a red flag, and I only tell them whether or not I approved the purchase.

Based solely on the above, I'd say your trick in the future should be along the lines of simply asking what raised a red flag, making them disclose whether they're legit or not.

Again, I'm really sorry you got fucked and hope this doesn't put you out too badly or linger as a pain in the ass.

 

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Posted
17 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Geezus, man, I'm really sorry that happened. Truly. That sucks.

****

So, I've quoted only the stuff from your post that I'd like to address:

I'm kinda in the same boat as you, often traveling around the country, and also having a local credit union. It used to be that I'd get calls from Calcutta or wherever from an unrecognized number. The first time it happened, I didn't answer (for obvious reasons) and was then quickly surprised when my card didn't work at the gas pump. I then called the 1-800 number on the back of the card, and they itemized the questionable transactions specifically, asking if I had authorized each one, like checking off boxes. All of them were good, and they released my card.

Nowadays, I also get text alerts, like you, asking me to call a number to verify transactions. Again, they are the ones who tell me, unprompted, which specific transaction raised a red flag, and I only tell them whether or not I approved the purchase.

Based solely on the above, I'd say your trick in the future should be along the lines of simply asking what raised a red flag, making them disclose whether they're legit or not.

Again, I'm really sorry you got fucked and hope this doesn't put you out too badly or linger as a pain in the ass.

 

I appreciate the sentiment. If all goes well I'll be inconvenienced for a few days, and a bunch of checks* will become obsolete.

*Yes, checks. Many art shows collect local taxes it little envelopes, and prefer checks. Yes, you can also stuff the envelopes with bills and change. You cannot pull out your phone and go boop boop boop to pay. Not yet anyway. I am sure the in the near future there will be an app for that, as well as rogues from Calcutta pretending to work for that app.

Posted
4 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

If you don't answer the phone, how will I hire you to parachute into this scammer compound with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a rusty bayonet in the other?

It is amazing that FB knows we simply THOUGHT about buying a rusty bayonet, much less a parachute; yet technology prevents these fuckers from being tracked down and shot.

Posted
9 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

Fooled. Pantsed. Suckered.

I am used to flushing out the run of the mill Calcutta boiler room flunky. Guys who claim they're from my credit union but don't know which state it's in.

But like Bama playing a year of Chattanoogas, I got punched in the gut coming up against real competition. They had texted me a couple of days ago from my credit union's number, as my credit union does any time I do an unusual transaction. Something about somebody trying to log in fron a second phone #. Type "No" if it's not you. "No." Forget about it.

They'd laid the groundwork that they and I were working together, against crime. I shoulda called back to talk to a person, but I get this stuff a fair amount as I roam the land.

Tonight I get a call about the same "infiltration" attempt. Person on the phone, vague American accent, slightly huffy. No doubt AI looking back. When I ask them where my credit union is, they misdirect and answer something else. Happens twice. Third time they tell me the town, Obvious now that they stalled and googled it. This is where I fumbled the ball, shoulda just hung up. At the very least, say bye and then call my credit union's number on my own. But for some reason thinking I just had a snitty employee on the phone that I had offended, I kept talking. 

After all, they were just trying to help me.

For the rest of it I was a sheep led to slaughter. They texted me a log in to my account, me, brain turned off, signed in. Then (to howling laughter now) they explained how they'd be contacting the Feds as well as state authorities, so maybe don't log in for a day or two as they'd be looking for pings to hunt down the suspect and they didn't want me to muddy the trail. Even in my brain-washed state my instincts said "Wut th'FUCK" at that, while my rational brain said "No, stop that, they're trying to HELP us..."

About 5 minutes later I get a call back from a very human, slightly frazzled person who says she's credit union security. She knows where my credit union is, she sounds like she lives there, and she knows how to pronounce the weird street name it's on, I'm still burnt but I wave her into the compound. Turns out the bastards were running transactions through my credit card into my checking, about 2,000 at a time, she put a hold on it before it got astronomical.

Now my bank account is locked up. In the morning I'll call the credit union and we'll do the good ol' police report/start a new account thing.

Got got gotdammit. I had a simple trick for sussing out scammers, they failed the test, and I let em in the door anyway.

Dont worry, you weren't anywhere near the biggest fool yesterday. I work at a CU and we had a guy come in to get all of his $$$ (76 years old, about $6k) because these investors were "gonna turn it into $30k". We tell him, in person, its a scam. We sit him down with compliance, nope no good. OK sit him down with CFO, nope no good. CEO? Nada.

Last chance was the off-duty police officer who gets paid $50/hr to watch YouTube. Nothing.

 

We did get him to lower his withdrawal to $1,500 but he still took it and left, undoubtedly to a crypto atm, never to be seen again. It's an everyday thing in FI's.

Posted

Motherfucker scammers almost got me a couple years ago.  Hacked a vendors email.  Sent an invoice for a small invoice that the vendor had done that was a fix a problem emergency situation.  So I felt like we owed them a favor to process the payment outside of normal terms per the request, “cash is tight, can you help us out?” Request.  Last minute I caught the minute change in email.  Fuckers.

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