Jump to content

Recommended Posts

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.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Rage+1 5
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
  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Haha 1
  • Drool 1
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.

  • Haha 1
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.

  • Haha 2
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.  

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
  • Drool 1
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?

  • Haha 1
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.

  • Haha 2
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.

 

  • Drool 1
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.

  • Drool 1
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.

  • Rage+1 3
  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
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.

  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
Posted (edited)

We have to continue to use faxes here, so years ago we migrated to a fax server.   The amount of scams that come through are staggering.  All of them are tossed by the ladies that receive the faxes, but this one slipped through and was sent to the business office for payment.   This one made me chortle loudly:

 

uPrintDelivery_Redacted.thumb.jpg.9d94949679dbd8be633da88fa610789c.jpg

 

$149.99/per month, but that includes "backlink pinging"

https://deltaseo.co/

And the address?

Here's 3403 West TC Jester Blvd Houston:

 

Screenshot2025-09-23073932.thumb.png.406632bba4b01a70fdbc15a78ee51e87.png

 

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
  • Haha 2
  • Drool 1
Posted (edited)

I know a business that was scammed out of near half a mil on a wire transfer fraud. I was not involved, I did participate in setting up their post fraud verification protocol. 

Edited by scramblyn
  • Drool 1
Posted

I think there are two things to do to be safe - one always go outbound in a crisis - like cutter said hang up and call the bank, vendor, title company, whomever. Never act on the inbound inquiry. 

the second one isn’t quite here yet but have a code word with family. Much like the latch key kid protection from the stranger trying to take you by claiming your mom asked them to pick you up and telling them - what’s the code word? We need these with our inner family circle when the AI scammers start using our family voices against us. 

the outbound trick works on that scam too, frankly the hang up and call back will almost always work until they can reroute our phone calls like in the Bourne identity type movies. 

Sorry you got scammed I hope the CU takes care of you. 

  • Drool 1
Posted

These attempts are very common in crypto land. I get calls all the time that say they're from google. I never answer because "google" will never call you.

They get people to reset their email passwords and once they're in they go ham draining everything they can. 

  • Drool 1
Posted

true story: local school got scammed out of about half a million dollars.  dude up in the DFW area buys a lambo with it or something.  feds catch him. female school superintendent has to go the trial to testify because his defense is it was it wasn't fraud, it was payment for sexual favors.

  • Drool 1
  • Fuck Around and Find Out 2
Posted
14 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

I ain't clickin a DAMN thing.

Somebody in Russia or someplace like that really, really wants me to click on the text message from FedEx where they are trying to reach me because they can’t deliver my package.  

  • Drool 1
Posted

A'ight, SITREP as of now. Everything is bolted shut, I'll get my money back before long.

Credit Union called me up, knew where their CU was located and knew how to say the funny street name, and walked me through the account-unfucking process. Then I called the cops to make a police report, and the desk person said she'd send one to my house.

Immediate panic as I jumped up and got dressed, then 5 minutes later I met the dude outside in my driveway.

No prob, he gets these reports every day. I walk him back down to the street. Neighbors come outside all bug-eyed, I slap my wrists together behind my back and yell "Call my lawyer! CALL MY LAWYER" while Cop cackles.

Next stop hit the library to use their printer for the Affidavit of Forgery, because yeah, I could spend 90 dollars on ink cartridges for my home printer, or I could drive to the library. A librarian I know is also a notary. As she stands next to me I realize that I threw on clothes I'd worn to two shows this weekend in 90+ heat, and I am currently emitting a wino stress-sweat all up over her. Thanks, Scammers.

Anyway, now I attached photos of everything and sent it to the credit union, basically swearing that I didn't steal my own money so I can get it back.

I feel like I haven't slept right for days. And now my wife sends me a checklist of more stuff to secure. She's probably right. I am tired as hell.

Posted
8 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

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.

And you were the communistical control-freaks trying to deny him his freedom.

Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

And you were the communistical control-freaks trying to deny him his freedom.

Pretty much and the worst part is that when we do save someone, we never even get a thank you. Like the dude trying to wire $50k to Puerto Rico for a tractor he hadn't seen.

 

All age groups fall for it now, but it's especially sad with old ladies and romance scams. They are so certain they're talking to a real guy living on an oil platform off the Scottish Highlands who just need $500 to get their bags through customs at the Edinburgh airport so they can get to the US and buy that $1M in Williamson Co. The scammers on this one faked a boarding pass that literally said 

DEPART: Edinburgh
ARRIVAL: Texas

Oh yes, the great Texas airport. She still refused to believe it when we showed the real flight number was from London to Madrid.

Edited by SimonBolivar
  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
Posted

I think I mentioned this elsewhere, but the local post office has been basically had employees stealing mail and operating a check washing scam. We halted payment on a check for 300k dollars in the nick of time looking in our account. Googled and saw there had been 5 or so instances of it out of the same post office where we mail stuff. 

Yeah, we implemented some new security implementations after that. But we were a hair away from losing 300k on a check that was initially for 300 dollars. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

My FIL just got hit with a variation of the scam.  He is 86.

His "bank" calls him and says there is activity in his account from "Apple".  The bank wants him to come down, withdraw $3000 from his checking account, take the cash and go buy Apple gift cards with it.  After obtaining cards, scratch off security coating and email both sides.  The bank will use the cards to track the person hacking his checking account and get the FBI to arrest them.  FIL tells rep that he only has $2500 and is assured that is enough to help solve the crime.

FIL spends rest of the day at Lowes, Home Depot, etc... buying $50 and $100 Apple cards.  He scratches off security coating and emails all the card pics.   

In the next few days, FIL comes to a family birthday party and regales the group with his heroics.  He is quickly shot down by family as a scam, but he refuses to believe it.  He sends me $200 worth for my birthday.  We have to tell him that the cards have already been redeemed and his idea of sending grandchildren Apple cards for Christmas is not going to work.  Tough lesson learned at 86.  

  • Rage+1 1
Posted
23 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I think I mentioned this elsewhere, but the local post office has been basically had employees stealing mail and operating a check washing scam. We halted payment on a check for 300k dollars in the nick of time looking in our account. Googled and saw there had been 5 or so instances of it out of the same post office where we mail stuff. 

Yeah, we implemented some new security implementations after that. But we were a hair away from losing 300k on a check that was initially for 300 dollars. 

We've had check fraud for mailed checks as well. We would mail checks for a few thousand to a few vendors who won't take online payments and had the checks end up cashed to a completely different name but the same amount. We couldn't figure out how they were getting to the checks but this would make sense. Heard about other businesses having a similar issue as well.

Posted
12 minutes ago, GoneFission said:

We've had check fraud for mailed checks as well. We would mail checks for a few thousand to a few vendors who won't take online payments and had the checks end up cashed to a completely different name but the same amount. We couldn't figure out how they were getting to the checks but this would make sense. Heard about other businesses having a similar issue as well.

Lockbox theft by low level employees sold online

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...