Hen3rietta

We've always had the Nigerian poorly spelled Help Me Get Money Out of the Country emails, but scammers, phishers and other groups are getting more sophisticated and I have been getting at least one a week of inquiries that seem to be very real and are not. The social engineering behind these is frightening.

Particularly egregious are the ones who phone and claim that you need to speak with someone about concerns with your credit card (unnamed) account. They are very plausible and can be frightening to someone who may really be having trouble with paying off cc debt. These will often call multiple times in a row like a collection agency. I'm cautious by nature, but they even had me going for a good few minutes because my card number had been hijacked a month before, before I asked specifically which account they were calling about and they wouldn't give me an answer. Finally getting fed up with threatening them myself, I contacted our state's attorney general's office and they are doing what they can but it is origination from hundreds of constantly changing phones. It is a nationwide operation and I fielded three of the same calls when I was in CA with my MIL in August. Just hang up.

Another type I find worrisome, are emails that from all appearances, look like they have come from UPS, Comcast, local utility companies, your credit card company etc, telling you there is a problem and if you don't answer *right away* your account will be suspended, the package will be returned' or whatever sounds like an even larger problem on the horizon. I just received one from *Comcast* that to all intents and purposes visually mimicked a real Your Bill Is Ready email. It even had a return email address that seemed to go to Comcast. If you get anything that says *click here* or *reply here* from a reputable service provider be wary. Run a quick google search on key aspects of the email, check it on Snopes or check the company's site for notices of such scams. Not every phisher is looking for just social security information. It's also a good way to plant viruses, key loggers etc. on your computer.

Lastly, I received a phone call asking for Dorothy??? in a puzzled tone, so I was polite and said they had the wrong number, whereupon the sweet young thing said, oh but can I ask you some questions anyway, we're calling everyone in ____ county, it only takes about 9 minutes. I don't do surveys. If they want my honest opinion, pay me for my time. I pointed that if this was an example of honest and upright behaviour, their candidate just lost my vote.This case was rather heavy handed and obvious, but other groups are taking cues from the scam experts and we can no longer make assumptions of essential honesty in situations of indirect contact.

I know this is sort of long, but I've been getting so many of these the last few months, that I wanted to spread the word that one needs to remain vigilant and everything must be questioned. Most of these scams prey on the aged, the unsophisticated or the desperate, but even those like myself in a moment of inattention to detail can get suckered in and on the computer at least, it only takes one key click.

sewwhat85

it is always good to have a reminder

AshleyR

We signed up for Comcast internet about a month ago, and I got a voicemail on my cell phone. The guy said he was with Comcast and he found us a special offer, but we had to call him (on his cell phone) right away before our 30-days was up so he could switch us. Well, the thing is, we're only paying about $20 for high-speed internet, and we're pretty happy about it, so I didn't want to mess with it. The more I thought about it, the fishier it smelled... I thought about that when I was reading your warning. I don't know if the guy was legit or not, but it seems weird to me.

May in Jersey

We've been getting them too. Had to remind DH to be careful with his emails as he seems forget and opens everything. Those credit card phones calls get hung up on without a response from me, sorry if they think I'm rude but they are trying to steal from me.

QuiltnNan

thanks for the reminder. i never take surveys, give phone callers a moment of my time, or click on anything in an email that's not from one of my friends.

grann of 6

That's why I LOVE caller ID. If I don't recognize the # I don't answer. I also have a call blocking feature on my phone, so if they call repeatedly, I set the call blocking. Problem solved. And as for e-mails, same thing. I got one supposedly from a friend who travelled abroad and got mugged. She isn't a close enough friend that she would ask me for money. There is always something just a little different about these e-mails. Don't reply to anything that asks for specific personal info.

grann of 6

Call Comcast on their 800 # and inquire about it.

sueisallaboutquilts

I also love caller ID !!! It's saved me from many calls- I can't imagine not having it.
I especially love when it says "Unavailable" as the number.
Well so am I!!!

Thanks for the reminder- if you help one person it was worth it :)

Japonica

I get emails from strange people that seem to have first names of people I know. Then they ask if they can be hired in my jewelry business. I don't have a business. I surf the net a lot for jewelry making ideas though. I now just delete any email that looks strange to me before I even open it. Sad what this world is coming to. Technology has been a wonderful thing and yet, there are always preditors out there. Thanks for posting this, made me stop and think again.

Jill

Thanks for taking the time to alert everyone and I hope people pay attention because it is very easy for these crooks to get information out of people, especially if they are frightened by the call. We've been getting all of the same calls, and thank goodness for caller id!