Another scam?
 

I got an email the other day. Supposedly from "Discover Card". Looked official, except I don't have a discover card. They wanted to give me back my double pmt that I had made. Of course you had to click on a link, which I did not of course. I reported it. Has anyone else received this? Just curious.

I received one from American Express like this. I don't have AE so I called and reported this one too.

I got another one on my car. long time warranty. they don't say what type of car etc. i do not have anything like that on my car, only recalls covered by the maker which are nothing i purchased of course. it is irritating to get mail seeming serious and making people fall for that. it is a scam. people should have some sort of conscience about that they do for a living. So watch out for those type of things, mail, internet or what ever.

Unfortunately they are getting better at making the fake emails, letters, and phone calls seem legitimate.

Ny HB got a call from who they said was SS and they gave hime a number to call. It is a scam. We also get mail about our auto protection on warrenty is about to run out. They don't say what kind of auto.

The IRS is going to come and arrest me! I was suppose to send a gift card to an address in Canada to pay what I owe. It has been a week now and I am still home and no one has come to arrest me.

I have learned to 'hover' my cursor over the sender's name and see what the source is. That is often worth a laugh in itself. It is a shame that so many people are so greedy-or needy-that they become easy pickings for the scammers.

Hey Maryb. I'm still waiting on that gift card. Got the cops on speed dial. :p :D

I'm about to be arrested also. But I don't know why. The person calling has such a thick foreign accent I can't understand much of what he is saying. It took several calls to understand that I would be arrested. So far so good.

My husband, who is very intelligent and rational, did get hit with a Medicare Scam. He went to a Senior Citizen fair, and at one booth they talked him into have gene testing done to look for diseases like cancer. He forgot about it until it showed up on his Medicare statement. We didn't owe anything, but Medicare paid the company several thousand dollars. We looked into it and reported it. Turns out it was a 'new' scam that had already been discovered by Medicare, and the owner of the company was in jail, but not before Medicare had paid out millions of dollars. He got a new Medicare number.

If only the Fool that calls me (I don’t answer but he leaves a message) was a real person instead of a recording, then tells me I could be going to jail for non payment of “something.” I’d like to say “I’ll be waiting for them at the door, but I will warn you, I’m taking my sewing machine & a bunch of totes too. They can cook & clean for me while I make quilts, I don’t give a fig.

Recently, I called back a scammer who has been harassing my 97 year old Mom, his number was registered to a woman. I asked for her.....the guy tried to disguise is voice and answered in a high pitched tone....you need to pay this bill, so I need your credit card. I said you are a fraud and a criminal. I told him the number he called was my number at the County, where I work in the Sheriff's office. They will be contacting you on Monday. He said, what is your badge number? I said 911. He had my name...also. the only account my name is on is my Mom's Bank of America accounts. Once again, I told him he would be hearing from the authorities. He said, I know where you live and I am going to ! I said what? I said I'm going to .
So I reported him and his phone number to the police department. The detective that called me said that they were using the phone number that he answered that day to speak to him....and they were sure we would not be bothered by him anymore.
So far, so good.....BTW I called Bank of America and gave them a piece of my mind. They said they don't use third party vendors to call about accounts or services. I told them the only way this guy would have know my name was from their information and I was holding them responsible for further harassment and threats. . was calling my Mom every day. They are the Scum of the earth.

I am so proud of you all for fighting back against the scammers! I get very few phone calls, but have been getting texts about my property in FL (I don't have one). They want to buy it or refinance it. Finally I texted back that the house had just been destroyed by a falling meteorite and they sent back an "unsubscribed" message!

ptquilts, that was really quick thinking. We get the warranty calls, I always hit one and when the guy answers, I tell him I want the extended warranty on our 57 Cheverolet. That takes care of those calls for a year or so. I have answered calls, Sheriff's Dept, how can I direct your call, or sometimes, Fraud Division, how may I help you. One woman had my name and said I could get in trouble for misrepresenting myself. I told her, I didn't do the scam calling. She said this is not a scam, so I asked her who she was and what she wanted. She told me and I said, well, I am going to report you for calling a number that's been on the do not call list since it came OUT. She slammed down the receiver.

I also got the 'grandma' scam call twice. This one hit close to home since a friend fell for it, to the tune of $4,000. I took them to the end and when they told me their child died, I told them that was sad but maybe a good thing since they were going to prison for trying to scam elderly people. So you won't be around to even raise that child.Your momma must be so proud of you, I'm sure she raised you MUCH better than that. Both were met with silence at the end, then a bit before dial tone. I want to think I made them rethink what they were doing. Maybe not. I have no grands but my friend had many and just happened to give her a correct name. :-(

I've gotten 2 e-mails saying my Amazon account is frozen & I need to click the link & reopen it. It's a scam.

Me too
 

Called Discover And the Federal Trade Commission to report this FTC number is 202-362-2222. Also be aware there is one going around about Social Security For this you call the FTC number and they will give the number for the OIG--Office of the Inspector General. SSA Will Never call you. You must always Call SSA.

FTC will give you more information and enter your information into their system. You will be given a reference number tha you should keep for future reference.

Never hit 1 Warning and helps
 

Doing the press 1 to be removed Does Not Remove Your Number -- It Adds your number to the list and you will have more problems. Unfortunately I've fallen for this as well. It was an FTC agent that told me about this problem.

I know I did not say in my intro but I worked with the Glendale AZ Police Community Relations Department as a volunteer. I heard many things that was happening then and are still going on today. I had an Officer that would listen to All My Complaints and she would tell me what to do to handle these types of problems so I will give you her answers here and You can decide what ones are good for your situation.

Please understand I don't mean to sound harsh or Know it all but this type of thing really gets under my skin. I have a friend of a friend that falls for the "cash this check--You keep $1,000 and send us the other $2,000" and has done so many times. I told my friend this Judge is going to get tired of his excuses and he will be facing jail time. He doesn't have a real job as my friend put it. Problem is I have met this dumb-bell person and he is a really sweet person Just Stupid about this scam or maybe just wanting the money without working for it. Either way he will be facing jail time if he keeps it up.

Step 1--Register Immediately on The National Do Not Call Registry this gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. After you register, other types of organizations may still call you, such as charities, political groups, debt collectors and surveys. To learn more, read FTC FAQs.
If you received an unwanted call after your number was on the National Registry for 31 days, report it to the FTC. At the number above. This one is a direct quote off the FTC.gov web site.

Step 2: Block every scam number that comes through to your phone.

Step 3: (All Uppercase Here) Never answer calls that say Unknown, Withheld, Private or any other such message as 99.99 percent are scammers.

Step 4: (Again All Caps) Never answer calls that you Do Not Know. Let them leave a message. Proper businesses/family that have changed a phone number will leave you a message. Also tell individuals you know that you are not answering numbers you do not recognize and tell them please leave a message and you will return their call as soon as you get their message so they don't worry something is wrong at your end.

Step 5: Report any threats to the police Immediately and Fill Out a Police Report with Your Local Department At Your House so you can show the Officer/Deputy the phone number and the number of times the individual has called. Ask for an officer to come to your house to check your property if you are frightened in any way. They will send an Officer. That's what our Hero's do -- protect their patrol zones.

I have called for Officers to come to my home and have told the responding Officer that I was sorry to call them on maybe something that seems trivial to them. I have always had the same answer from the Officer that came..."I get paid whether I sit in my car bored to death or I am answering a call for you. I'd much rather answer calls so I feel like I am earning my check and know I am keeping you safe."

Step 6: Record the call by turning on the speaker and record on your phone Or Computer. This will help in the prosecution of the individual(s) when arrested.

Step 7: Love All Your Tricks to get them off the phone but Please consider Not answering the calls. You can then block the numbers that leave no messages. Scammers will not leave a message as they know their voice can be traced back to them and be used in a court of law to help convict them.

Information for the FTC from their website:
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
Telephone: (202) 326-2222
website: FTC.gov

Scams
 

I have had many of the above scams The one on Social Security is a great one. I called our local SS office and she told me that they NEVER call only mail. She also told me that somehow they manage to use their phone number.

I have also been lucky not to be scammed on Craidslist. They want you to send them the item and they will send you a check for the item plus shipping. Although, the check is NO good!

Scams
 

Another major scam to be aware of is saying "yes" to answer a question. Such as "Is this Ed?" They record you and can use it to scam you out a lot of money. This was reported on our local news station.

I have had people call me and I say "mmm" They will say "we need more than an mmm" I say "I am not saying anything else" and they hang up.
"

Dear Valued Customer,
On February 11, 2019, Trans....co purchased substantially all of the Sears Holdings assets*. As part of that sale, Trans....co acquired Sears Holdings’ customer information, including personally identifiable information.

Beware of this email....I called Sear's cust. service number that I could find on the internet. The person said he knows nothing about this company purchasing anything from Sear's. He gave me another number but it is Friday and they will not be opened until Monday. Tip-off--I Do Not order from Sears.com and have No Account at Sear's.com Or Sears store. I pay at the store but haven't even been to Sear's for over 2 years.
I'm Supposed to click the Link--Fat Chance at least until I know this is Real from Sear's themself. I'm keeping the email until I can find out and call my "friends" at FTC.

I Love calling in scams. Maybe in this way I can help save someone else from being scammed.

On Craidslist
 

I wanted to sell something and One person replied to come to my house. The hair stood up on the back of my neck--I called the PD and asked permission to do the sale on property to which the Major (a friend of mine) agreed. Interestingly when I told the person that the sale would be at the PD the person never showed. The Major had planned to 'talk' to the person until I was home as it was after the banks closed and I would have had a good deal of cash on hand at my apt of the time. Always nice to have a few friends on the department.

The point Motley made about the police dept. made me remember what a policeman told us once. They would much rather get called out if you are not sure, then to have a crime happen and hear people say, "I thought something was suspicious, but I didn't want to bother the police about it."

Just another note on Craigslist scams - beware the ones that answer your ad and want to "send a code to your phone" - totally a scam and it will be signing you up for something you don't want and will be billed for.

I guess I am about to have my social security card revoked due to my criminal activity. Did not call them back, do not know what I did.LOL Crazy times we live in.

I haven't received that one, but I keep getting one for my American Express card which I haven't had for more than 25 years now.

Whole Food Survey Scam
 

It's a text and then a mailed cashiers check.
1. The property does not exist. I looked it up on 3 different web maps. The name on my envelope is R**** G****e. Address is 5230 Chancery Blvd; Greenwood, IN 46143. Like I said this :shock: address does not exist :shock: so I am not putting out anyone's personal information.

2. Company's Name was not able to be found anywhere on the internet Whole Food Survey.

3. Mailing came from Los Angeles California
So explain to me why it was mailed from California if this so called business is in Indiana.

4. Maybe the biggest clue--Cashier's Check was supposedly drawn from Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union :eek: Federal Crime here maybe because they involved a Federal Credit Union and The Army. Maybe they are going to Face the FBI :D.

Now in "fairness" they claim to be a Mystery Shopper company. Fine. I love doing mystery shopping and they are an honest program used by many retail businesses. It's a lot of fun if you like to go shopping, eating out, shopping...I see you are getting the picture. Fun!! HoweverNever did I ever receive a check from any business Before I did my job. Now let's be realistic. Have you ever known any business to hire someone, give them a paycheck and tell them now go do your job to earn the money I just gave you??? Does Not Happen.

A mystery shopper spends their own money does what is required and then scans the receipt, sends it to their company and is then Reimbursed and paid whatever their contract was for. Simple.

Went thru this to finish my warning...I was sent a check for $2860.50 and told now go buy W* gift cards for $2500 from 2 different W* stores and purchase a $10 Cashier's Check for the American Cancer Society. This really burned me. My Momma survived cancer 3 times. Don't Never try to defraud the ACS thru me because it Won't Happen!

Well after all this let me add:
1--Called my local Police Department and asked if the needed the information and he said "No -- just destroy it so it cannot be followed thru with someone else because I would have a hard time proving I was not the one that cashed it or paid someone else to cash it since my name was on the check, I would most likely be arrested and charged."
2--Called the Federal Trade Commission and filed a complaint with the Feds!!! They will be looking for these person(s). Gave them the Names, Addresses, Emails, and Phone Numbers.
3--If any of you crooks from this scam are reading this You picked the Wrong Person. I will report you every time you try to use me for your scams.
4--I will tell it like it is -- You Are A Crook and this Is A Scam.

Thank You Quilters for taking the time to read this and please Do Pass It On to everyone you know.

Your Quilting Away Friend, Motley

Sisquilter1
Did you get a letter or phone call? SSA never calls Only sends mail.

So far this week I have received two emails about a credit card I don’t have. I noted in their letter several misspellings, no punctuation at the end of some sentences and no capital letter at the beginning of a paragraph. Surely a reputable company or organization would do better. And the letter was not signed. Sort of a dead giveaway.

The delete button works well on my laptop.

My favorite one was from the US Secretary of State

I have been looked for as I am ready to be sent $25 Mil due to being an heir to Bla Bla Bla...Oh how I could use 25 Mil but called the State Department and heard them Laughing--then "Ma'am You are the 200th (or whatever #) that has called this month. No you have Not been looked for. No we do not have 25 pennies to give you. No we do not want to be contacted by these scammers. We're very sorry we cannot help you. Please have a great day. Good-bye" click.

Aw-rats not gonna get even a few pennies. :D Bad guys lose again!

Yes they actually said exactly that when I called for verification this was a scam.

Such is life. My life is full of blessings every day--I woke up, I am able to have a place to sleep at night, I have food to eat when hungry, I have a wonderful family, I live a life that I enjoy.
Would like to buy my own house and have a Realtor that has helped me in many ways most realtors would never even consider doing.