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Warning..scammers at it again


Topaz

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Don't be surprised if u get a call saying to phone this number or contact your lawyer, that the CRA may sue you for not paying money owed. I've have received two calls today, the same recording and if u go to the CRA website, which I did, they have the warning on their site now. Just wondering have any of u received a call like this? I'm trying to figure out their reasoning for calling and the only thing I can come up with is when u phone back, which I didn't, they can use your phone number? Thoughts?

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I'm trying to figure out their reasoning for calling and the only thing I can come up with is when u phone back, which I didn't, they can use your phone number? Thoughts?

Identity theft. They scare people enough to call back and offer personal information.

A good rule of thumb: if you get an email or phone that tries to scare you - it is a scam.

If you want to make sure - call the business or agency direct using phone numbers from their website.

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It was automatically an obvious scam when they called me. Even if CRA did operate in that manner, the really poor use of english, the horrible phone connection, and the person on the other end's complete inability to tell me anything about my supposed file were all dead giveaways. I had fun torturing the guy by making him give me information rather than answering any of his questions, but yeah, you'd have to be of diminished capacity to fall for it -- it's a weak scam. The sad thing is, there are enough people who are of diminished capacity that these a-holes are stealing some people's ID and or cash.

That they trick some people into answering questions I guess I understand, but that they actually get people to send them money is astounding. They ask people to go and buy GIFT CARDS, and to send those in. Who thinks that a government agency would do that?

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I used to get messages on my answering machine from a guy with a thick Mumbai accent telling me that the cops are on the way to arrest me for tax evasion. Later on, I was getting the same message, but instead of a thick accent, it was a computerized voice like Microsoft Reader or something. And now I'm getting the same message read by Microsoft Reader's female voice. It's no more convincing this time around.

I do worry about people with (as Bryan put it) diminished capacity. Whether it be these telephone scams, or misleading computer ads ("your computer has been attacked by hackers! You need to buy our software right now to protect yourself!") ...I'm not sure what we as a society can do to protect people who are vulnerable to this sort of thing.

If even 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000 people fall for these scams, that's still potentially an awful lot of victims.

-k

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I used to get messages on my answering machine from a guy with a thick Mumbai accent telling me that the cops are on the way to arrest me for tax evasion.

Ha. We get a call on our landline about three times a week from your's guys brother in-law that landed a job with Microsoft and is kind enough to show you/us how to download software so he can take control of your computer and remove any malware......I love it, play right along (absent loading any software), well throwing in a touch of senility and hearing loss well sinking the hook, with the goal to waste enough of their time as possible.......sadly though, he stopped calling after an experience in which I put my 84 year young Jocko farther on with him.......Dad kept the guy on the line for nearly half an hour until the guy from Microsoft let him go.....they discussed everything....my father's favorite curry....his time in Ceylon.....Indian Independence......a one legged prostitute in Zanzibar....the works.

If even 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000 people fall for these scams, that's still potentially an awful lot of victims.

-k

For sure, I just wish I was computer savvy enough to actually screw with these guys ;)

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...sadly though, he stopped calling after an experience in which I put my 84 year young Jocko farther on with him.......Dad kept the guy on the line for nearly half an hour until the guy from Microsoft let him go.....they discussed everything....my father's favorite curry....his time in Ceylon.....Indian Independence......a one legged prostitute in Zanzibar....the works.

:lol: you're a cruel man. I can almost picture that.

"...and then for a week solid we was eating freeze-dried rations like wot the pongos eat..."

"umm, yes. Now, sir, if I could just get you to download the--"

"And it got worse when the foot rot set in. Can you imagine?"

"Sir, could we just focus on the computer--"

"A week in a wet canvas tent with eight dodgy manky chavs with foot-rot. Imagine it, son. IMAGINE IT"

-k

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The problem with playing along with these guys and burning them in the end is that they know who you are (and where you live) and you know nothing about them. That puts you at a great disadvantage if the scam artist you "burned" decides to retaliate.

Hang up and do not take the bait.

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.I love it, play right along (absent loading any software), ....

For sure, I just wish I was computer savvy enough to actually screw with these guys ;)

I played along also..."Are you sitting in front of your computer now??

..."Yes, yes I am."

"Please click on the Start menu"

" Start menu....hmmmm. sorry I don't seem to have a start menu"

"Sir-Sir, you must have a start menu. it is down in the lower left of the screen"

"What it look like?'

"it looks like the Windows logo thing..."

"Nope sorry, don't see anything like that"

etc etc etc until finally...

"What operating system do you have??

"Safari something or other I think"

"Safari? just a moment... Sir, do you have an Apple computer or a windows computer?"

"An Apple computer."

"Are you in front of your Apple computer right now?"

"Yes I am."

"Sir, please take your Apple computer and put it in your ass!"

Good help is hard to find I suppose...even in Mumbai

Edited by Peter F
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Ha. We get a call on our landline about three times a week from your's guys brother in-law that landed a job with Microsoft and is kind enough to show you/us how to download software so he can take control of your computer and remove any malware......I love it, play right along (absent loading any software), well throwing in a touch of senility and hearing loss well sinking the hook, with the goal to waste enough of their time as possible.......sadly though, he stopped calling after an experience in which I put my 84 year young Jocko farther on with him.......Dad kept the guy on the line for nearly half an hour until the guy from Microsoft let him go.....they discussed everything....my father's favorite curry....his time in Ceylon.....Indian Independence......a one legged prostitute in Zanzibar....the works.

For sure, I just wish I was computer savvy enough to actually screw with these guys ;)

Was your father a Burma Star to?

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Good help is hard to find I suppose...even in Mumbai

I've done near the exact same routine, better yet, claim your computer keeps restarting or is loading an update so they have to wait ;)

Edited by Derek 2.0
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One call I get at least once a month is the call about one's credit card and how the interest rate high is too high and they can help. I first said, I didn't have a credit card and they said you don't? I threw them off and they hung up. I also tracked down the phone number and it came out of USA around New York City.

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One call I get at least once a month is the call about one's credit card and how the interest rate high is too high and they can help. I first said, I didn't have a credit card and they said you don't? I threw them off and they hung up. I also tracked down the phone number and it came out of USA around New York City.

Actually I believe many scammers actually use an internet-to-phone gateway, which allows them to make long distance calls for free (or cheaply). So een if you trace the number to a certain location, its possible that the scammer is thousands of miles away.

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Ha. We get a call on our landline about three times a week from your's guys brother in-law that landed a job with Microsoft and is kind enough to show you/us how to download software so he can take control of your computer and remove any malware......I love it, play right along (absent loading any software), well throwing in a touch of senility and hearing loss well sinking the hook, with the goal to waste enough of their time as possible...

I do the same sort of things (attempt to waste their time). Although usually when I get bored playing along, I start asking them questions like "I'm worried about this virus you say I have... will it affect the naked pictures I have of your mother?"

Sometimes good for an interesting reaction.

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The problem with playing along with these guys and burning them in the end is that they know who you are (and where you live) and you know nothing about them. That puts you at a great disadvantage if the scam artist you "burned" decides to retaliate.

Hang up and do not take the bait.

On the other hand, there are probably hundreds/thousands of people who pull similar pranks (wasting the scammer's time, giving bad information, etc.) The chance that some scammer will remember and target any specific "victim" is probably pretty tiny.

And remember, we're not exactly talking about technical gurus here... I suspect many of these scammers are working off some script, and don't really understand much of what they are saying/doing. For those people the chance that they would even be able to seek "revenge" is probably small.

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Don't be surprised if u get a call saying to phone this number or contact your lawyer, that the CRA may sue you for not paying money owed. I've have received two calls today, the same recording and if u go to the CRA website, which I did, they have the warning on their site now. Just wondering have any of u received a call like this? I'm trying to figure out their reasoning for calling and the only thing I can come up with is when u phone back, which I didn't, they can use your phone number? Thoughts?

As TimG said, its a phishing scam... call hundreds of numbers randomly in the hopes that one person will respond, and then attempt to get personal information on the person, and/or get them to send money in some fashion.

I've received that sort of call myself on my answering machine, complete with statements about how I was going to be proscecuted if I didn't call them back.

I've got friends that work for CRA, if there are any problems you will be contacted by mail long before they try calling you.

Edited by segnosaur
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I do the same sort of things (attempt to waste their time). Although usually when I get bored playing along, I start asking them questions like "I'm worried about this virus you say I have... will it affect the naked pictures I have of your mother?"

Sometimes good for an interesting reaction.

Nice, my wife will respond to them with every third word in Dutch.....really throws them for a loop.

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On the other hand, there are probably hundreds/thousands of people who pull similar pranks (wasting the scammer's time, giving bad information, etc.) The chance that some scammer will remember and target any specific "victim" is probably pretty tiny.

And remember, we're not exactly talking about technical gurus here... I suspect many of these scammers are working off some script, and don't really understand much of what they are saying/doing. For those people the chance that they would even be able to seek "revenge" is probably small.

I hope you are correct. Many years ago when I lived in a house in Toronto, around Christmas time, a number of teenagers in a group started to work our street as "Carol Singers". They did not appear to be from the area and I did not recognize any of them when they rang our door bell. When I opened the door, they started "singing" (I thought more like yelling) what appeared to be a Christmas Carol. Their leader then asked for a "donation". He was unable or unwilling to tell me exactly which group they were representing but I gave them what change I had in my pocket - there were 7 of them and just me and my bride and they were on my porch.

Later, my neighbor complained that someone had broken two windows on his house and had "keyed" his car in his driveway. He did tell me that those "singers" had also visited his front door but after they could not (or would not) reveal their charitable sponsors he told them to get lost. Their spokesman became rude so my neighbor "kicked his ass" off his porch. The police did get involved but could do nothing. I did not know any of them and had nothing to help.

My neighbor had two more instances of vandalism and his pet dog disappeared. I cannot guarantee that there was any connection between those incidents but I learned a lesson.

When someone comes to your door or communicates with you, they know who and/or where you are. You know nothing about them. There are enough crazies in this world (just look at some of the posts here) who are a problem looking for a cause.

I would never mess with anybody unless I knew who they were and where I could find them especially if they knew where to find me.

But that is only my advice.

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