Super Scam... 750 people detained

It all begins here, more often than you would imagine.
Have you ever heard of one famous American by name Mr. Ponzie?
The reason I brought up his name here is because, as we speak, a few Indians have gratefully embraced his brilliant business model and have successfully applied/are applying the same there, be forewarned. Read a report just recently.


That 90% may have been working with a firm belief that they indeed are an genuine outsourcing company for the IRS. And that top 9 may be working for their bosses who are sitting in their posh offices in some Caribbean islands, if not Nigeria.

You couldn't be duped if someone was convincing enough?

Many who are duped here by telephone scams are senior citizens. They still have landlines, maybe no caller ID (costs extra depending on what service is used), but that can be easily faked now. There's a news story here every week about one type of phone scam or another and it's usually some elder getting duped out of a ton of money.

Not everyone here has jaded big city street smarts. Large parts of America are rural and very small town and people don't get out much. So to speak.

I call it gullible, not stupid.

I once got a call saying there's been a refund to my expired credit card, of a transaction I made over five years ago! Could I give them my new credit card number? Here's the kicker: they actually knew my expired credit card number! So I gave them my new credit card number. Then they asked for the "seven-digit customer identification code" on the back of the card "starting with <last four digits of the card number I gave them>." At that point, realisation struck and I quickly hung up.

So yeah, if someone has some inside information, it can easily lead you to trust them.

bottom line, I don't answer the phone unless I see a name I recognize. That's on my cell phone. Let them leave a voicemail. I still have a landline (and am trying to convince someone to get rid of it! ) that I NEVER answer because it's always telemarketers (I have caller ID) even tho I'm on the national Do Not Call List. That's pretty worthless!

I have seen "Social Security" or "IRS" come up on my caller ID and I know it's BS because they would never call. Or depending on my mood, I will answer and act so weird I make THEM hang up. hey, sometimes I need a cheap laugh.

Well yes. Which is why I always say, on the scam threads that, no, trust your gut feelling is not the answer, because that is exactly what any half-decent salesperson, let alone conman is working on.

Gullible, stupid... or variations thereon. People tend to be stupid, and that includes, even starts with, me.

Surya, I hope the story does not disappear from the media, and I hope we do get to know the details as it unfolds. As of now, though, on the basis of just two articles read, the masterminds were Indian. Not Caribbean; not Nigerian. If the "Nigerian" e-mail scammers had been able to organise like this, then probably none of us would have any money left!

I have heard of some call centres operating from 2 BHK flats in the suburbs of Mumbai. These are usually fly by night companies who operate for a couple of months and then shut down only to crop up at some other suburb.

I have caller ID so I don't answer unless I know who's calling, but I have gotten messages on the answering machine saying they were the IRS calling. Also got messages saying that my computer has a virus and to call them to fix it. How the hell would anyone know if my computer has a virus?? Total scammers.

Good practice ananda.

That is what scamsters do, don't they? Throw a bait and wait for the fish. They may have to wait a long time to get the fish and usually they get one.

as they say, great minds think alike.

You ever get the phone call where you say hello and then the other person asks whom am I speaking with. Some people actually tell a complete stranger the truth. I always say it's none of your business. And who are you and what do you want? If it's a telemarketer I'll just hang up. If I'm in an ornery mood, I'll tell them off before I hang up.

yup. and ditto!

On the other hand, if the person asks to whom they are speaking, you immediately tell all Some fall for flattery, others fall for grammar .

OK, so there there is a bunch of us who are fairly sure that we are not going to fall for this one, even some who may have deflected it already. But thousands did. Great minds think alike; sadly. the not so great minds tend to do so too.

So basically you pick up the phone and tell them off every time?

But don't answer anymore. Caller ID is your friend.

Another article on it....

http://indianexpress.com/article/ind...izens-3066247/


"They would call up the US citizens and demand their financial and bank details, failing which they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action."

As I said, many seniors are duped out their savings by phone scams. Put yourself in their place as an elder who is in early stage dementia, may be hard of hearing, etc., and some fast talker can easily confuse and scare someone like that. Many seniors do not have family living with them or have someone taking care of them, they're on their own, alone in their house. Easy to be taken advantage of if no one is looking out for an elder.

While ananda and I have no problem telling someone off, there are still people in this world who are trusting, believe it or not!