[Closed] Scam warning

How do you know she was pretty from a phone call?

Oh, WhatsApp, right.

Having read the scam I would be worried if anyone but the most vulnerable fell for that.

If I have read it correctly a random 'wrong number' WhatsApp message transforms over time to expert investment advice because their aunt used to be a stock trader who knew a secret method to make loads of money quickly. As scams go it is pretty transparent no?

Hmm. Had a similar-ish one a few weeks ago. Random message from someone claiming their uncle had just handed them a phone he found and my number was on the lock screen as a missed call. Given that I never phone anyone this was impossible. Blocked instantly as I fully expected it was some kind of scam.

As scams go it is pretty transparent no?

Yes but dont forget there are people who still send money to fraudsters, despite people in the bank telling them its most likely a scam, and then getting the hump because 2 months later they realise they have been scammed and the bank say, we did warn you, theres no funds left for the beneficiary bank to return.

Never underestimate what people will do when it comes to this stuff.

They generally send out to hundreds of thousands of people, theres normally a few out there that it works on, they only need a response rate of about 1% for it to be profitable.

I had something similar a while back - "wrong" number message to a boyfriend iirc. I forwarded the number on to a mate who started messaging "her" claiming to have kidnapped me and demanding money if "she" ever wanted to see me again.

"She" never responded, can't have cared about me that much.

My housemate recently asked me about a random text/whattapp he received about pirating a movie.

He asked me if I'd been pirating movies, which I actually hadn't.. Before laughing in his face I had to point out that the ISP will not make demands for money via text, and certainly wouldn't ask the 'fine' to be paid to a random revolut IBAN .

Some people can and do fall for it.
As above, its a numbers game. If the scammers send out an automated spam message to a million people and only one or two fall for it, then they are in profit.
Good money for very little effort.

As scams go it is pretty transparent no?

I've seen it suggested that many scams are deliberately introduced in a shonky way, e.g. spelling errors in emails, as a filter: the scammers don't want to waste time with people that will rumble them before the payoff, so the hook is designed to only appeal to the chronically stupid and gullible.

I’ve seen it suggested that many scams are deliberately introduced in a shonky way

Yes and no, some scams are ridiculously well presented and complex, others not so much.

Some of the better ones ive seen was an airbnb scam which took you to a very realistic fake airbnb site, i knew i was looking at a fake website and i still couldnt tell it was fake.
Investment fraud is also generally very well put together, this can prove very lucrative for the scammers and also has big payoffs and time to "get away" as its only when the investment matures that the victim notices anything is wrong and it can be 3 years or longer before they expect a return.

in short - trust noone.

"tells me about her aunt's secret to making money"

There can be as much pre-amble as they like.. she can jump into bed with me! but that bit would just be laughed at.
Guess there are some that would fall for their new "friend" helping them out in this way.

Some of the better ones ive seen was an airbnb scam which took you to a very realistic fake airbnb site, i knew i was looking at a fake website and i still couldnt tell it was fake.

None of this stuff is new. Spotting fake things
critical thinking should be part of the national curriculum.

I used to think "how can anyone fall for this stuff?" but these days, not so much.

Breadcrumbed from the OP's link, this is a sobering read. It's not some twit in a call centre, it's a well-oiled machine.

^^ ya link's knackered Cougar ^^

Yeah, easy to think you're above it, but I gave (via an IFA) a large sum to some fraudsters selling Prague real estate. Not proud of it, but it was very easy to do.

Cougers link:

Hey. Its a scam to get you to a dodgy website.......

I’ve seen it suggested that many scams are deliberately introduced in a shonky way

Yes and no, some scams are ridiculously well presented and complex, others not so much.

Correct on both counts. Some are accidentally terrible, some are intentionally terrible, some are well-crafted. For maximum yield you don't use a single type of bait when you go fishing, similarly you don't use a single type of bait when you go phishing.

This is the problem with "scam warning!" - it's well meaning and it's effective in raising awareness that these things can take many different forms but ultimately, there will always be scams. It's simply not possible for people to mentally blacklist every new one that pops up, I can't do that even and it's part of my job.

Rather, you need to learn how to spot these things. There are common factors: an appeal to the heart (or the penis); some sort of financial incentive and / or some sort of threat (carrot and stick); something that means you have to act RIGHT NOW rather than think. The Internet is awash with many more along with shibboleths like how to spot a fake email address. But that's all pretty complicated so my advice is now simply a one-liner:

Ask yourself, "was I expecting this?" If the answer is "no," be suspicious. (hell, just be suspicious anyway😁) A pretty young Asian lass messages you accidentally and then wants to be your new bestie, does that sound like something you'd expect to happen? Were you sat there waiting for her call?

Is this a flawless approach? No, of course not. But it's a bloody good starting block and once we've got everyone doing it, then we can worry about the clever stuff.

^^ ya link’s knackered Cougar ^^

Sods. Ta.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/na8oax/asian_guygirl_from_online_dating_mentors_you_to/

The only dodgy emails that make it into my inbox are from lovely sounding German ladies. Almost makes me sorry I don't speak German.

I had one of those "Hi dad, it's me - I've changed my number. Any chance you could pay my utility bill bla bla bla" WhatsApps the other day. I was in a pretty vile mood (much loved cat had just died) so sent a pretty nasty (even by my standards) message in return wishing them much ill fortune (or words to that effect). Seemed to hit a nerve - apparently I was unnecessarily vindictive. Apparently they were only after my money so why was I being so unpleasant? Threatened to report me for what I'd messaged them. Apparently even doing what they do they have the right not to be abused....who knew?

Well, it kept them from scamming for a few minutes and gave me a direction to point some bile. Everyone's a winner - apart from their feelings apparently.

Keep their number. Next time you get another one, reply with "I have changed my number and can now be reached on [that number]. This is an automated message, please do not reply."

might've mentioned it before, but I nearly fell for a phishing message I received to my webmail - "We're changing our terms" type email - click here to agree to the new terms. The mail provider has actually changed their terms a few times since I joined them many years ago, so I blindly click on it, start entering my username/passw... hang on, what are you doing!? Had a fair few follow ups to it too, saying, you didn't agree our new terms. Annoying that a mail provider's spam blocker doesn't block mails purporting to be from them, that aren't! (yeah yeah, I don't need an in depth explanation of why that's not possible, thanks! 😛 )

I honestly can’t believe how some folks(other than elderly/very naive people) fall for these scams !! I’m not the brainest C**t but they all scream scam 🤷‍♂️

People fall mostly for scams through greed or being manipulated. The manipulation is easiest on the week minded, hence the poor grammar emails, but can equally well work on intelligent people. I remember Dad started getting fax (remember them?) messages offering him porn and there was a phone number to call to stop it. After about an hour on hold he spotted in tiny print the £15 per minute call charge for the line he was using. He was a top scientist and Professor and having worked around the world in many poor areas was well aware of cons and rip offs.

As a student I used to run a 'scam' where I would come back from university in Portsmouth with a big haul of cheap duty free (remember that?) French booze. I would put the word out and have a secret garage sale of all the booze. Started with just cheap lager for kids my own age but by the end I was getting their parents coming and orders for wine as well. All I ever did was drive to the big wine warehouse in Reading, about 10 miles from Mum's house, buying the cheapest stuff I could find without English labels and fill the Sierra Estate (Remember them) boot. Yes, they were paying over the odds for booze they could easily buy themselves because they were greedy to get a bargain rather than actually thinking. I used this repeatedly for three years.

but ultimately, there will always be scams. It’s simply not possible for people to mentally blacklist every new one that pops up, I can’t do that even and it’s part of my job.

Rather, you need to learn how to spot these things.

You worded it so much better than I could have done @Cougar - yes, spot on. All our staff are trained by the MD and I to do this and if they are even a smidge unsure they ask. My wife is the same and she is getting good a spotting them also.

I'll admit, I have come close a couple of times to hitting the link - one in particular seemed to come from my bank and was very convincing however I stopped just in time and looked again. The clue was texts from my bank come up as From :'My Bank' whereas this was just from a phone number. Other than that it was spot on what they would have sent...

I honestly can’t believe how some folks(other than elderly/very naive people) fall for these scams !!

Complacency.

Clicking the link on a well patched PC / browser / updated phone isn't such a bad thing. Once upon a time when there was a new Java or Flash vuln every week, clicking on links was hazardous but those days are mostly gone. Whilst hovering over a link to check the URL / hostname (the 'www' bit), loading the page (or previewing it on iOS) can help with the validation but the only guarantee is by looking at the hostname as this is the biggest clue although you do need to know how a hostname is constructed - it's too easy to rip off a legit website almost pixel by pixel but there are still plenty of scammer sites out there that look like they were created by a 7 year old.

Bad stuff generally happens once you start typing in the page.

Seemed to hit a nerve – apparently I was unnecessarily vindictive. Apparently they were only after my money so why was I being so unpleasant? Threatened to report me for what I’d messaged them. Apparently even doing what they do they have the right not to be abused….who knew?

Was the caller Russian?

I had a message purportedly from my bank about unauthorised payments, please click the link, etc, so I blocked it, but just to be on the safe side, I phoned my account manager on her personal mobil, bypassing the usual extended system you have to go through, and left a message. A couple of minutes later she phoned me back, telling me to call the number immediately, she’d just checked my account, and there had been several attempted purchases and a couple of small ones the other side of the country! It could have cost me nearly £1000, but her quick response stopped it in its tracks.

I have no idea how my card could have been cloned, other than via someone at an online retailer, because I usually use my phone for contactless purchases, and my card stays in my wallet if I have to use that.