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Old 06-28-2019, 06:27 PM
 
Location: SW Florida
14,798 posts, read 11,938,114 times
Reputation: 24499

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Quote:
Originally Posted by VTsnowbird View Post
Your SS # will be suspended - take money out of your bank to safeguard it - buy gift cards.


You owe back taxes - only one way to pay - buy gift cards.


You have won a grant from the gov't. - you need to pay "registration fees" - buy gift cards.


You have won the PCH lottery - you need to pay "registration fees" - buy gift cards.


See the common thread? Once you read them the numbers from the back of the card you have loaded money onto, they have all your money - untraceable - no recourse. Western Union has started to crack down on scammers, so they have gone to gift cards.



The other common thread in these scams is that the person who calls you will most likely be from outside the US, with an accent. If you have any doubts if you are talking to the real IRS or SSA, ask to speak to someone without an accent. They will hang up.


I knew someone who almost got taken by the IRS scam, but she herself is from outside the US and thus her ear was not able to distinguish accents.

If nothing else raises a red flag as to such a call being a probable scam, I'd think the thoughts of federal agencies (IRS, SSA, other claimed guv'mint entities) requiring that transactions be carried out using gift cards would do it. Gift cards, really????????
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Old 06-28-2019, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Military City, USA.
5,494 posts, read 6,411,595 times
Reputation: 16839
I recently helped an elderly church friend out of a scam, he was called and told his phone bills would be lower every month for a year by him paying $350.00 in Gift Cards. I called the number and spoke to the "salesperson", who actually sounded sincere........When I asked my friend why he went ahead and ALMOST completed the deal, he replied "because it sounded like a good deal". The Gift Cards had no effect on his thought process that this was a scam, he was listening to his head tell him it was a "good deal".
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Old 06-28-2019, 08:06 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
6,219 posts, read 5,895,029 times
Reputation: 12159
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
I'm just saying that if this man is a retired professor, he shouldn't have been one of the 3% of people gullible enough to fall for it.
See: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...an2-story.html
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Old 06-28-2019, 09:04 PM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
7,448 posts, read 7,503,639 times
Reputation: 16456
Quote:
Originally Posted by TuborgP View Post
Earlier this week my son had his wallet stolen with two not yet deposited checks we had written for Mother’s and Father’s Day to him and his wife. We contacted our bank and they recommended we close our account which we did and opened a new one with them. Very seamless and easy. Routing numbers in the wrong hand can be dangerous.
Your routing number is on every check you write. And it's specific to that financial institution, not your account, although your account number is also on every check you write. I can't believe your bank advised you to close your account. That makes no sense at all. If a check I've written is stolen or otherwise lost, all I have to do is go online and put a stop payment that check. There is absolutely no need to close the entire account.
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Old 06-29-2019, 12:16 AM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,812 posts, read 32,248,860 times
Reputation: 38559
Quote:
Originally Posted by PartIrish View Post
The scammers got this old man to provide login information to his financial accounts on the threat that his financial accounts were in immediate danger and Social Security could keep his assets safe.
But what educated person believes that the Social Security Department has anything to do with their financial accounts? And that they need your login? And that Social Security has anything to do with keeping assets safe?

This just doesn't make sense to me. I just can't think of anyone with any street savvy or even common sense at all, thinking that this makes sense.
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Old 06-29-2019, 12:20 AM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,812 posts, read 32,248,860 times
Reputation: 38559
Quote:
Originally Posted by nancymyers2000 View Post
The SSA will very likely call you when you sign up for benefits to verify information. It is not uncommon at all.
I've never had the SSA call me to verify information. I get a letter saying I need to call them.
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:48 AM
 
105,671 posts, read 107,628,943 times
Reputation: 79313
the only time we got a call is when we signed up for spousal as that is finalized over the phone if you don't go down there
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Old 06-29-2019, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
938 posts, read 440,649 times
Reputation: 1386
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
I'm just saying that if this man is a retired professor, he shouldn't have been one of the 3% of people gullible enough to fall for it.

I'm not saying it's not a real scam. I'm questioning this person falling for it.

I just don't understand anyone falling for these scams at this point, with all the press there has been about these types of scams, but especially someone as described doing so.
What makes you think someone has common sense because they're a professor?
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Old 06-29-2019, 07:55 AM
 
6,806 posts, read 4,416,780 times
Reputation: 31228
We sent a man to the moon, but we can't stop robo-calls? We build robots that look speak, answer questions and look human, but we can't prevent scam artists from calling us? BS!

A man with a middle-eastern accent once called and left a threatening message on my answering machine. Claimed he was IRA. Said the police were already on their way to my home to arrest me. The only way to prevent that from happening was to call him back ASAP and pay a fee to cancel the arrest.

I didn't.

I gave as much info as I could to the police, but I'm sure nothing was done.

With all the technology we have today, these calls can't be stopped before they reach us? Who believes that? Not me.
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Old 06-29-2019, 09:19 AM
 
12,022 posts, read 11,469,124 times
Reputation: 11136
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaErik View Post
Your routing number is on every check you write. And it's specific to that financial institution, not your account, although your account number is also on every check you write. I can't believe your bank advised you to close your account. That makes no sense at all. If a check I've written is stolen or otherwise lost, all I have to do is go online and put a stop payment that check. There is absolutely no need to close the entire account.
The number that follows the routing number for the bank is the account number. With the name and address printed on the check, the thieves have all they need to print checks or to write temporary checks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
I've never had the SSA call me to verify information. I get a letter saying I need to call them.
Social Security explicitly states that they will never call you. Like the IRS, they will send computer-generated notices. They send letters to your home allowing you to verify the account. Each time you attempt to log into your account, they send a verification code to your phone to validate the log in attempt.
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