| Author |
Message |
Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 2:41 pm 
It's just terrible. I keep trying to educate my mom about this kind of stuff. She had some guy trying to get into her computer. She downloaded software at his instructions. But she's so inept she couldn't provide her IP address to them and got frustrated and hung up. I was SO worried we'd find her bank account drained. But no, her lack of computer skills saved her. I remind her ALL THE TIME that if her bank or anyone calls her, to hang up and call the bank herself if it seems real. Just Hang UP! I tell her all the time.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 2:50 pm
Sometimes they pose as being from Norton and that happens to be what someone is using and so they trust them. A friend of mine got caught in that scam.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 4:41 pm
We are at the point that when we get an email or call...we always hang up and call back the company directly. And we look up the number ourselves. Not the number (or link): they give us.
With my husbands mom, who would seriously buy land in a swamp if given the opportunity. First we told her she was never allowed to do anything herself. We told her to say, my son makes ALL decisions. You must call him.
Then we also got her a special credit card. From the app you can set it up only to allow a certain amount or a certain store etc. For example, you can put $100 limit at Target.
Because we also had trouble with family members leeching off of her...we kept her card entirely blocked. He would go on the app and individually allow certain purchases in real time.
That cut the paying for anything with her credit card problems, to zero. It also cured those who repeatedly showed up to take her to dinner...only to let her pick up the entire tab. We couldn't even let a category like "gas" unblocked. She would fill their tank up with gas. That credit card was very helpful!!!
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 4:48 pm
I forgot to mention you can also block any online or phone purchases.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 5:56 pm
Absolutely shameful that “family and friends” would take advantage of someone like that.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 6:27 pm
Jimmer, yeah, $700 Pasadena Playhouse tickets then dinner for 2. $2400 for 3 Dodgers championship tickets plus $200 plus almost every month for regular ones. Ridiculous donations to the church. They were calling her all the time.
Funny once we took hold of everything....these relatives and friends and even the church....stopped calling.
And before you think she must have money...she had 23 credit cards (because of course they give you a deal to open one everywhere) and she was 35k in debt. She is 89 years old and on a very modest pension, left from her husband who passed 20 years ago. No SS.
So yes I agree. Shame on these people! It's the way she got them to come and visit and call her. Sad.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, April 18, 2022 - 5:08 pm
Since, has she been tested for cognitive impairment?
Shame on those people taking advantage of her, no matter what her condition is or is not. That is just horrible and she is fortunate to have some actual family who are looking out for her.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Monday, April 18, 2022 - 7:47 pm
Sea thanks. Unfortunately she has always been like this. My father-in-law passed when he was 65. He used to lend out thousands of dollars to friends. After he passed, my husband had to make the rounds and shame the "friends" into paying the money back. They were both horrible with money.
We have been through the ringer with her. We finally got her out of debt. Got her into a great apartment in an independent living facility....and she just had a massive stroke. So now she is in a board and care nearby. You know how expensive THAT is in California!
We contemplated taking her home with us. But I just did that with dad then my mom....and I don't think I can do that again at this age. I nearly killed myself from exhaustion. But, might have to at some point as the money runs out.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, April 18, 2022 - 11:02 pm
That is a lot, Since! I hope she can stay there and at least for now you have some measure of respite.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Tuesday, April 19, 2022 - 12:03 pm
Sea yes, thanks.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, April 19, 2022 - 11:04 pm
((((Major Hugs, SinceBB1.))))
You really have been through the wringer.
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Sincebb1
Member
08-22-2005
| Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 8:37 am
Thanks Juju....and that's wasn't even the worst stuff. Lol
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, April 28, 2022 - 9:18 am
THIS IS NEW!!!
I got an email from Paypal (supposedly) saying I had a $400 charge that looked fraudulent and giving me phone number and links to delete.
(It might actually be a real email)
So I looked up their number, which was similar to the number in the email, and called Paypal, finally got an actual rep, who verified that my email was the one on the account and said yes, there was a $400 charge made at midnight last night. He said they had had a few instances where this had happened where a lot of emails were sent out and if you clicked their link they might be paid.
I logged into Paypal and did not see this $400 charge and the only charges for 90 days were legit. I'm not suspecting that the company from last charge sold my email address to someone.
I looked on my Discover Card and there was no charge. Same with my credit union.
The rep said I could go into the paypal account and deny it, or just leave it and it would disappear.
Then he said, well, I just got a system notice that there were a lot of these emails sent out and then he said other reps around him were getting calls, too, so this is widespread.
He had me send the email to phishing@paypal.com as they will want to see it.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, April 28, 2022 - 9:47 pm
Interesting, Sea.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, April 28, 2022 - 11:04 pm
I got a nice reply after I forwarded the email.
I did NOT click a single link there of course. Called Paypal. The $400 charge did not show on my paypal.. the charges for the past 90 days were legitimate: two gofundme donations and a recent purchase of a tshirt that is "on the way" . I suspect that company may have sold email addresses. No $400 charge on Discover, nothing on my Credit Union account.
The rep said it would not be paid, that I could delete it if it showed up, but otherwise it would go away.
But it was intereting that a notice went out to all of them right while we were on the phone, about this Paypal scam.
So it isn't a breach in security, they are just sending out tons of emails to "alert" people about a fake security breach for $400, but you can bet if you click a link, try to login, etc., they will be trying to get that money.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Friday, April 29, 2022 - 3:47 am
YESTERDAY I GOT THE OLD...HELLO GRANDMA IT'S YOUR GRANDSON. I HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH HIM UNTIL HE GOT DISGUSTED WITH ME AND HUNG UP. LOL!
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Friday, April 29, 2022 - 5:18 am
I did something similar by emails a year or so ago!! I was told that there was a large sum of money left to my by someone in England. I was to send them my bank account number so that they could do a direct deposit. I kept sending back "stalling" messages until they finally gave up! I was pleased that I had wasted a scammer's time!!!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, April 29, 2022 - 3:17 pm
That would be fun.. I just don't answer the phone, plus my home phone has romorobo that flips many calls out into the ether. My Cell phone has a neat feature where I can send a message saying that the person you are calling is screening but go ahead and talk and they can see the words. Most hang up, but some go into their spiel and there is a button where i can have them hear "Tell me more" which has only worked a couple of times.
Then I label them as spam and block them.
With this paypal phishing email it is best not to respond or click links, too dangerous and also verifies a live address. They don't care, they send out tons of the emails and are happy with those who are caught in their phishing net. Usually it is Chase Bank or Apple and I know right away because I've never dealt with Chase or Apple. But I do use paypal now and then and had just used it recently.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, September 17, 2022 - 3:06 pm
Where's Juju when you need her? Lol!
Has anyone heard of a website called freewang? It's an online store I happened upon while googling plants?
Here's their website. Link
I can't find where they are physically located, but that does happen a lot with internet stores.
TIA.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Saturday, September 17, 2022 - 4:04 pm
LOL, Juju will be by later tonight I bet.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, September 17, 2022 - 8:23 pm
Grooch, note it is .co, not .com. dot co means Colombia. I recommend you pass on whatever they are selling.
As our dear Draheid always said: "I hope you found this helpful."
(toddles off to run free malwarebytes, with hugs to Grooch)
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Sunday, September 18, 2022 - 5:56 am
Thanks, Juju! I was googling for pictures of a plant I was interested in when I came across it. I thought it was odd that they were selling plants in the same category for as little as $1. Plus free shipping for orders over $30! Odd that they are selling plants at all with all the other things they are selling.
I knew it has to be a scam, but their web pages are impeccable with their English. Very professional. I was thinking that it might be a new kind of internet store like test, where a bunch of people set up their small stores.
Well, I'm off to rat them out to a person I buy from on eBay. I saw his copyrighted pictures on there. (He stamps his photos with his name). I doubt he wants to be associated with them.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Sunday, September 18, 2022 - 7:44 pm
I am not not actually saying it is for sure a scam, but so many things could go wrong with buying something from Colombia, that it wouldn't be worth the savings.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Sunday, November 27, 2022 - 11:56 am
I just had someone I thought I knew tried to scam me on Facebook. It was not her. I called her and asked. She said it was not her. They claimed they received $50,000 from EHRN, a grant, no strings attached. I was trying to look it up, when I thought to call my cousin and ask about it. She said someone had tried to do the same thing to her. And I remembered the same thing had happened awhile back with someone who was claiming to be a friend of mine. It was also a scammer. I don't know what the scammer gets out of it though.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, November 28, 2022 - 4:39 am
Don’t they usually try to wire you the money to your bank account? That would give them your banking information. The other variation is they send you a check for a larger amount than they supposedly want to share and then ask you to send them a money order for the overage. Usually they want the money order in a day or two meaning they’d get the money before their bogus check to you bounced.
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