In “Office Space,” there’s a scene in which the three computer engineers, having sort of backed their way into a serious crime, are talking about laundering their ill-gotten money. But they don’t know how. They are reduced to looking up “money-laundering” in a dictionary. And Michael Bolton complains,
How is it that all these stupid, Neanderthal, Mafia guys can be so good at crime and smart guys like us can suck so badly at it?
I’ve often thought something like that, only I don’t think those guys are stupid. I think maybe I am. I couldn’t begin to follow a scam I once heard described on “The Sopranos.” I forget the deal. Maybe it was selling phone cards to Mexican migrants. Whatever it was, I could not see at all how anybody made money from it.
And I really, truly can’t figure out how something like the scam text above, which I got tonight, is supposed to work. It seems to me to be predicated on the recipient getting all worried, thinking:
OhmyGod! My transaction for $292.55 got rejected! Now I’m not going to get that thing I just tried to buy for $292.55!
Suppose someone does think that. What’s going to keep him from then thinking…
Wait. WHAT thing I bought for $292.55? I didn’t buy anything for $292.55!
Also:
And when did I ever do business of any kind with Wells Fargo? No, excuse me, with “W3lls Fargo?” And if I did, what kind of business can’t spell its own name?
And then:
Apparently, I’m supposed to reach out in a panic to the sender of the message. But they didn’t tell me how to do that. Where’s the link they want me to click, so they can steal my identity or whatever?
Maybe this deal is so brilliant that I can’t suss it out. Or maybe this is legit, and the sender was so anxious to help the recipient that he forgot how to spell “Wells,” forgot to provide the contact, and sent it to the wrong person.
But I don’t think so. I suspect there’s a bot out there that’s missing a few lines of code…
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Prolly Filipino scammers. Andy Kaufman MAN ON THE MOON. REM reminds us if nothing’s up their sleeve then nothing is cool. So let’s goof on Elvis; play Twister or Risk. I need Psychic Surgery as I am INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE.
Well, they got back to me today, and it’s as though we’ve had a dialogue going on.
We’ve got a regular “Get Smart” routine going on here…
no idea.
I tried to use my debit card for a $5.70 transaction today at Lowe’s about 10 miles from where I live – a place I make purchases at about 2-3 times a month and it was declined.
Then I got a text from my bank, and an automated phone call saying my card had been restricted and could no longer be used because of possible fraud.
Then I got a text asking me to confirm I had made a purchase with my debit card of $5.70 at Lowes – of course I hadn’t because it was immediately declined at the register. So i ignored the text because the charge never went through.
I received all of that before I got out to my car in the parking lot.
I had already used another debit card I had to make the purchase. I didn’t want to reply “Yes” because I had already used the other card from another bank to buy it.
Nuts.
As I sit here in Sunday morning at home (I don’t attend church anymore due to politics but my wife and daugther do)
I can sum things up with one phrase
“what a week.”
In late 2021 recovering from my damned near death experience at an acute care rehab facility, I got a call on my cellphone, the live caller said, “Suspicious activity has been detected on your credit card. Have you traveled overseas recently?”
Hmmm, I’m gonna toy with him. I answered, “Why, yes! I’ve traveled to Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Demark.”
“No, no, no! Medico! Did you use your Apple card in Medico?” The scammer pronounced Mexico as Medico.
My roommate just chuckled after my call. Being from Barnwell County, he knows that Demark and Norway are towns in South Carolina and that Finland and Sweden are crossroads. I’m originally from Bamberg.
Many years ago, I received a call, “Hello, this is Microsoft Support. Your computer has been infected with a virus, and we will be forced to turn off your internet.” He happened to catch me in a playful mood, so I decided to burn his time. “OH my God! What do I do? Here’s my credit card!” Having been online with CompuServ since the mid 80’s, I know that the internet cannot be turned off individually.
No, I didn’t give him a real credit card. I was working for a financial software development company, and the three credit bureaus provides credit card numbers for testing purposes. Google “test credit cards”.
I played along, following his instructions. The information that he wanted was innocuous and caused no personal harm; I googled what information could be provided and no personal information would be revealed.
Having gained his confidence, he then directs me to go to a specific website, download an application, and provide the client ID after the application was installed. I googled that website. It is a site that supplies remote control programs. Had I followed his instructions, I would’ve given him the “keys” to my computer.
That’s when I told him where to go. I burned about three hours of his time that he could’ve used to scam others. Now, I would just tell him impolitely what to do.