General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumswow - phone and text spammers/scammers going nuts today.
Both of our numbers have been registered with the do not call list for many years - I just went in and verified (2003, and 2008).
My wife, on one of the numbers (her cell used to be our land line) is getting texts saying she owes Amazon 800.00, two from Experian and Transunion saying she has big issues in her credit report, and just now a number saying it is the IRS. This is in the last 30 minutes. She has a Pixel, so can report spam and block numbers, but it is whackamole... they are all from area codes in a place we moved from last year.
Anyone else seeing a big uptick in spamming texts and calls?
I can imagine that lots of people end up being taken in by these. Clearly, the do not call list is like a 6 inch tall fence trying to keep the deer out of the garden!
EarnestPutz
(2,085 posts)Timewas
(2,174 posts)Getting inundated for the last week with warnings about my insurance, my credit rating and points on my driving record...block the number and they use a new one
DonaldsRump
(7,715 posts)It said that I had a package coming from DHL (or UPS, I forget), and that I had to pay around $2.00 to receive a package.
I sent a text back saying that this was illegal, and that if I ever received any further oral or written communication like this again from them, I would inform law enforcement.
Next time you get something like this, send this kind of message. If it's a phone call, try to get them to give you their email, phone number (which is probably spoofed), and a mailing address, without revealing any of your own information, and then tell them you'll turn them in.
For 99% of these crooks, that scares them off. And, if I ever do make a complaint to law enforcement, I'll keep following up.
moonscape
(4,664 posts)number and the calls increase. I use nomorobo, don't answer any call from an unknown number, and my spam calls in time have plummeted. I now only get 1-2/day vs gazillions
DonaldsRump
(7,715 posts)It's funny...I get VERY few calls each year. To be getting 1 or 2 calls a day and be happy about it is staggering to me! I guess I'm lucky.
My point is that none of these people will ever do anything to you if you challenge them. If (and I stress the word "if", you engage with them), tell them nothing, get all their info, and then tell them you'll call call local, state, federal, and international law enforcement.
As I said, almost all of the scammers will back off and probably never contact you again.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Including one in the doctor's office as I was filling out paperwork. Hey, my blood pressure is up! Go figure.
I don't see why having a telephone means you have to be open to calls from every scammer and fuckhead on the planet. I'll bet this would end yesterday if phones came with a simple "If my phone doesn't know you, I don't know you" app (that is, a call comes through only if the number is in your directory; everything else never connects). I'd also like to see heavy duty fines and long prison sentences for the miscreants behind the calls. Sign some international agreements to rain fire down on the boiler room call centers around the world.
Siwsan
(26,173 posts)All that shows is the name of the health center - no message and instead of a phone number, all it said was 'Mobile'. They ALWAYS leave a message, and why would a clinic call from an anonymous 'Mobile'?
I figure if it was a legitimate call, they will try again.
And I have noticed an uptick in calls from "Area 246"
BlueDawn
(892 posts)I got an automated call yesterday saying it was Amazon and I needed to call a specific number immediately because someone had hijacked my Amazon account for a charge over $300. I naturally did not call the number.
And then today I got a text from a friend saying that "Netflix" had texted him saying that someone had accessed his account to set up another account in his name. He said he has never had an account with Netflix.....ever. Of course they wanted him to respond.....but he didnt.
I realize these are only two examples. I am curious to see if other DUers have been getting more calls like these lately.
fierywoman
(7,641 posts)aid. Except (1) I rent, so obviously (2) I wouldn't have made the request in the first place.
pecosbob
(7,502 posts)There are tens of thousands more applications for unemployment insurance here in Nevada currently than there are workers in the state. Not sure why Nevada became a target, probably because of the pandemic's effect on the hospitality industry which is a major employer here. Saw a news story recently tracking ten different unemployment payments for ten different workers being sent to one address in Sonoma, CA.
I also got one of those fake Amazon 'You need to send us all your personal information via this unsecured link' scam phishing emails a few weeks ago as well as a similar scam a couple of months ago that purported to be from Paypal.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,177 posts)katmondoo
(6,454 posts)sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(9,768 posts)Mine are usually for Google ad listings, Marriott hotels, and auto warranties. Once in a while I hear from Microsoft.
getagrip_already
(14,225 posts)anyone real will leave a message.
But both my cell phone and land line have been going nuts.
BlueSpot
(851 posts)I didn't answer any of them and none left message but I nearly threw the phone out the window.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I rarely (almost never) get spam calls. My friend gets them nonstop. Mom did too, but beyond knowing about that now.
I always thought that was some kind of set up.
lpbk2713
(42,696 posts)Two live spammers and five or six robocalls. One lady with a thick accent wanted to buy my house. Another wanted to interest me in an assisted living facility. I usually lay the phone down for ten minutes or so to use up their time. But I happened to think ... no one has called me about my car warranty expiring lately. I hope they're alright.
AnotherDreamWeaver
(2,846 posts)but let the message machine tell callers they have to speak up for me to pick up the phone. I was getting calls from 'publishers clearing house' and some guy with a deep voice saying he wanted money for police agencies. I get several calls a day now that don't leave a message. It takes me time to come from the kitchen to the phone in case it is a real call, most of the time it's a caller that hangs up.
mcar
(42,206 posts)over the last several weeks. The "your warranty is expiring" are most of them.
Demovictory9
(32,320 posts)SeattleVet
(5,468 posts)I use multiple blocking techniques (the Ooma VOIP phone system's personal and community blocklists, which also incorporates NoMoRobo).
If I see a number I don't recognize I also normally turn on the scanner radio and answer, "North Precinct, Fraud Division" with police calls going on in the background. That results in a fast hangup is it's not a robocall, and I never hear from that number again.
I went from 5 or 6 calls a day a few years ago to a couple a month, until the past few weeks when it's back up to about one a week.
My T-Mobile account seems to do a very good job of blocking scam calls and texts. It's VERY rare that any of those come through.