OT: fraud alert from a large well known national bank: OT

RRP

I'm well aware of fraud schemes let alone being a retired banker myself I'm even more sensitive when a bank is involved. Well, tonight I received an URGENT email from the FRAUD DEPT which noticed some unusual transactions on my account today and that I needed to contact them immediately via email NOW! Isn't it great that the fraud dept works on a Sunday night? Too bad that the dumb smuck forgot to cover up his actual email address at Whitman College out in Washington! I intend to contact the real fraud dept tomorrow at this bank and give them this idiot's email. BTW...I don't even have an account with this bank!

DMW

Yeah, watch for weird emails and phone calls this time of year. Sender "from" addresses are easy to forge, so easy it's hardly even worth calling it forging.

JohnInCarolina

Phew!  Dodged a bullet there Ron!

SGH

@RRP
Its a shame that there is not a fraud department to protect us from the Democratic Party. I would be a very rich man if there was. 

JohnInCarolina

SGH said:

@RRP
Its a shame that there is not a fraud department to protect us from the Democratic Party. I would be a very rich man if there was. 

You're a smart man Scottie!  It's not like everyone says.

RRP

JohnInCarolina said:

Phew!  Dodged a bullet there Ron!

LOL - I got your dripping sarcasm, John - I just thought it was funny that the kid didn't think to cover his trail any better. Besides what's a grill forum without a PSA now and then?

JohnInCarolina

RRP said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Phew!  Dodged a bullet there Ron!

LOL - I got your dripping sarcasm, John - I just thought it was funny that the kid didn't think to cover his trail any better. Besides what's a grill forum without a PSA now and then?

I know Ron - I'm just giving you the business!  

Ladeback69

I gotten two emails in the last year from our computer supplier for work that I haven't signed on to our network in over 30 days and that I need to send them my SSN and sign in to my computer.  I sent it to our spam/fraud department.  I get on the network5 to 7 days a week and our tech people wouldn't ask for these details.  

Lit

Ron you ever think maybe someone hacked his email account and that's why they didn't care to hide it?

DMW

Lit said:

Ron you ever think maybe someone hacked his email account and that's why they didn't care to hide it?

Or... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spoofing

bgebrent

Great cook!

Terrebandit

I never open emails like that for fear of a virus. 

RRP

Lit said:

Ron you ever think maybe someone hacked his email account and that's why they didn't care to hide it?

Could very well be, but I don't feel that I need to be the one to decide that. I never posted the email address.

nolaegghead

Ron, just curious, but did they have the internet before you retired as a banker?

pgprescott

nolaegghead said:

Ron, just curious, but did they have the internet before you retired as a banker?

Good point Nola, maybe Al Gore wasn't finished inventing it yet.  

Eggaroo

I got a fraud alert e-mail last year the day after Christmas from a large national bank that was legitimate. The wife and I were doing some after Christmas clearance shopping and an e-mail popped up on my phone requesting that I call the bank's fraud department to verify a charge that had been made on my credit card. It was alarming to me, and I wasn't 100% sure it was legitimate, so I decided to wait until we got home to call them. Well, on the way home we decided to stop and get a bite to eat and while waiting for our food to come out, the bank called me. They said that someone tried to make a charge the day before (on Christmas day!) on my account somewhere in the UK and they wanted me to verify it. I told them that it was definitely not me and they immediately cancelled the account and issued a new card. That was on a Friday evening and I had my new card delivered by UPS on Sunday! Everything has been well since then so I guess you could say that I dodged a bullet on that one.

Jeepster47

Along the same lines, I had a partial success last night.  Have you been getting phone calls concerning the malware that's on your computer.  The missus usually answers with "You mean our Windows 10 machine?"  When the caller says "yes", she replies with "that's funny, because we don't have one."  My approach is to ask "Which one?"  The "Which one?" question is repeated after every statement they make.  Well, last night I finally got "Dave" a little frustrated.  After messing with him for awhile, I hung up.  He called back a minute later and told me to "Fvck off."

Going to now add a small revision to the process.  Will start asking what Ganesh (one of the Indian gods) thinks about his line of business.

When @Ozzie_Isaac was a teenager, we used to let him answer the dinner time phone calls.  He was allowed to say anything he wanted to phone solicitors.  Kind of interesting to watch a devious mind work on the problem.

DaveRichardson

@Jeepster47 - that's like handing the solicitor to your young kid and telling your kid that its one of Santa's elves or Santa on the phone....

Pure evil!  But I like it!  If the kid know any cuss words, and you greenlight him......  That deserves an award!

Dobie

@Jeepster47 Ive had the "Windows" center call me at least 10 times. The first couple of times I just hung up. Then when it persisted I decided to waste thier time also faking like I was following thier instructions but kept having issues with them. It usually ended with me saying " wait a minute, my computer wasnt plugged in can we do it all over?" Or saying " dang just figured out why your fix isnt working, I have a MAC". Ive been cussed a couple times 

TigerTony

@Dobie  I had a similar call  I reported the call to 800notes.com 

This guy with a very heavy foreign accent called and told me that he was with "Microsoft Windows" and he had information that my computer was being hacked. He said that he was calling to help me fix the problem before I lost critical information on my computer.
I said "Oh my God" I'm so glad you called" "please help me"!
He asked if I was in front of my computer. I said yes. But I wasn't, I was driving.
He wanted the ID of my computer and instructed me where to find it. Said that he would "hook-in" with my computer and fix the problem.  I said, "I'm so lucky that you called" (using his accent)
Then asked me for the numbers I said, I see letters and numbers they are  "FU-FU- 77812" He repeated "FU-FU-77812" 
I said NO listen to me " FU-FU"........
We went back and forth like this several times before I told him. Thank You soooo much for calling "you are an idiot" "a complete idiot" Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!

HeavyG

Dobie said:

@Jeepster47 Ive had the "Windows" center call me at least 10 times. The first couple of times I just hung up. Then when it persisted I decided to waste thier time also faking like I was following thier instructions but kept having issues with them. It usually ended with me saying " wait a minute, my computer wasnt plugged in can we do it all over?" Or saying " dang just figured out why your fix isnt working, I have a MAC". Ive been cussed a couple times 

Too many people look at these trash phone calls as annoyances. Instead they should look at them (if they even bother to answer them) as an opportunity for fun/trolling!

fishlessman

my mortgage bank did something fishy that i never figured out. i get a certified letter, call them, they rewrote the loan and dropped my rate from 7.125 to 3.25.  closed in less than 2 weeks, no charges, and sent me a check for 60 dollars. zero paperwork exchange and the closing lawyer drove from boston and met me at work. all i can figure was there was something done illegally in the first mortgage and they wanted out of it in a big way

Dredger

My brother has a great method of dealing with unsolicited sales calls. When the caller starts their spiel, he says "You know, my wife and I were just discussing looking into that. Let me put the phone down and go get her so she can listen too." Then, he puts the phone down and walks off and leaves it for awhile, lol. They always hang up before he gets around to going back to the phone.

RRP

I've posted this before, but I have Comcast for my land line and with caller ID. I never answer a call I don't recognize. When the call volume gets annoying I sign into my account and it gives me a record of incoming calls. I then make a list of the ones with repeated attempts. Then with Comcast I can either block them in the future or what I reserve for the worst offenders is I redirect their future calls to another annoying telemarketer's number!

Jeepster47

@RRP ... probably not a great choice of redirect phone numbers, but wouldn't it be fun to think about redirecting the calls to your local police station?  Imagine how quickly "Dave" would hit the disconnect button ... and take your number off their list. 

Hmmm ... that's an idea for a business.  You could add a line to your home and answer with "Dunlap Police Department ... please stay on the line while we trace your number."

Mosca

The email address is spoofed. I understand that's not your concern, but that's how scammers cover their tracks.

RRP

Epilogue:
I attempt twice this morning to contact the true Fraud Reporting Line for this bank and was placed on hold by a machine. I assumed it was an error the first time and hung up after waiting 5 minutes. Then the second time I saw it would be the same thing so I just hung up. So much for trying to be helpful!

Mosca

RRP said:

Epilogue:
I attempt twice this morning to contact the true Fraud Reporting Line for this bank and was placed on hold by a machine. I assumed it was an error the first time and hung up after waiting 5 minutes. Then the second time I saw it would be the same thing so I just hung up. So much for trying to be helpful!

Forward it to the fraud department of your ISP. At the very least they can filter it so that it won't get delivered to anyone.

buzd504

RRP said:

I've posted this before, but I have Comcast for my land line and with caller ID. I never answer a call I don't recognize. When the call volume gets annoying I sign into my account and it gives me a record of incoming calls. I then make a list of the ones with repeated attempts. Then with Comcast I can either block them in the future or what I reserve for the worst offenders is I redirect their future calls to another annoying telemarketer's number!

What's a land line?

fishlessman

buzd504 said:

RRP said:

I've posted this before, but I have Comcast for my land line and with caller ID. I never answer a call I don't recognize. When the call volume gets annoying I sign into my account and it gives me a record of incoming calls. I then make a list of the ones with repeated attempts. Then with Comcast I can either block them in the future or what I reserve for the worst offenders is I redirect their future calls to another annoying telemarketer's number!

What's a land line?

its what you use when there is no signal on the cell

WeberWho

I had my wallet stolen in Vegas. As soon as I realized my wallet was stolen I had my check card shut off. I called my card company the next morning to see what was charged to my card. I told the lady the last time I used the card was at the MSP airport atm. "She goes, unfortunately there has been a $9 charge at Mills lounge" or whatever the name of the restaurant was. I can't recall. So I go onto explaining this to my wife about where it was charged and for how much for. My wife looks at me straight in my eyes and says, "uuuummmmm.......that was you." Let's just say I didn't remember going and eating $9 worth of shrimp.  Only in Vegas!