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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Okay, I gotta ask...
Are enough people still falling for crank calls ("the IRS is filing a suit" and similar crap) that you can still make money at it? I'm sure the ads, wherever they are, promise lots of money, but I have to wonder if the callers are being asked to pay for a list of numbers and if they are the ones who are being scammed.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21245 Posts |
I tell you that if they call an intelligent person at the time it can seem real.
Not real enough to fall for it. My sister got a call like this in the middle of a divorce and Yada yada. She didn't fall for it and if you use the reverse look up usually the directory comes up scam. I can't figure why people fall for it. But at times if they get lucky worth timing it has a better chance.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
Tom Jorgenson Inner circle LOOSE ANGLES, CALIFORNIA 4451 Posts |
They aren't trolling for the smart ones.
I always assumed that the phone workers were not independent contractors, they get a draw and a % of the rake, plus the daily and weekly Spiffs and prizes for the phone room.
We dance an invisible dance to music they cannot hear.
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
I got a funny scam call from Pakistan...the spoofed a Washington number and pretended to be the IRS, trying to scare me about a back due sum. Apparently, though, nobody told them that Washington, the state, and Washington, the nation's capital, are two different things. The caller ID said Seattle.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
Sixten Inner circle Floral Park, NY, U.S.A. 4654 Posts |
Received two (scam) calls from a recorded line, claiming to be the I.R.S. lien office. I was to call back on another number.
And a e-mail from our Secretary of State, Mr. J.K.. I have $10,500,000.00 due me for an overseas contract in Botswana/LOL. (This was forwarded to my local F.B.I. field office.) How they try! |
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21245 Posts |
I enjoy wasting their time.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
^ What Danny said.
I have fun with them. When they call and ask for me, I say, "Hold on a minute, he's in the basement." Then I shout, "Hey Bob, some guy wants to talk from you from the IRS!" I tell the scammer, "He'll be here in a minute." After a minute or so I'll get back to the phone again once or twice saying "wait a minute, he's putting his paint brush away." Or some such thing. I've had them wait for five minutes in some cases before they hang up. I've also blown a loud whistle into the phone receiver and hung up. I enjoy playing with these idiots. Ya' gotta beat them at their own game. I saw a joke on the Internet awhile ago about old folks not liking being old to begin with, so don't mess with them. Yup, that'd be me.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
A family friend has a mentally challenged adult son. He is capable of holding a job, and of near-independence, but he is not fully functioning.
He is one of the intended targets of these scams. Lonely, he really believed that by sending money, he would have a woman come into his life. I think he still holds out hope that she will come, while his retired parents have to live with the financial loss, and the newly-developed opposition with their son. Scam stories are funny until you recognize who is truly vulnerable.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
R.S. Regular user CT one day I'll have 188 Posts |
I received about 5 of the "IRS" calls in a 10 day period a couple weeks ago. They were all recorded messages left on my answering machine (a robotic female voice), as I am at work during the day. Anyway, I decided to call back and play dumb one day just to see what they would say. The call went something like this:
ME: Hello, I received a call from you - can you tell me what this is about? IRS (a man's voice - slight foreign accent - bustling office sounds in the background): What is your name? ME: Well, you called me, I'm just calling back. Who are you again? IRS: This is the IRS. What's your name? ME: I'm the guy you called this morning. Don't you have my records? Do I owe anything? IRS: Yes, this is the IRS, this is serious. ME: What's YOUR name? IRS: That's not important. This is the IRS. ME: Who is your supervisor? I want to speak to your supervisor. IRS (getting aggravated): I AM the supervisor! ME: Well, who do YOU report to? I want to speak to your boss. IRS (more aggravated): I said I AM the supervisor!! ME (unable to contain my laughter): OK, Mr. Supervisor - who else are you scamming today? IRS: LISTEN YOU M****ER !@#$ER, do you think this is a joke?? At that point I hung up. Ron
"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Thomas Paine
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Daryl -the other brother Special user Chicago 594 Posts |
I had one tell me that the police would be by to arrest me for not cooperating.
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TomBoleware Inner circle Hattiesburg, Ms 3171 Posts |
I don’t get a lot of calls but I do often get the emails wanting me to claim a huge sum of money that some dead person left me.
Did get a call the other day oh. The man asked for Morgan and I told him he must have the wrong number that I ddin’t know any Morgan. He said, well maybe you can help me and he went right into his fundraising pitch. I let him almost finish it, and I said, sorry but you need to talk to Morgan about this, and hung up. Tom
The Daycare Magician Book
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/amazekids/the-daycare-magician/ My Blog - https://boleware.blogspot.com/ |
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21245 Posts |
I also have fun with telemarketers.
I have one that calls for an alarm company. They ask a qualifying question and then speed me along to a closer, though that is not what they say to me. So then they ask if I have a current security system and I say yes, and have I had it upgraded in the past 5 months and I say yes. Well does it ..... how was it upgraded? I say "I take him to the vet". A pause follows and he keeps going. Finally he cops to the dog reference. He tries to tell me the benefits of a system and I tell him I have a dog! Yea but.... and I say but he is a BIG dog! and get hung up on. I have found this even better than the don't call list.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
Bob1Dog Inner circle Wife: It's me or this houseful of 1159 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 1, 2016, Magnus Eisengrim wrote: C'mon John, EVERYONE is vulnerable, not just "mentally challenged" folks. Why do you think they're still in business? I don't know what your point is here.
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
My neighbor rang my doorbell at 2:30 a.m. this morning, can you believe that, 2:30 a.m.!? Lucky for him I was still up playing my drums. |
Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 1, 2016, Bob1Dog wrote: The elderly are often victims as well. Younger and middle-aged people do get taken, but not nearly so often. They don't need many victims because they hit the ones they get very very hard.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
I'd love to play them for a ride, but usually the ornery part of me just hangs up before the nasty part of me thinks of it.
One time I got a call from a guy who said (with an almost unintelligible Indian accent) that he was from Microsoft and they found out I was having a problem with Windows. So I said, something's wrong here, 'cuz I have a Mac (which I don't). Well, he got flustered and said their records showed I had a PC, and I kept him going for a bit. Finally he hung up. If I come up with a good response to the IRS calls (assuming I can talk to someone), I'll post it here. Oh, just thought of one... "Okay, buddy, I work for the IRS. Who are you?" I do use the reverse look-up, though. Must have 80 or so numbers on it by now, even though I know most of them are probably disposable phones.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
Jack Straw Inner circle Wichita 1020 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 1, 2016, Dannydoyle wrote: There's a whole community of people who actively try to waste scammers time (so that they don't have the time to scam others), get them to spend their own money, and take embarrassing photos of themselves. I haven't spent time there lately, but here's the website: http://www.thescambaiters.com/viewforum.php?f=1 There are some excellent eMail transcripts of scammmers being scammed, along with excellent photos of would-be-scammers doing some pretty crazy things. See this list of the top 10: http://listverse.com/2010/09/11/10-great......rations/ Number 1 (The An*s Laptop Scam) is somewhere on the other website, and it truly is an amazing piece of work. Here's a commercial that the potential An*s Laptop Dealer was required to make before his laptops shipped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeuPI_NTdHc
Jack Straw from Wichita, cut his buddy down
And dug for him a shallow grave, and laid his body down Half a mile from Tucson, by the morning light One man gone and another to go, my old buddy you're moving much too slow We can share the women, we can share the wine |
tomd Special user 747 Posts |
If I get a call from a number with odd number configuration (Im in the UK) I never answer. I look up the number online, if its a scam, it shows up on a site. If it doesn't show up, its normally a geniune call. So I either call them back or wait for another ring on the phone. Scammers rarely have a standard UK number.
Although I do get plenty of telemarketing calls, not really scams but still a huge pain in the butt. I feel sorry for those that have to cold call all day, the abuse they must get! scammers on the other hand, abuse is deserved |
George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Jack, those links are priceless. Thank you!
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
Jack Straw Inner circle Wichita 1020 Posts |
Glad to share something that's given me a lot of pleasure over the years, George!
If I'm ever in a foul mood, all I have to do is think of An*s Laptops and I can't help but smile!
Jack Straw from Wichita, cut his buddy down
And dug for him a shallow grave, and laid his body down Half a mile from Tucson, by the morning light One man gone and another to go, my old buddy you're moving much too slow We can share the women, we can share the wine |
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