Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Uh-oh - I just fell for a scam
Old 09-24-2021, 12:47 PM   #1
Full time employment: Posting here.
lucky penny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 727
Uh-oh - I just fell for a scam

I thought I was way too smart to ever fall for a scam - but apparently not.

After calling the number on the back of a gift card to check the balance, I just provided a lot of personal info before wising up.

I'd gotten a JetBlue gift card from a relative several years ago, never used it but remembered it after booking a JB flight last night. When I called the number on the card, I spoke to a pleasant guy with a heavy accent & started telling him of a problem I'd had in booking the flight -- thinking he must be associated with JB. He listened very patiently as I described the problem, then said he could help & asked me some questions for "verification." What can I say I ended up giving him my name, address, DOB, phone #, email & maybe the confirmation number for my flight -- & not until I was starting to give him my credit card number did I start getting suspicious. I asked if he was connected with JetBlue & he kept mentioning verification. Finally, probably after realizing he wasn't getting any more info from me, he gave me another number to call. That was it. (The new number turned out to be an automated number offering a $100 gift card for $2--obviously another scam.)

Then I was a wreck, up all night with stress levels soaring. I immediately froze my credit reports, then cancelled the credit card after getting assurance that the flights I'd just booked would be paid for. Is there anything else I should do? I keep checking JB to make sure my flight on Sunday is still OK (tried to call to speak to someone there & was told the estimated wait was 203 minutes.) What happens now?

My excuse mistake is that I assumed the guy was associated with JetBlue & I had questions about the flight I booked, so I guess I was thinking he needed info to confirm I was the customer. Plus, it was very late & I was already very tired & stressed (the trip I'm taking is for a relative's funeral). The gift card looked fine, though a google search shows a few years ago JB gift card/scams were a thing.

I am chastened & humbled. And calmer, but worried.
lucky penny is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 09-24-2021, 12:52 PM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,940
I'm having troubling following this was the JB gift card you were using fraudulent? The accent doesn't mean anything in this day and age.



You only gave the person you talked to your DOB which isn't that hard to dig up so I'd relax a little bit.
ivinsfan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 12:55 PM   #3
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
gauss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,587
Just watch your financial statements for any unauthorized transactions and then promptly alert the institution when/if you see one. In all likelihood you wouldn't be held responsible (and their are federal laws to back this up).

Much of what you released is probably a public record if you are registered to vote and/or own property in your own name. The one thing that may be of concern was the birthday.

You could request and IPPIN from the IRS so that nobody could efile a return in your name without it -- but of course you would need it too to file the electronic return.

Good luck and don't worry about this too much. Although identity theft gets lots of media exposure the actual fall out from it today is very different than it was 20 years ago before it was recognized as an ingrained part of modern society.

-gauss
gauss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 12:58 PM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,464
Birthdates are all on the internet. Cancelled credit card was taken care of. Nothing to worry.
RetiredHappy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 01:09 PM   #5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Tampa
Posts: 11,197
Quote:
Originally Posted by RetiredHappy View Post
Birthdates are all on the internet. Cancelled credit card was taken care of. Nothing to worry.
+1
__________________
TGIM
Dtail is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 01:31 PM   #6
Full time employment: Posting here.
lucky penny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 727
Quote:
Originally Posted by ivinsfan View Post
I'm having troubling following this was the JB gift card you were using fraudulent? The accent doesn't mean anything in this day and age.

You only gave the person you talked to your DOB which isn't that hard to dig up so I'd relax a little bit.
I never used the card because I only remembered it after I'd booked the flight. But I decided to check the balance of the card & maybe get an answer to my questions about the booking in the same phone conversation with a Jet Blue person -- which this guy obviously wasn't!

When I see those articles about how older people are more susceptible to frauds I've always felt very superior: Not me! Now, wow. Lesson learned.

If he has the confirmation # of my flight, could he cancel it & try to get a refund? That worries me.
lucky penny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 01:36 PM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,940
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucky penny View Post
I never used the card because I only remembered it after I'd booked the flight. But I decided to check the balance of the card & maybe get an answer to my questions about the booking in the same phone conversation with a Jet Blue person -- which this guy obviously wasn't!

When I see those articles about how older people are more susceptible to frauds I've always felt very superior: Not me! Now, wow. Lesson learned.

If he has the confirmation # of my flight, could he cancel it & try to get a refund? That worries me.
Have you googled the number you actually called..that's where I'm confused
ivinsfan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 01:36 PM   #8
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Sojourner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,581
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucky penny View Post
I'd gotten a JetBlue gift card from a relative several years ago, never used it but remembered it after booking a JB flight last night. When I called the number on the card...
I would think that an illegitimate/scam gift card would look quite suspicious upon careful inspection. Seems like it would look rather unprofessional and homemade. Probably wouldn't have a legitimate bar code or QR code on it and might even have typos or other printing errors on it. If you still have the physical card, take a look at it carefully (maybe with a magnifying glass, or using your smart phone's camera magnify/zoom function) to see if you notice anything unusual or suspicious. Also, you can check the phone number(s) printed on the card against known scam numbers.
Sojourner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 02:20 PM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 8,968
If the card is fake, you might have a problem. But from a relative?

The $100 for $2 might be real also, you just need to attend a timeshare presentation...
RobbieB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 02:31 PM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Sunny California
Posts: 2,567
Also ask the person that gifted it to you where they got it from. Maybe a little embarrassing to them but they need to know there was a problem with it.
RetiredAndLovingIt is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 02:50 PM   #11
Moderator
Aerides's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 13,846
google the number, that will tell you a lot. I highly doubt your relative bought a fake GC, and gave it to you. More likely than not, it's a legit gift card service, but not something where jetblue is directly linked (ie, the person servicing gift cards might be a 3rd party).

I'd also call jetblue and ask them if the gift card is legit.
Aerides is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 03:02 PM   #12
Moderator
Jerry1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 9,070
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerides View Post
google the number, that will tell you a lot. I highly doubt your relative bought a fake GC, and gave it to you. More likely than not, it's a legit gift card service, but not something where jetblue is directly linked (ie, the person servicing gift cards might be a 3rd party).

I'd also call jetblue and ask them if the gift card is legit.
Agree. Companies farm out gift card administration all the time. I doubt you got scammed. You were probably falling into a marketing ploy, but it doesn’t sound like a full on scam.

As for scams, there’s no point in feeling stupid, or whatever, from getting scammed. They’re good. Their stuff works for a reason. All they have to do is catch the right person at the right time and bam.

For example, no one thinks they’d fall for the scam where Microsoft calls you about your computer. However, my friends dad got that scam right when he was having trouble with his computer. Thankfully, they never got on his computer (it was actually down), but they got some personal information from him. He had to lock everything down just to be safe.
__________________
Every day when I open my eyes now it feels like a Saturday - David Gray
Jerry1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 03:16 PM   #13
Moderator
braumeister's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,155
There is also the possibility that you fat-fingered the number when you called and didn't get what you expected. That's one of my failings -- I'm too quick and don't check carefully that I'm calling the number I intended. In fact, I just did it this morning, so I'm especially sensitive to that.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
braumeister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 03:43 PM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
kcowan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific latitude 20/49
Posts: 7,677
Send a message via Skype™ to kcowan
All my phones allow me to check the number entered before dialing any call
__________________
For the fun of it...Keith
kcowan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 03:45 PM   #15
Full time employment: Posting here.
lucky penny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 727
UPDATE:
I did google the phone number on the card & found no info.

I talked to 3 people at JetBlue today, all helpful. Bottom line: it appears the card was genuine, but who's handling that phone # is uncertain at best. The JB reservations person said everything looked OK for my flight, laced a note on my order & urged me to check in online ASAP tomorrow for a boarding pass. A fraud specialist said JetBlue discontinued issuing gift cards years ago but is still redeeming any remaining balances; she couldn't tell me anything about the phone # except that it was an international company. The "gift redemption" specialist told me the original amount on my card was $300 & I had used it twice, so it now has a balance of $100 which I can use for a future flight (I could have done it for the flight I just booked, except that I had used miles). I'll have to book the next flight by phone so the gift redemption people can confirm the amount.

So, all good. But I'm still thinking that whoever now has that phone number is doing shady stuff. I can't get over all the questions about personal info. And why would he want my flight confirmation number & indicate he could help me with my booking questions if he has no connection with JetBlue? Plus, the new number he gave me was worthless -- had nothing to do with JetBlue, apparently just trying to make money through dealing more gift cards. UGH. Maybe just a nuisance, but I'm holding my breath till this flight happens, will keep a close eye on CC bills & definitely be more wary in the future.
lucky penny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 04:09 PM   #16
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
athena53's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,306
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucky penny View Post
I can't get over all the questions about personal info. And why would he want my flight confirmation number & indicate he could help me with my booking questions if he has no connection with JetBlue? Plus, the new number he gave me was worthless -- had nothing to do with JetBlue, apparently just trying to make money through dealing more gift cards. UGH. Maybe just a nuisance, but I'm holding my breath till this flight happens, will keep a close eye on CC bills & definitely be more wary in the future.
It sounds like JetBlue farmed out administration of the gift cards to an offshore outfit trying to make money off the gift card holders in other ways. You've done everything you can at this point. Good luck!
athena53 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 04:11 PM   #17
Full time employment: Posting here.
lucky penny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 727
Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister View Post
There is also the possibility that you fat-fingered the number when you called and didn't get what you expected. That's one of my failings -- I'm too quick and don't check carefully that I'm calling the number I intended. In fact, I just did it this morning, so I'm especially sensitive to that.
The number I called was the number on the card. (My phone shows recent incoming & outgoing calls.)

Not that I've never dialed incorrectly. I'd heard of butt-dialing, but I recently foot-dialed. When I'm on the sofa with my laptop, I usually have my feet propped on the coffee table, & my phone is often on the table too. Foot meets phone, voila!
lucky penny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 04:49 PM   #18
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 115
The scammer knows your name and address and that you are going to be away from home starting in a few days. Will anybody still be at your house or will it be empty? Although chances are super slim that you could be robbed, you might want to either have someone at home, or a friend or family member watching your place.
ImaCheesehead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 05:20 PM   #19
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,973
OP - the good news is you finally put a freeze on your credit reports.

I've done the dyslexic thing and dialed a close number to my card and people must sign up for close numbers as I got a questioning answer, asking me to punch in my SS #.
Thank goodness I looked and saw it was the wrong number I had dialed.

I've also called legitimate businesses, and the phone person asked me all sorts of verification questions and then when I asked if she could see my record, she told me she didn't have it on the screen.
So WHY was she asking those questions

Later I realized convicts in prison are used for phone services.... how do we know we are not talking to a convict
__________________
Fortune favors the prepared mind. ... Louis Pasteur
Sunset is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2021, 05:26 PM   #20
Moderator
sengsational's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 10,622
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucky penny View Post
The number I called was the number on the card. (My phone shows recent incoming & outgoing calls.)
That answers my question. Presuming it's a legit card (googling the number should have let you ascertain that), and you called the number on the card, you almost certainly encountered slime-ball marketing, not an up and up scam.
sengsational is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Wheel fell off my car Christine Other topics 30 12-31-2015 05:07 PM
My turn again - Dad fell and broke his hip Sue J Life after FIRE 55 01-13-2012 03:52 PM
Vanguard fund vtovx fell over 3 percent yesterday?? dpeters3 FIRE and Money 9 12-29-2006 03:26 PM
DCA or one fell swoop? Rich_by_the_Bay FIRE and Money 46 08-24-2006 11:14 AM
Fell off Ladder - What an Idiot! TromboneAl Other topics 12 06-24-2005 06:13 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:52 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.