Music Lover
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
So before reading this story you would have been inclined to give a FBI agent a shoe box full of money?
I wouldn't trust the FBI or CIA on anything.
So before reading this story you would have been inclined to give a FBI agent a shoe box full of money?
That wasn't an FBI agent. Surely that's not the only detail you read from the article. And I didn't say "I", but rather "you". I've been reading about these scams for years, so I am pretty hardened against scams in general. But I still like to read the details when people get scammed. I noted earlier in the thread that someone tried to scam me recently, but I was on to it quickly.So before reading this story you would have been inclined to give a FBI agent a shoe box full of money?
I called a number listed on the bank's website, i.e. I placed the call to the bank. ... I would have to speculate, and my speculation does not reflect favorably on the bank rep who transferred me to the alleged repair service.
If you read it, you'll conclude anything but.
I thought maybe it was made up.
Interesting follow-up to the subject article. I am in no way ‘making fun’ of the victim but I am incredulous that it could happen the way she described. I am sure I could be scammed…..but NOT like that!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/17/scam-tips-columnist-50k/
With an attempt at light humor, I think all of us (except jazz4cash) who have commented, have been "scammed." I read the 2 original linked articles, and now question whether it was just made up. Author is a financial columnist, so maybe she wrote this article to warn others, but the story is pure fiction. I couldn't read that last Washington Post article as it's behind paywall. So, as they say, "I call BS."
It sounds like a very targeted scam. They collected information on a public figure and carefully crafted a story line she might fall for. I doubt anyone will go to that much trouble to scam me. I like to think I wouldn't fall for that particular con, but these people are crafty, and know how to prey on human weaknesses.
Wow. If a scammer can get a job in a legitimate bank's call center, they can do a lot of damage!
If I had a bank do that, first I'd call the local branch manager and report the scammer in their employ. Next I'd probably transfer all my accounts to another bank. That's just way beyond tolerable.
This is not to make fun of this person. I truly feel sorry for her. It is to show (a) that anyone, if not careful, can fall for a scam, and (b) the type of scam that was used. Someone claiming to be from the CIA convinced her to hand over $50K in cash in a shoe box.
A summary of the situation:
https://news.yahoo.com/financial-journalist-hands-50k-cash-203808974.html
The source (and longer, but interesting) article, written by the columnist:
https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html
My husband wants to pick up a scam call and instead of hello say, it’s done but there’s blood everywhere. ?
I was almost scammed. "Bank of America's" fraud department called me to warn me of fraudulent activity.
They informed me that someone tried to charge my Zelle account.
They asked if me or someone authorized to use my card had intended to send Joan Gonzales $1000.11 and $498.63.
I said no.
They reassured me that they caught the Transaction and put it on hold.
Then they asked me to take down the "transaction hold code."
They then gave me the number to Zelle because Zelle would have to terminate the transaction for good.
When I called that number they answered the phone "Zelle Fraud Prevention" . How can I help you.
I told the guy the situation and he reassured me that he could help. He asked me for the code that B of A gave me.
He then began to give me instructions to log onto my Zelle account, add their Fraud Department as a recognized user so that I could send them a code and they could block the fraudulent transactions.
That was when my little yellow fraud flag turned into a giant Red Flag.
I said I wasn't comfortable with this.
He reassured me that this was the only way to stop the frauds that had "ghosted" my phone.
He reminded me that I called him so how could he be frauding me?
I said I called you because I received a call from "BofA" and they gave me your number. I said I’m going to call B of A back and confirm that they called me.
He said that was a good idea, but I should know that BofA can not cancel the pending transaction only Zelle can because Zelle is a third party. So I will have to call back to Zelle otherwise the transaction will be reprocessed tomorrow.
I said okay.
I got out my BofA credit card and called BofA (not the number that originally called me from BofA). The agent looked through the system. There have been no charges from Zelle. Furthermore no one from BofA has called me today.
My husband wants to pick up a scam call and instead of hello say, it’s done but there’s blood everywhere. ?
I wonder if Alexader Graham Bell answered "ahoy" when he got his first call, when he was offered an extension on his car warranty.My wife has gotten into the habit of always answering 'Unknown' callers with "Ahoy" instead of "hello". It seems to throw them off their scripts and they end up just hanging up without saying anything more often than not.
FYI: "Ahoy" is what Alexander Graham Bell wanted as the answer protocol. But "Hello" is what Edison wanted instead.
I don't get it. How can anyone fall for that? She must be the most naive person ever. WOW!
I read it a few times and it still does not add up. I think the questions will continue but maybe it helps some folks keep their guard up.
It was my brother, the lawyer, who pointed out that what I had experienced sounded a lot like a coerced confession. “I read enough transcripts of bad interrogations in law school to understand that anyone can be convinced that they have a very narrow set of terrible options,” he said. When I posed this theory to Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who studies coerced confessions, he agreed. “If someone is trying to get you to be compliant, they do it incrementally, in a series of small steps that take you farther and farther from what you know to be true,” he said. “It’s not about breaking the will. They were altering the sense of reality.” And when you haven’t done anything wrong, the risk of cooperating feels minimal, he added. An innocent person thinks everything will get sorted out. It also mattered that I was kept on the phone for so long. People start to break down cognitively after a few hours of interrogation. “At that point, they’re not thinking straight. They feel the need to put an end to the situation at all costs,” Kassin said.
Perhaps I wasn't clear. The commonality, and the thing I find interesting is how people can be manipulated. Brown manipulates people with an army of actors and hidden cameras and the scammers manipulate people on the phone. Both get people to behave in ways we have a hard time understanding. I find the application of that skill fascinating.Yeah, ahem. Not comparable in the least IMO. Illusionist Derren Brown’s video self describes as employing “an army of actors”. I guess it’s good Mr Brown is an entertainer. $50k wouldn’t begin to cover his expenses.
Good thing he didn't get scammed. And if you get a scam call from Amazon in the future, you will be less likely to get scammed also.I was traveling with a buddy last year and he got a call from “Amazon”. I saw his demeanor tank when they told him his account had been hacked. I started making gestures to hang up but he ignored me at first. I practically yelled at him to call them back and he reluctantly hung up. Here’s the thing….he was on meds causing him to have mood swings. Plus, he wrecked his car the day before and we were stuck in the middle of no where trying to figure things out. He was super vulnerable so no telling what would’ve happened if I wasn’t there. He checked his account and all was OK.