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Distribution: Slackware64-current with "True Multilib" and KDE4Town.
Posts: 9,089
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hazel
More or less. You have to set it up initially with a recorded message. I've forgotten how you do that; it was a long time ago! Once it is set up, you don't need to switch it on. It's on permanently. After a certain elapsed time (which you can't control but it is about seven rings), the unanswered call is diverted automatically.
If there are messages waiting for you, you get a special warbling dial tone. Then you punch in 1571 to hear the messages. It's the same code for everyone.
In the US scammers are sending SMS(text) claiming to be FedEx(Federal Express package delivery) claiming that your delivery is ready, please click the link to confirm your (address, availability for delivery etc.)
Then I guess you get directed to a url that tries to get your info. That would have to be a smart phone of course. That one sounds half way reasonable. I can see people clicking on that one thinking that FedEx is trying to deliver.
FedEx says that they do not send unsolicited texts.
The most frightening scam I've heard of is one that's almost impossible to protect yourself against. It goes like this:
1) The scammers infiltrate a small company server, for example by sending an office worker an email with a link that downloads malware. The company is usually one that provides expensive services to members of the public: for example a builder or double-glazing firm.
2) The scammers get a list of people who have recently had work done and sends them invoices. The invoices are printed on company notepaper and have the correct details for the work. The customer is advised that the company's bank details have changed recently and new details are provided.
3) If the customer is cautious and wants to check that this is OK and not a scam, they might send an email to the company. They get a reassuring reply from the server that yes, the bank account really has changed and it's OK to pay. Of course this comes from the scammers who are now in control of the server and all its programs.
4) A week later, the customer gets another invoice for the same work. The bank details on it are the old ones. They ring up and are told that the company never received their payment and never changed their bank account. The money they paid is unrecoverable.
One I've heard of relies on the fact that (in the UK at least), landline calls are effectively controlled by whoever initiates them. If you call me and I hang up but you don't, you'll stay connected and be able to talk to me ten minutes later if I pick up the 'phone to call someone else. I've known one or two pranks to be played using that feature.
A lot of people don't seem to be aware of it, and some scammers stay on the line after the initial cold call and play a recording of a dial tone. The hope is that the victim will hang up, then (attempt to) dial their bank to check and end up speaking to the scammer's accomplice, who goes through a realistic-sounding security verification and collects enough information to log in to the real account.
Last edited by Pastychomper; 01-23-2020 at 10:02 AM.
Distribution: Slackware64-current with "True Multilib" and KDE4Town.
Posts: 9,089
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckk
Another one to look for.
In the US scammers are sending SMS(text) claiming to be FedEx(Federal Express package delivery) claiming that your delivery is ready, please click the link to confirm your (address, availability for delivery etc.)
Then I guess you get directed to a url that tries to get your info. That would have to be a smart phone of course. That one sounds half way reasonable. I can see people clicking on that one thinking that FedEx is trying to deliver.
FedEx says that they do not send unsolicited texts.
You are told always to use a different device to phone the bank. But most of the victims of bank fraud are old people who are less likely to own another phone. For urbanites and suburbanites like myself, it's no big deal to walk down to the bank and check up with them face to face. But people who live in the country can't do that.
One thing you can do, I suppose, is to phone the bank an hour or two later. The scammers are unlikely to hang on that long. Or you could immediately call a friend. If the voice at the other end says it's your bank, you can say "Gotcha! You're scammers."
landline calls are effectively controlled by whoever initiates them.
Same way in the US. Has been for decades. It'll stay that way for hours, even overnight. If grandma calls you, then doesn't get the phone on the hook right, you can't even call out.
Follow up on #17 if you have a smart phone.
Here is an open source whitelist/blacklist phone call/SMS app for droid. You don't have to have a google account on the phone to install it, if you are keeping that off of your phone on purpose. https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com....rin.blacklist/
One I've heard of relies on the fact that (in the UK at least), landline calls are effectively controlled by whoever initiates them. If you call me and I hang up but you don't, you'll stay connected and be able to talk to me ten minutes later if I pick up the 'phone to call someone else. I've known one or two pranks to be played using that feature.
That's a particular problem of which much more awareness needs to be raised. I believe the timeout is actually around 3 minutes, but that's still much too long. I remember hearing or reading that it's a throwback to a time when people needed to put down one extension and pick up another on old analogue networks - honestly no idea why it still exists at all.
These people are fun to mess with - I wish one would call me so I could annoy them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hazel
There's someone on this forum (I can't remember his name unfortunately) who makes a game out of stringing them along, pretending to be a particularly dumb user who can't find any of the screen buttons that they want him to click on. Then after about 20 minutes, he says, "Oh dear! Do you think it could be because I'm using Linux?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by masterclassic
One and half year ago, I received several phone calls from people claiming to be from microsoft and asking me to log on to my computer in order to fix a problem with my system. Of course, I was sure that it isn't any valid call. I had a couple of such calls last months too!
Sound quality and pronunciation were horrible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hazel
I haven't had a call from a Microsoft engineer for months now. I used to get a lot of them, always men with Indian accents calling from noisy offices.
I sort of assumed that they had died out because everyone knows about them now.
I used to do this myself but I've since upped my game, not they go like this...
<scammer>"Hello, I'm calling from Microsoft because we have received a report that your computer is infected with a virus"
<me>"Hello fellow Microsoft employee, funny you should call because i was just checking the security logs and <click, click> it appears your computer is infected with a virus"
Went back and forth like that for a while with me simply asking them to do pretty much the same thing they asked me to do, my kids were rolling on the floor laughing the whole time, I think the scammer even let out a chuckle or two.
I don't actually work for Microsoft but then I'm sure the scammer didn't either.
There's someone on this forum (I can't remember his name unfortunately) who makes a game out of stringing them along, pretending to be a particularly dumb user who can't find any of the screen buttons that they want him to click on. Then after about 20 minutes, he says, "Oh dear! Do you think it could be because I'm using Linux?"
I started to watch scammer videos. Some are very funny. This guy strings them along for 3 to 5 h.
He uses a voice changer. Pretends to be grandma. Pretends to be a retarded 20 y old. Pretends to be a dumb girl. He interrupts them all the time. He asks question after question.
There is another guy who hacks into their PC while they are scamming another guy, deletes files, turns on their webcam. He even does things on the PC of the guy getting scammed to the point that the victim becomes suspicious. I have no idea how he does it.
The basic scam takes the form of the Microsoft refund scam.
1. MS stopped supporting Win 7.
2. Therefore, MS must refund you 300$ (don't ask me why)
3. They ask to connect to your PC, they ask you to log into your bank account.
4. They turn your screen black. They edit the HTML code and make it look like they deposited 3000$ and show you the screen.
5. They say they made a mistake and beg you to resend the money with gift cards or else they will lose their job.
What annoys me most is that we always get the official lines of "we can't trace these calls", "spoofing IP addresses", "bitcoin", etc. It's a bit like when you have a problem with a program/connection. The fault isn't obvious but you just have to get your head down and start looking. But the authorities can't/won't get their heads down
What annoys me most is that we always get the official lines of "we can't trace these calls", "spoofing IP addresses", "bitcoin", etc. It's a bit like when you have a problem with a program/connection. The fault isn't obvious but you just have to get your head down and start looking. But the authorities can't/won't get their heads down
They can be traced, but government agencies don't do their jobs. Those who do that need to be brought to justice no matter where they are in the world. If any country refuses to coroporate, all the trunk lines should be physically cut!
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