Community Newsletter: Q&A: Are they phishing over the telephone now?!
- 4/25/08 4:05 PM
Naming names
by PsychGen - 5/3/08 7:24 AM In reply to: OMG, that many times a day?! by LorraineKPVonage offers the same service. Included, with the 24.99 a month charge. They call it Anonymous Call Block.
Do not call list
by Remag1234 - 5/4/08 6:21 AM In reply to: OMG, that many times a day?! by LorraineKPI'm on the do not call list and have not been bothered. One of the reasons is that I have subscribed to VOIP[ Vonage] that stopped all except 1 or 2 on occasion. My wife's cellphone just started getting calls, I called back and they were selling baby items. I told them I was single, had no wife or girlfriend and did ot have the plumbing to have a baby. I also said I am on the do not call register and please do not call back.
It's been 1 day and no calls.
One more point, why is it that people MUST answer the phone even if they do not recognize the number calling?? NO ONE IS THAT IMPORTANT that they cannot miss a call.
UK situation
by TonyGore - 4/26/08 2:38 AM In reply to: Answer for Judie, Fraud concerns: Phishing over the phones n by Kenneth JankowskiWe have the equivalent of a "do not call registry". However, the law does not prevent the last few digits being called at random.
I get quite a few of these automated and recorded message junk calls, mostly originating from the US. One of the downsides of cheap call technologies is that you can make them to anywhere.
In the UK, this is what is supposed to happen
1) Caller ID should be given (often it is not)
2) If dialling multiple numbers, and then answering the first, this results in silent calls for anyone answering a fraction of a second after the first person answers. Silent calls are meant to be only a few percent (but my experience is that it can be as high as 50% some days)
There really isn't much you can do. I simply do the following.
If caller ID shows certain types of numbers e.g. ones with the South Africa code on the front, I don't answer them (TalkTalk have their call centre in South Africa and I have no dealings with anyone in South Africa).
If it starts with an 08 (freephone and similar local call cost numbers are all in this range) then I let the phone ring for a while (so that some other poor person gets connected before me).
When I do answer the phone, if I suspect that it is one of these calls, I keep silent. Some systems on the other end then start up their recorded message, so I hang up. If there is a real person, they talk; I might reply.
I am hoping that their systems will be smart enough to eventually remove my number from the list as it is clearly costing them for no response.
What is interesting - the people in the call centres get very unnerved if you give them the silent treatment.
I needed to discuss an issue of security with someon in the bank's head office recently and it led to an interesting conversation - how could we mutually authenticate - how could I be sure he was genuine and vice-versa.
Try asking your caller if they can prove they are calling from the company they say they are. Ask them for some information about you. If they say they cannot give it out (Data Protection) then ask them why they are calling you for it. Only the most genuine will then carry one.
I am afraid the era of trust is finally over. My golden rule is now that everything is untrusted or a scam until they can prove otherwise.
Phishing on phones has always been done...
by shawnleegabriel - 5/26/08 10:44 AM In reply to: Answer for Judie, Fraud concerns: Phishing over the phones n by Kenneth JankowskiBack in the 70's and 80's, phone cracking and hacking were called phreaking... pranksters and criminals would pose as legit companies, phone repairmen to get access to you phone for mischief (some legal and some illegal)... People use to call and pose as legit companies to get your identity...
phishing as we know it on phones is old news....
Banks and cards don't do it that way
by paul dexler - 4/18/08 6:15 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Judie,
Basically, no legitimate credit organization will ask you for detailed information in an e-mail. If there is a problem, they may send you an e-mail with a request for you to go to their secure website and log on and then supply the required information. If they are asking for account details in an e-mail, it is phishing. The same is true if the request comes in by phone. There are three ways to provide them with information, if they really need it:
1. Visit their office and provide the information in person.
2. Send them the information by snail mail to the address where you send your payments.
3. Go to their secure website and log in. And be sure you use the URL you have on file, not one that comes in an e-mail from them.
Paul
Next Week's Question
by RichLonrgn - 4/18/08 6:21 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You know it! I just got a phone call from "The Social Security Administration" telling me they were going to stop charging my premium for Medicare and the change would be for the rest of my life! All I had to do was confirm my Social Security Number and the name of my bank. Apparantly, they felt sorry because they had been "paying me so little" ane this would make up for it. Strangely though, when I mentioned that it sounded like a phishing expidition, instead of setting me straight they just hung up. If they think they can grab your money, they'll try any means they can think up.
Definitely Exists
by jaemery - 4/18/08 6:24 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had a company call me twice, saying I had a past due balance from Verizon and telling me I had to give them a credit card number immediately or my service would be disconnected. I freaked out and then when I calmed down figured out that couldn't possibly be true. I had just seen my last bill and it showed Verizon owed me money. So I asked them to document that I owed Verizon money and they hung up. They tried again a few weeks later and this time I hung up. But this was definitely a scam.
Phishing
by Pete Alberts - 4/18/08 6:26 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I get similar calls. But, I don't have a credit card, nor do I have an auto warranty that needs extending.
While some might just be sales type calls, to see if "You're in the market", I think that:
Some people Phish in the ocean,
Some people Phish in a pond.
Some people Phish on the internet, and,
Some people Phish on the Phone.
This is what you should do...
by Rob Zantay - 4/18/08 6:31 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey, what they are trying to do is get you to change your card with whatever charges you have pending on it over to their card. They will quote a low (about6.5%) interest rate which may or may not last a year and then go up. If you listen to the recorded pitch it will say hit 1 to get connected to them, hit 2 to be removed from our list. guess which one you should hit, I'll give you a hint... it's not 1.
When you hit 2 you will be taken off their list and they will hang up on you. The automotive call is usually about car insurance, listen to the prompts and see if there is the possibility of being taken off the list, if not talk to the salesperson and tell them that you don't own a car. That should get you off their list.
That doesn't work.
by royc - 4/25/08 9:42 PM In reply to: This is what you should do... by Rob Zantaytalk to the salesperson and tell them that you don't own a car. That should get you off their list.
_______________________________
I did that and they hung up, a week later they called again. and keep calling.
Re: Fraud concerns
by chauffeur2 - 4/18/08 6:33 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Julie,
Here in Australia NO bank or credit card company will ever ask for your details over the telephone....so DON'T EVER give them out.
My advise to you is to hang up on these people and then telephone your bank/credit card company and report the matter to them.
Although they (your bank/credit card company) will not be able to do much about it, at least they have been made aware of the incident, and can take steps to do something about it in the future.
An alternative way to catch these fraudters is to ask them for their contact telephone number so that you can call them back; then, contact your bank/credit card company on the number listed in the telephone directory and ask them if the number you have been given is legitimate.
If it is then ok; however, I'd bet that in 99.9% of the time it won't be legitimate, so you can pass on the information to your bank/credit card company so they can track down these fraudsters.
I would imagine that when asked for their contact details, these fraudsters will give you a million excuses not to give the information to you, in that case, just hang up on them.
You need to treat your banking details and credit card numbers, and the like, as the most personal information you possess, and not give it to anyone under any circumstances, unless you are 100% certain that the source is known to you and therefore legitimate.
Kind Regards,
Dave T. [chauffeur2].
Extended Warranty
by mwooge - 4/18/08 6:36 PM In reply to: Are they phishing over the telephone now?! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
No phone calls, but I've got a lot of mail about my car warranty running out, but not from the dealer I bought from. This is a separate company, which probably isn't legit.
What's a little unsettleing is that they knew the mak and model of my car.
We got it on the phone...twice
by Tapisfun - 4/25/08 6:21 PM In reply to: Extended Warranty by mwoogeWe have had a similar scam tried on us on the phone. Once in California and once in Montana.
The caller says our "extended warrantee" is expiring and asks if we want to renew it. Since we do have a maintenance agreement on our refrigerator/freezer, we assume that is what they are calling about.
However, when we ask what company they are calling from and what warranty they are calling about they hang up!
If we didn't ask, they probably would have quoted a price, done a sales pitch and taken our credit card number to "pay" for it. Ha! Lucky we were curious enough to ask a few questions.
Extended warranty
by HighDesertDiva - 4/25/08 6:23 PM In reply to: Extended Warranty by mwoogeThe type of marketing you are encountering isn't phishing. What probably happened is if you purchased a new or "gently used" vehicle from a dealership, they sold your name and contact information to another company that markets post-manufacturer warranties. I used to work for a survey company, and heard a lot of complaints about these extended warranties. Before you consider purchasing one, determine if the places where you plan to have work done will even honor it, what it covers, is it portable (if your radiator blows when you are away from your home area), and whether you have to pay up front and be reimbursed by the warranty company. As for vishing, my rule is if I did not initiate the call, I do not tell them anything.
short, sweet and effective
by koolezt - 4/25/08 7:55 PM In reply to: Extended warranty by HighDesertDiva"if I did not initiate the call, I do not tell them anything."
perfect rule, diva
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