Hello all. If this needs to be merged elsewhere then please do so admin staff.
Please read this and learn from my mistake.
I had a phone call today that I answered. It was someone claiming to be from amazon stating that I have purchased an iPhone and the need to clarify deliver details. I stated I did no such thing. That asked if I was sure as there is an order for one and the need to organise delivery. It’s for the sum of $799.99 cents sir. I said I have ordered no such thing. The asked me to log in to m account and check if this is true. They will cancel the order as someone might have extracted some of my account details and purchased it for themselves. I jumped on my iPad and checked my account and nothing came up. They instructed me to turn on my computer so they could verify this and cancel the order. I was asked to download an app and open my banking to check my account. I did so and I saw a transaction for $799.99. I stated that I never placed any order. They asked me if I want to cancel the order and have the funds refunded back to my account. I said that is exactly what I want to do if this money has come out of my account.
I looked over at my iPad which had my account live and I saw $11,000 removed from my account as my balance dropped in less than a minute. I suspected something and instantly closed my account on my iPad by logging off. The Genuine looking CBA screen on my Mac (computer) was a fake menu which wasn’t live to my account and I realised I was getting screwed. When I told the caller I thought they were scamming me they got irritated and the phone and asked me why I have multiple devices looking at my account. This is the easiest way to have hackers pull money from your funds. I hung up the phone and closed my accounts online. I went to the bank which is 2 minutes from my house. These c@nts drew three transactions of a total of $11,000 from my bank account. One to a tax accountant I used recently and two other mysterious locations not familiar to me.
The bank will have little issue getting my money back from the accountant as this must have been an accidental transfer in a panic by the scammer to move my money fast. It was on my statement which they were viewing my account live when I was on the phone to them. The other two with a total value of around $7,000 might be lost forever. Calling back the number that called me goes as such. “The number you have called has been disconnected”. The bank is attempting to get the money back from where the money has been transferred to, but without the cooperation on the other side they may refuse to refund the transactions. It may get messy and I might not see all of my money again.
PLEASE do not accept a call that states you have purchased something. Over the internet, amazon etc. If so, DO NOT open your account to check your bank balance. DO NOT let them help you with potential wrong orders. Hang up the phone. Go straight to your bank and get them to check your bank balance. If everything looks good, report the phone call and walk away. I am and old man and this money living alone is all I have. To help me retire one day. It could have been $20,000 which would be my entire life savings ever. If covid couldn’t kill me that certainly would have pushed me over the edge. PLEASE don’t be an idiot that and gullible like I was. It looked like someone was genuinely concerned that I may have been hacked and money was spent without my knowledge. The minute I opened my account after downloading an app gave them live access to my life. That is where things went wrong for me. use be careful kids. Don’t let this happen to you. Don’t answer the phone. Don’t bank on the internet. DONT TRUST ANYONE. Please be wise and do nothing. As if covid wasn’t enough of a headache.
Hello Mants and I am truly sorry to hear of your misfortune and loss of funds. Many thanks for taking the trouble to describe the incident in detail as a warning to the rest of us on here. I can confirm that the scammers are very active currently and I received 7 or 8 suspicious phone calls yesterday alone all of which I did not answer. A friend of mine was blitzed with such calls last week, some followed up with a text message asking her to use a link to a web address, which she did not do.
I hope you can recover ok from this blow Mants, there are truly some kents in this world.
Thanks for the heads up Mantis. Sorry to hear all that. Hopefully you can find a way of recovering those monies. $11k is not pennies.
Good luck matey.
Timely warning Mants. For everyone else, type "kitboga" into youtube and look at what he does to these scum mongrels. Hundreds of them available that are an invaluable lesson.
Amazon thieves are relatively recent to this game. Such is the vile and extreme abuse I direct at them (men and women alike, I don't care) that they've put me on their don't call register.
I sure hope you reap success in recovering your losses.
Hmmmmm, the Amazon scam I get is usually a recorded message that asks you to press 1 to continue. Sounds like they are ramping up their efforts which is a worry. Good luck getting the cash back Mantis
Hmmmmm, the Amazon scam I get is usually a recorded message that asks you to press 1 to continue. Sounds like they are ramping up their efforts which is a worry. Good luck getting the cash back Mantis
Yep, was the same with me
@rocky ... but I always pressed continue to waste their time and then my wife walked far away as she knows how volatile I was with these sub humans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sVcVLwQrE4
Thanks for the warning Mantis.
I hope everything turns OK for you mate.
My heart goes out to you, Green Stick. That is bloody awful mate. So sorry you had to go through that deceitful and insidious scam. I hope you get your loot back. And thanks for the heads up.
I have a rule of thumb when I don't recognize a number, much like CC... I just don't answer the call. If it's ridgy didge, they'll leave a message. Occasionally, much to the amusement of Mrs Baggers, I'll answer the call and take the p1ss, by saying that I'd love to do as they ask but won't until they return my goat and give me assurances that they've done nothing of a sexual nature to my goat. Click. I said to one to keep talking as my trace on the call will only take another few seconds. Click.
As a general rule, if you ever pick up the phone and its a 'robot/computer voice' speaking, just hang up straight away. No good ever comes from it and they don't call back.
In fairness to the victims, the scams are getting more and more sophisticated, the Robo diallers are of diminishing effect and now you can get genuine callers run by organised crime.
If you can capably run a PC, Phone and Tablet then enabling two-factor authentication on your accounts is advised. If there is a transaction like this you'll get an SMS or Email on a secondary device to confirm before it is processed. Typically you order something or make a payment on your PC, you then get an SMS or Email on your phone or tablet to confirm before the transaction is processed. That way no transactions can be hidden from you. I realise it is onerous, and many people do not like initiating it because it adds effort to everyday transactions, but as annoying it is for small transactions you have to keep in mind it greatly reduces the chance of what happened above to Mantis from ever happening.
Most banks have procedures in place to recover the lost funds, and they insure against it, unfortunately it can be a slow process taking many weeks.
@capcom Can't believe I just watched that whole youtube video. That bloke has a lot of patience to put up with the scammers for that long.
@capcom Can't believe I just watched that whole youtube video. That bloke has a lot of patience to put up with the scammers for that long.
Kit makes a living out of it ... and well deserved. He wastes their time so they can't steal from others. This is him at his absolute best.
In another classic, he made the scammer apologise to his non existent cat before he went to the next stage. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mceb_t8EIs
@Mantis Oh, one last thing Mantis. If you have no luck getting cash back through the bank may I highly recommend this mob;
https://www.afca.org.au/
I have dealt with them on several occasions and they have managed to get the relevant financial institution to fork out at least some of the lost funds back to me. Just keep that in your back pocket.
I saw the history on my Mac to see what it was I downloaded. It was an app called Any desk. I had to type in a verification code. This must have been where they gained remote access to my desktop. I deleted and removed this app. Never knew about remote access to a computer before. While it might serve some benefits, it can be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. I guess not knowing enough about the IT world is just as dangerous. I will keep you posted on any recovery and the process if it helps any be just a little wiser for the experience.
I saw the history on my Mac to see what it was I downloaded. It was an app called Any desk. I had to type in a verification code. This must have been where they gained remote access to my desktop. I deleted and removed this app. Never knew about remote access to a computer before. While it might serve some benefits, it can be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. I guess not knowing enough about the IT world is just as dangerous. I will keep you posted on any recovery and the process if it helps any be just a little wiser for the experience.
There's plenty of them
@Mantis .. anydesk app is but one. Remote access you give to no-one save for a well known PC literate friend or your ISP.
That’s no good Mantis. The bastards can be very convincing.
I had one years ago that was trying to get me to upload a file to my computer. I realised that it was a scam and played him along before finally letting him know that I wouldn’t upload the file. He got quite irate and abused me for wasting his time. I gave him a serve back - something about camels and genitals - before hanging up. The bastard rang me back for another lot of abuse (it was a landline call).
It’s disappointing that the authorities aren’t more proactive in pursuing these pr1cks and disabling their operations.
On a slightly different note, I received an unsolicited text message from that dickwad Craig Kelly. I got his mobile number and left a voicemail message for him. His landline and fax numbers are out there too so it’s quite easy to pay him back >:D
That’s no good Mantis. The bastards can be very convincing.
I had one years ago that was trying to get me to upload a file to my computer. I realised that it was a scam and played him along before finally letting him know that I wouldn’t upload the file. He got quite irate and abused me for wasting his time. I gave him a serve back - something about camels and genitals - before hanging up. The bastard rang me back for another lot of abuse (it was a landline call).
It’s disappointing that the authorities aren’t more proactive in pursuing these pr1cks and disabling their operations.
On a slightly different note, I received an unsolicited text message from that dickwad Craig Kelly. I got his mobile number and left a voicemail message for him. His landline and fax numbers are out there too so it’s quite easy to pay him back >:D
Got the same text from Craig Kelly pointing me at some link. Deleted and blocked...
Mants, sorry to hear about your scamming experience. Disgraceful scumbags that would take your retirement money, there was a woman on current affair a night or two back who had same done to her.
Trusting soul who thought she was going to be arrested over unpaid taxes,was scared on the phone and got conned into going to the bank and pulling out money.
Hope you are OK as I know you do it tough and the bank can retrieve your money.
I have all my accounts locked for international transactions and requiring double verification by my phone even for local transfers. Also only use one credit card online with a daily limit so I can limit any damage. Your bank should set you up with better security on your accounts.
Chin up and hope to hear soon your money is recovered.
I am so sorry to hear of your financial loss. I have been the target of two separate groups over the past three months. I had four or five calls from a so-called debt agency acting on behalf of either the Taxation Dept or Social Security and threatening me with Supreme Court action if I did not pay immediately the sum demanded.
After the first call I rang the Telstra scam line and was told later that the calls were all scams.
Those calls stopped and then I have been bombarded with the Amazon calls. They are all from a woman with an American accent. When I got the first call and heard the words "...you owe Amazon" I hung up and blocked the number. I now know when it is an Amazon call because there is a two second delay before the call begins.
Calls have been from the Barossa Valley, Mauritius, and the last one from The Falkland Islands.
We get the Internet disconnection threat, the robo tax call but using American tax terminology lol and my fav is the Indian voice with you have a virus on your computer, we will need you to download an app and we will take control of your computer and fix the problem. Had that one about ten times, always the same script... Different random number with 08 Prefix.
We have caller ID so I know its them and answer Victoria Police.. Sgt Elwood speaking how can i help you?... Phones Hangs up straight away and after three of those responses they seemed to have lost interest in bothering me.
I also enjoyed putting on an Indian accent and trying to talk cricket with the fake Telstra Internet disconnectors who started swearing at me..
Mrs DJC and I were in the local post office agency to renew our passports several years ago. A little old lady in front of us had a wad of $100 bills that she wanted to post. The PO lady, bless her, asked why did she want to post the money and the little old lady replied "The man on the phone told me to." The PO lady said that she wouldn't let her post the money and asked if she had a family member she could talk to about it.
There really are some scumbags out there but plenty of good folk too.
People that prey on old people should be tied to a post and flogged. That may not be a socially acceptable attitude but I'm over scumbags, scammers and other assorted parasites.
People that prey on old people should be tied to a post and flogged. That may not be a socially acceptable attitude but I'm over scumbags, scammers and other assorted parasites.
As socially unacceptable as it may seem, Profissory, I feel exactly the same way. Opportunistic, immoral slime.
We get the Internet disconnection threat, the robo tax call but using American tax terminology lol and my fav is the Indian voice with you have a virus on your computer, we will need you to download an app and we will take control of your computer and fix the problem. Had that one about ten times, always the same script... Different random number with 08 Prefix.
We have caller ID so I know its them and answer Victoria Police.. Sgt Elwood speaking how can i help you?... Phones Hangs up straight away and after three of those responses they seemed to have lost interest in bothering me.
I also enjoyed putting on an Indian accent and trying to talk cricket with the fake Telstra Internet disconnectors who started swearing at me..
We have a similar sense of humour, EB1. My demanding the return of my goat before discussing anything has triggered many a hang-up.
We have a similar sense of humour, EB1. My demanding the return of my goat before discussing anything has triggered many a hang-up.
Love it ;D
We have a similar sense of humour, EB1. My demanding the return of my goat before discussing anything has triggered many a hang-up.
I have on several occasions followed their line of questioning as if they had me on the hook - and then I would ask a final question, 'Can you tell me, what is the food like in a Mumbai prison?'.
Their instructions then turn to various things I should do with my mother, some of which I do not believe are physically possible.
But the phone call does provide 10-15 minutes of fun on a lockdown weekend.
On the serious side, sorry about your loss Mantis - these mobs are getting more sophisticated. My only advice is if there is the slightest smell of fish in the air, bail out immediately - if the caller you are dealing with is real, they will try to contact you again, but scammers will just move on to the next victim.
I can echo the sentiment with most on here.
Its absolutely difficult to know who is or isnt a scammer these days, so the rule of thumb is as follows to keep everyone safe here.
Unless you are expecting that phone call, if they say they are from somewhere, simply refuse to divulge any information and make them tell you all about you, because then you can work out if you are vulnerable, and where you are vulnerable. Beyond that, irrespective of whom they state they are, tell them you dont field inbound marketing, and simply call the company they say they are from.
its the only way to stay safe, and to be honest, review all your passwords, usernames, etc. They can get a lot of things from you before you know it!!
I can echo the sentiment with most on here.
Its absolutely difficult to know who is or isnt a scammer these days, so the rule of thumb is as follows to keep everyone safe here.
Unless you are expecting that phone call, if they say they are from somewhere, simply refuse to divulge any information and make them tell you all about you, because then you can work out if you are vulnerable, and where you are vulnerable. Beyond that, irrespective of whom they state they are, tell them you dont field inbound marketing, and simply call the company they say they are from.
its the only way to stay safe, and to be honest, review all your passwords, usernames, etc. They can get a lot of things from you before you know it!!
I always ask if them if they have a goat tied up in their backyard ... you can guess the rest
I can echo the sentiment with most on here.
Its absolutely difficult to know who is or isnt a scammer these days, so the rule of thumb is as follows to keep everyone safe here.
Unless you are expecting that phone call, if they say they are from somewhere, simply refuse to divulge any information and make them tell you all about you, because then you can work out if you are vulnerable, and where you are vulnerable. Beyond that, irrespective of whom they state they are, tell them you dont field inbound marketing, and simply call the company they say they are from.
its the only way to stay safe, and to be honest, review all your passwords, usernames, etc. They can get a lot of things from you before you know it!!
Good advice.
I've never been scammed, and doubt I ever will. My career choices have taught me to be ultra cautious.
1. I never answer calls from unfamiliar numbers - or 'private' callers.
2. I never open emails from unexpected or unfamiliar sources - if it appears to be from a sender that I may have dealings with in the past eg Amazon, it's very easy to see the legitimacy by mousing over the senders details and it will confirm the email address is not from who they allege to be, eg it will probably say something like
[email protected], which obviously makes no connection to Amazon
3. ATO, Banks etc will never call or email you unexpectedly and ask you for personal information (If you're suspicious then ask them for a number to call them back on)
But refer to point 1. and just don't answer in the first place...
4. Be suspicious of everyone, and trust nobody!
Follow these rules, live long, and prosper. C:-) :)) C:-) :)
Good advice.
I've never been scammed, and doubt I ever will. My career choices have taught me to be ultra cautious.
1. I never answer calls from unfamiliar numbers - or 'private' callers.
2. I never open emails from unexpected or unfamiliar sources - if it appears to be from a sender that I may have dealings with in the past eg Amazon, it's very easy to see the legitimacy by mousing over the senders details and it will confirm the email address is not from who they allege to be, eg it will probably say something like [email protected], which obviously makes no connection to Amazon
3. ATO, Banks etc will never call or email you unexpectedly and ask you for personal information (If you're suspicious then ask them for a number to call them back on)
But refer to point 1. and just don't answer in the first place...
4. Be suspicious of everyone, and trust nobody!
Follow these rules, live long, and prosper. C:-) :)) C:-) :)
Wonderful advice unless you’re a self employed tradie…
You are correct about the email addresses, I’ve been getting quite good emails from very keen SEO workers wanting to help me with my web presence, but yeah, joebloggs@gmail… delete, delete, delete…
Currently there’s the parcel delivery text scams just raging along…
I get a lot of calls apparently from Clayton and various other locations in australia and overseas 🤣
I did once get a legitimate enquiry from a woman who gave me a slightly vague street address for me to quote “24 X street, opposite Z’s supermarket” I pondered for a couple of seconds and asked her if she lived in Alice Springs ? “I’m sorry !” “I’ve called Darwin haven’t I ?”
Only 1500km… 🤣🤣
Wonderful advice unless you’re a self employed tradie…
You are correct about the email addresses, I’ve been getting quite good emails from very keen SEO workers wanting to help me with my web presence, but yeah, joebloggs@gmail… delete, delete, delete…
Currently there’s the parcel delivery text scams just raging along…
I get a lot of calls apparently from Clayton and various other locations in australia and overseas 🤣
I did once get a legitimate enquiry from a woman who gave me a slightly vague street address for me to quote “24 X street, opposite Z’s supermarket” I pondered for a couple of seconds and asked her if she lived in Alice Springs ? “I’m sorry !” “I’ve called Darwin haven’t I ?”
Only 1500km… 🤣🤣
Had the parcel one with texts and links to click...dont download the DHL app package they quote its a virus.
Guess what guys. I waited for over 3 weeks for my bank to recover my money. Received a message via text on the phone 4 times in this period stating they have not managed to locate my money yet. They ask me to be patient and they would notify me when they had some progress. Well guess what? I complained to the complaint department and they said they would chase it up. In my frustration I managed to find out where 2 sums of money were sent in a scam. My accountant for my tax return and an insurance company I bought a policy from 4 years ago. I rang both and explained how I was scammed and how they are each holding almost $10,000 combined. They checked their account and realised I have no business reference they could trace for a normal transaction. No quotes, invoices, purchase orders etc. Hence a mistake. Both companies returned my money back into the original account in 48 hours. Where the money was transferred from. They would not allow the money to go elsewhere to avoid being scammed in case I had scammed money from one account and then tried to refund it elsewhere which is apparently what scam experts try to do. Both companies called my bank to see why large sums of money were deposited to them with no apparent reference. They were told by the bank that there is a process in place to fix the situation and they could not give my details to them due to privacy issues.
I accept this concern by the bank. How about calling me to let me know the money is held in accounts ready to be returned but you need to contact the businesses yourself. Do your f@cking job. The job of returning my money back into my account as you told me you would do. No 100% certainty, but leave it in our good hands as we are experienced in such circumstances. They did little to nothing in almost a month. I on the other hand had all my money returned on my own in 2 days. I now play stupid and wait for the bank to contact me again. To see what rubbish they will tell me about the progress of my refunds. If anything happens to you guys here in this forum, don’t trust that you will have help from your bank. Lazy, useless f@cks. If it isn’t their money, then they really don’t care about the end result. It isn’t their problem which is why they put no work into serving their client. I am happy that I got part of my life savings back. Will never ever trust anyone again as long as I shall live.
Guess what guys. I waited for over 3 weeks for my bank to recover my money. Received a message via text on the phone 4 times in this period stating they have not managed to locate my money yet. They ask me to be patient and they would notify me when they had some progress. Well guess what? I complained to the complaint department and they said they would chase it up. In my frustration I managed to find out where 2 sums of money were sent in a scam. My accountant for my tax return and an insurance company I bought a policy from 4 years ago. I rang both and explained how I was scammed and how they are each holding almost $10,000 combined. They checked their account and realised I have no business reference they could trace for a normal transaction. No quotes, invoices, purchase orders etc. Hence a mistake. Both companies returned my money back into the original account in 48 hours. Where the money was transferred from. They would not allow the money to go elsewhere to avoid being scammed in case I had scammed money from one account and then tried to refund it elsewhere which is apparently what scam experts try to do. Both companies called my bank to see why large sums of money were deposited to them with no apparent reference. They were told by the bank that there is a process in place to fix the situation and they could not give my details to them due to privacy issues.
I accept this concern by the bank. How about calling me to let me know the money is held in accounts ready to be returned but you need to contact the businesses yourself. Do your f@cking job. The job of returning my money back into my account as you told me you would do. No 100% certainty, but leave it in our good hands as we are experienced in such circumstances. They did little to nothing in almost a month. I on the other hand had all my money returned on my own in 2 days. I now play stupid and wait for the bank to contact me again. To see what rubbish they will tell me about the progress of my refunds. If anything happens to you guys here in this forum, don’t trust that you will have help from your bank. Lazy, useless f@cks. If it isn’t their money, then they really don’t care about the end result. It isn’t their problem which is why they put no work into serving their client. I am happy that I got part of my life savings back. Will never ever trust anyone again as long as I shall live.
Well done Mantis !
Yes. Well done Mate.
There are some stinkin, mongrel bxxxxxds out there.
Good work Mantis. Am going through AFCA over some terrible "service" provided by UBank (NAB - Nothing Matters "More Than Money"). Going to try and get some cash out of them as compensation for the shoddy customer experience. Don't think I will get any cash but I like giving it to them via the inconvenience it will cause. Banks are right up there with politicians and car salesmen.