Ya boi just took some asshole for a ride. Some schmuck called me from a (spoofed) DC number with some cockamamie story about how heās with the Federal Government and theyāve randomly selected me to receive a $7000 grant, oh and Iāll have to go pick it up at any of several chain grocery stores. Keeps using theseĀ ācheck-inā phrases that are meant to prompt you to say yes.
But see, jokeās on him: Iāve heard of this scam, and I donāt talk like most people. When I answer the phone and someone asks for me by name, I sayĀ āSpeaking,ā notĀ āYes.ā So every single time this assclown tried to get me to sayĀ āYesā Iād say something likeĀ āUnderstoodā orĀ āGo on.ā
You see, the scam is, they trick you into sayingĀ āYes,ā and bonus if they can get you to repeat numbers (esp. 0-9) and/orĀ āI agree.ā What these low-lives do is record your voice and then use the sound bytes to make fraudulent charges in your name.
So fuck this guy right off the bat.
The more I dicked him around, the more frequently he started trying to goad me into saying the y-word. The funniest part came when he was going toĀ āgive me a confirmation number.ā
Him: The confirmation is seven, one, threeā¦
And he just STOPS. TheĀ āthreeā was pitched up to indicate thereād be more. I wait. He waits. I say,Ā āGo on.ā
And this bitch goes,Ā āYes, the confirmation number is seven, one, threeā¦ā
And he STOPS AGAIN. I wait. He waits. I say,Ā āGo on,ā again.
And he STARTS! OVER! AGAIN! He did this TWO MORE TIMES before giving me theĀ āfull confirmation numberā and aĀ ānumber to call,ā which together JUST HAPPEN to include all ten digits, 0 through 9.
This entire time I havenāt said a single word that could be construed as agreement. So he asks me to repeat the numbers back to him. I decide Iāve had enough at that point. I tell him to get a better job, hang up, and block the number.
AnotherĀ āDCā number immediately calls me. I reject & block it.
And then I filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission. :3
BE WARY. Get yourself on the National Do Not Call Registry. If a number you donāt recognize calls you, DONāT REPLYĀ āYESā OR ANY OTHER GENERIC AFFIRMATIVE TO ANYTHING THEY SAY OR ASK.
The original scam is a robocall that starts off withĀ āCan you hear me?ā The most correct response is to hang up and report it to the FTC. The second best isĀ āI can hear you,ā if youāre not sure or if you forget. But get into the habit of using responses other thanĀ āYesā on the phone. These fuckers are everywhere.
It gets worse, OP. Your voice can be spliced to sound like you agreed to something. You may have given them enough to do that with. Like those Microsoft Windows people that call and want your āimportant numbers off your computerā I talked to them for far too long and only found out after the fact that they could make fraudulent charges just by splicing some of your words together. They were after something different, but it amounts to the same thing in the end. Also thereās the common āpress 1ā² people as well. Itās best to just hang up. The Attorney General says to get an answering machine and they canāt really do anything about them because theyāre constantly spoofing numbers. Neither can the phone company, and they Charge You Money for reporting them!
Oof. Reblogging for additional warnings. Iāve already made my report to the FTC, so Iāll just be keeping a close eye on my finances for a while. (Like Iām not already given my situation.)
see this shit? this is why i don’t answer my phone if i don’t recognize the number. if it’s important they’ll leave a message
oh abso-fuckin-lutely not
iām already missing out on seeingĀ @mythicalmagistra because of this fuckin funeral i am NOT getting stuck chauffeuring my fuckin aunt around on top of it
in light of the Amazon strike, I wanted to offer some alternative online stores you can use INSTEAD OF Amazon for the upcoming months until the employees at Amazon are granted some basic common decency š
rakuten.com – has nearly everything Amazon has
ebay.com – just be careful for scams!
newegg.com – for electronics/technology
emusic.com – music for as little as $1!! They also have a membership program where you can get music for even less!!
barnesandnoble.com – they have collectible items and childrens toys too!
This is great!
indiebound.org – books, and they make it easy to locate and purchase from local independent bookstores near you who Amazon would otherwise be putting out of businessĀ
Addall also lets you search for the lowest price on books via multiple websites & sellers worldwide (doesnāt include eBay, but it has most of the other big online book sellers)ā and Open Library has free ebook rentals (all legally above-board!), including a bunch that donāt ātechnicallyā have ebook releases, because OL also pulls from Googleās log of digitized/scanned analog books as well.
Donāt overlook traditional libraries right now, either; a lot have digital rental & streaming media services included with your membership now, like Hoopla & Overdrive.
Just Watch also lets you search for movies & TV shows by title and see where you can (legally) watch them streaming, including labeling if theyāre free, have ads, and listing prices for pay rentals & purchases. It wonāt include those library services, but like Addall, it covers most of the big hitters.
Coworker: āYou realize itās only Wednesday right?ā
Me:
I have been reminded that Wednesday is half price wine slushie day at a vineyard nearby soā¦.
I have arrivedā¦this is not a drill
Peach Mango Wine Slushie⦠My lawd
Fun fact⦠my fiancee and I were there too and she and I both had a moment of āis that.. irresponsible-black-unicorn?ā And we just had a laugh because we were right.
WHAT REALLY? ā¦ā¦so when are we going next? ā¦. tomorrow is also a wine slushie night