Ring ring...

October 1, 2018 4:23 PM

Journalist and investigative reporter Brian Krebs provides a warning that Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever. The examples of scams provided in the article include an interview with Matt Haughey.
posted by cynical pinnacle to MetaFilter-Related at 4:23 PM (31 comments total)

Are we sure that was really Matt?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:07 PM on October 1, 2018 [12 favorites]

Well, if you called Matt, you can be pretty sure, but if Matt is calling you then hang up and call Matt back using the number from your Matt card.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:07 PM on October 1, 2018 [20 favorites]

Metafilter: It was the first time the voice inside his head spoke up and said, “Something isn’t right, Matt.”
posted by not_the_water at 6:43 PM on October 1, 2018 [10 favorites]

The call is coming from inside the Matt!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:38 PM on October 1, 2018 [4 favorites]

Ring ring...

Why don't you give me a call?
posted by Melismata at 9:11 PM on October 1, 2018

The phone company is pretty complicit in this, given how useless they made caller id.
posted by ryanrs at 9:24 PM on October 1, 2018 [13 favorites]

The call is coming from the attic. Take the kids and get out of the house.
posted by AugustWest at 10:38 PM on October 1, 2018

WHAT THE FUCK MATT?
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:54 PM on October 1, 2018 [4 favorites]

Wow, they plucked him like a chicken.
posted by thelonius at 6:34 AM on October 2, 2018

Kind of courageous to announce to the world that you can call him and he'll give you the three digit code on the back of the card AND the pin. Oh, maybe you can't any more.
posted by Namlit at 6:36 AM on October 2, 2018

I no longer answer my phone. My voicemail says I no longer answer my phone.

I will return calls, but you have to leave a voicemail.

I also no absolutely no financial transactions over the phone anymore. Everything is online or in person or not at all.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:16 AM on October 2, 2018 [10 favorites]

Kind of courageous to announce to the world that you can call him and he'll give you the three digit code on the back of the card AND the pin. Oh, maybe you can't any more.

You wouldn't want that one anyway, it only has $300 left in it.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:17 AM on October 2, 2018 [5 favorites]

I shared this article on Facebook since it is a new version of the old scam.

The phone company is pretty complicit in this, given how useless they made caller id.
There a bunch of different phone companies and I work for one, but know very little about the tech behind CID. One of the comments in the article says that the VOIP companies are the main problem here.
posted by soelo at 7:45 AM on October 2, 2018

$250.
posted by Etrigan at 7:50 AM on October 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

If it’s another company you do business with, go to the company’s site and look up their main customer support number.

Gotta be careful here, too. Six months ago, my mom had problems with her newly-purchased HP printer, googled for HP's customer service number, and got directed to a fake HP support scam number that eventually led her to a website where she allowed someone to take remote control of her computer so he could "discover" that her printer problem was caused by her Microsoft license having expired and sell her a $500 "lifetime" Microsoft license and 2 years of tech support.

All of which she proudly, after the fact, announced to me and my siblings in a very "See, I can fix things myself" way. No. No, mom. I'm sorry, but you can't.
posted by hanov3r at 8:44 AM on October 2, 2018 [6 favorites]

I no longer answer my phone. My voicemail says I no longer answer my phone.

I will return calls, but you have to leave a voicemail.

You know, I have always been curious what happens when two people like this need to talk to each other on the phone.
posted by ODiV at 8:51 AM on October 2, 2018 [6 favorites]

The important part is to go to the company's website, not Google.
posted by soelo at 9:03 AM on October 2, 2018

I accept calls from numbers I recognize including financial institutions I have accounts with. However, after listening to whatever they're calling about I tell them I will call back using phone numbers from official paperwork or their website. I never ever answer questions or give information unless I initiated the call. If on a landline I either wait for a while or use a different phone or line to avoid open line traps. Not sure if those are still a thing. I know mobile phones properly disconnect even if only one side hangs up.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 9:05 AM on October 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

I will speak to anyone who calls me, but only if they are fluent in Ubbi dubbi.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:25 AM on October 2, 2018 [6 favorites]

How do you even spend $3,000 at a Kroger? I mean, it's not Costco.
posted by arcticwoman at 10:57 AM on October 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

Gift cards, for sure, so they can be spent elsewhere and thus, money laundered.
posted by wellred at 11:04 AM on October 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

spend more than $2,900 at a Kroger near Atlanta

I'm trying to imagine how one spends $3k at a Kroger without causing the teller to call the police. 20 bottles of 20 year old scotch? 150 packs of cartridge razor blades? One hundred pounds of quite nice Stilton? Or, a six pack of beer and $2885 cash back?

On preview. . . what arcticwoman said.
posted by eotvos at 11:05 AM on October 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

How do you even spend $3,000 at a Kroger?

I was also thinking alcohol, because another MeFite recently got their debit card stolen, and the thieves racked up like $400 via Postmates at a gas station, and it was all booze.
posted by Etrigan at 11:07 AM on October 2, 2018

Yeah between Alcohol and gift cards you can rack things up pretty quickly, especially if it's a state that allows supermarkets to sell liquor (Georgia is not one of those states).
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:17 AM on October 2, 2018

You know, I have always been curious what happens when two people like this need to talk to each other on the phone.

Person A calls and leaves a voicemail for Person B. Person B texts back: "How's now for a call?" At this point, Person A can phone Person B, who will answer because they're expecting the call, or can reply affirmatively and Person B can phone Person A, who will answer because they're expecting the call.

It's not "I refuse to answer a ringing phone", it's "I refuse to answer any call I'm not expecting".
posted by Lexica at 11:38 AM on October 2, 2018 [7 favorites]

The Federal Trade Commission’s do-not-call list does not appear to have done anything to block scam callers

I'm shocked. SHOCKED. Well, not that shocked.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:16 PM on October 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

i got an interesting scam (I think) call on my work voicemail today - someone who left their name, said they were responding to my email about their missed car payment, and asked me to call back and tell them where to transfer the money to. (I work for the health department.) NOPE.
posted by centrifugal at 12:51 PM on October 2, 2018

While the good ol Human Brain Mk.1 is the best defense, I also use ATT Call Block. They have a list of spam and telemarketer numbers that they automatically tag. Some are blocked by the app and others you can block manually. It has drastically cut down on nuisance calls. I assume that other providers have apps like it. And it's free.
posted by Splunge at 1:23 PM on October 2, 2018

Perhaps try this (background).
posted by Wordshore at 5:12 PM on October 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I no longer answer my phone. My voicemail says I no longer answer my phone.

I will return calls, but you have to leave a voicemail.

Kraftwerk used to have a (landline, as they all were back then) phone in their studio with the ringer disabled. If you wanted to call them, you had to pre-arrange an exact time to call and they'd pick up the phone at the same time. If you were a few seconds too late you missed your chance.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:25 AM on October 3, 2018 [4 favorites]

My caller ID telling me that "Scam Likely" is calling makes me laugh every time. I feel like I'm in a Discworld novel. "Oh, Scam Likely! He took over the towel shop on Cockbill Street, didn't he?"
posted by tzikeh at 11:14 AM on October 5, 2018 [3 favorites]