@waldoj

This is a direct result of bluesky doing age verification, the scammers are using it for cover. I hope they have little success, I can't think of a harder group of people to scam than fedi people (although it is not impossible, and we should all talk about it!)

@waldoj

In related news I got a new scam call this weekend "This is Walmart and we want to verify a $1400 charge." At first I was like "that's not a real charge" then she starts asking my name and other info so I say "I will call the bank back about this."

"Please stay on the line."

Calling back to verify the source is good practice the real deal would not object.

Hung up so damn fast.

There was no charge of course, but I was traveling and it scared me into almost answering the questions.

@futurebird This Mastodon scam was particularly ham-fisted, but the phone call you got is a good reminder that absolutely none of us are un-scammable. The U.S. is a scam culture—we are subjected to constant scams. We can't dodge them all. Eventually I'm gonna get got, and I hope I'll have the nerve to call it up publicly.

@futurebird @waldoj

I had one like that, from my credit card issuer. The number showed up as the customer service number from the credit card. Fortunately, I was at the other end of the house from my wallet, and as I was walking to get it, something clicked in my mind and I told the caller that I would have to call them back.

I did call the customer service # on my card and they said they'd had many calls about that scam in the past week... Glad I didn't have my wallet in my pocket, I might have given them my info before I realized.

@FiddleSix @futurebird @waldoj

At least in Europe (where the following would work) the lesson is, always that you call the bank.

"What card you are calling about? ... OK I call you back on the service number"

You never talk about anything (not even your name or whether that's one of your cards or your address) with the caller if the other party has called you.

My bank, unfortunately, has become pretty sluggish and phone service which was very good for decades (most of my life) until a year ago, is now not any more. I might have to change if this continues.

I've just set my phone to reject calls from anyone who isn't in my contact list. If someone else really wants to talk to me they can leave voice mail.

@futurebird @waldoj

@futurebird @waldoj in the same vein, it infuriates me when a legit business calls me and starts asking identity questions (before delivering the message) when they are the ones calling me, and I have no way to identify them first.

I worked in the phone industry, you cannot trust caller id.

Businesses need to stop coding scam-like behavior in the procedures their operators have to follow.

@EverydayMoggie @waldoj

You see normally I do that, but because I was traveling I had that turned off.

@glitzersachen @FiddleSix @futurebird @waldoj the only other point to make is to call the bank on a different phone, or switch the phone off and on before making the call to ensure that the original call has dropped and the scammers are not still on the line.

@peterbrown @glitzersachen @FiddleSix @waldoj

I don't know about switching phones, but looking up the number from a trusted source is key, eg, from a mailing or by navigating to the website from scratch.

Is it possible to hijack all outgoing calls? That is, is this something this level of scammer can do? I would have thought that would be beyond them.

This is why it's good to have other ways to check the information eg. use the app, or the website. Or heck, go to the bank in person.

@baloo @futurebird @waldoj Big agree. The people who train and supervise customer service agents need to bring thier practices up to date

Everyday, when a phone rings or an email comes in, end-users have to keep diligent about who they talk to and give info to. Its a battle akin to "spy vs spy". I think I share the sentinent of many others when I say:

"Its now that much harder for legitimate contacts/communicationers to get my attention bc I have to manage my attention, second guess/double check every communication, avoid eagerness, and have my walls up."