LATEST SCAM - Beware *72

[mrreindeer]

Jeez, as if mrsreindeer doesn't have enough on her plate now that I'm back at work and she's dealing with a 3-week old baby...

She gets a call yesterday COLLECT.

And yeah, I know, I know...why on Earth would she accept the charges.

Well, she didn't at first.

But then the bastard called back, COLLECT, and no name, just EMERGENCY.

Yeah, fishy, but she was worried.

So she accepted.

The guy on the other end tells her a relative has been arrested for parking tickets.

RIIIIIIIGHT.

He doesn't say the name of said relative, just that he's been arrested, A TALL WHITE GUY.

While the caller doesn't have our 'relative's' name, he does have the arresting officer's name, Officer Cox.

How convenient.

The guy even has a made up booking number for our 'relative'. Booking number 1962610 over at Wayside Jail.

All this information the guy told mrsreindeer to write down.

The caller then instructed mrsreindeer to dial *72 and then (310)579-1107.

I looked it up.

It's a Malibu, California number....guess they've gotta pay the mortgage somehow!

And do you know what happens when you dial *72?

You dial *72 (which mrsreindeer did not...she hung up and called me) and ALL of your calls get forwarded to that number.

So the person at that number (I called it...some person named 'Sy') gets all of your personal calls and tries to gather personal info about you so that they can eventuall rip you off...THAT is the scam.

BEWARE & have a little fun and go ahead and call that number.

I called it saying I was Citibank looking for Mr. Jones. Sy said Mr. Jones didn't live there.

I then called the police and they couldn't take a report because it was only a 'suspected' scam.

They gave me the number to the Secret Service and I called 'em. The guy there was a little more accepting, took down the information but also said that since no 'loss' occured, he didn't think much could be done.

Oh well, too bad.

But you folks, be careful!

[Cigar Runner]

Will do, thanks

[GoonerMD]

WTF - can't these jerks just get a real job and stop trying to steal other people's money? Glad you didn't get taken by them. It's kind of lame that you actually have to have had your life screwed up by this scam before law enforcement does anything (even when it's obvious that something fishy is going on). I had a problem a few years back with someone counterfeiting my personal checks - I had all sorts of crazy finance charges, overdraft fees and returned check fees popping up. Luckily, my bank was pretty good about this once I reported it. I'm glad you also posted their phone # - maybe I'll give them a 1 am wakeup call! lol

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by GoonerMD

It's kind of lame that you actually have to have had your life screwed up by this scam before law enforcement does anything (even when it's obvious that something fishy is going on).

Seriously!

Originally Posted by GoonerMD

maybe I'll give them a 1 am wakeup call! lol

Do it!

[5point0]

Im real glad to here they were not successful.......


But if someone called and said that a relative of mine got arrested...I would say FINALLY....and leave him there and thank the person for letting me know.....

[d_day]

I am OUTRAGED! I come here expecting another elaborate joke and get this?

But seriously, it's Just another reason to never answer the phone.

[Supercomp]

Congrats on the baby - nothing better in the world than a bambino. It sure does go fast, enjoy every second!!!!!!

[slyder]

my wife just got her bank card number stolen!! She used it at noon to buy lunch with no problems. Then at 3pm she tried to get gas and it was declined. She went home and got on the computer and saw that somebody charged $1200 on her checking account!! How in the hell does that work when you only had $500 in there to begin with? She called the bank screaming and the immediately reversed the charges and canceled all her cards. So how did somebody get her card number and the 3 digit code on the back? Im guessing it was somebody at a bar or little convienience store.

[Supercomp]

Originally Posted by slyder

my wife just got her bank card number stolen!! She used it at noon to buy lunch with no problems. Then at 3pm she tried to get gas and it was declined. She went home and got on the computer and saw that somebody charged $1200 on her checking account!! How in the hell does that work when you only had $500 in there to begin with? She called the bank screaming and the immediately reversed the charges and canceled all her cards. So how did somebody get her card number and the 3 digit code on the back? Im guessing it was somebody at a bar or little convienience store.

Most banks have a policy of affording $700.00 over draft protection (for a fee of course). As for who stole it, could be anyone that you give it to that has a few seconds of privacy to copy the info. I feel bad for her, I am sure it was embarrassing having her card declined.

[d_day]

This got me thinking about the star codes. There are a lot of them out there that most people don't know about. Here is a list of the ones used by Verizon. My favorite has always been *67. Comes in handy at work.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by 5point0

But if someone called and said that a relative of mine got arrested...I would say FINALLY.........

Originally Posted by d_day

I am OUTRAGED! I come here expecting another elaborate joke and get this?

Oops...sorry Phil...

Originally Posted by Supercomp

Congrats on the baby - nothing better in the world than a bambino. It sure does go fast, enjoy every second!!!!!!

Thank you!!

Originally Posted by slyder

my wife just got her bank card number stolen!! She used it at noon to buy lunch with no problems. Then at 3pm she tried to get gas and it was declined. She went home and got on the computer and saw that somebody charged $1200 on her checking account!! How in the hell does that work when you only had $500 in there to begin with? She called the bank screaming and the immediately reversed the charges and canceled all her cards. So how did somebody get her card number and the 3 digit code on the back? Im guessing it was somebody at a bar or little convienience store.

That blows....but also why I NEVER have my debit card be my credit card....no thanks!

[mrreindeer]

Hey Phil...I tried *67 when I called 'Sy' from work...but it wouldn't work...I have to dial 9 to get an outside line....any trick there to get it to work?

[d_day]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

Hey Phil...I tried *67 when I called 'Sy' from work...but it wouldn't work...I have to dial 9 to get an outside line....any trick there to get it to work?

I never tried it on a system like that. I would think you dial 9, then *67, then the number. Strictly a guess.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by d_day

I never tried it on a system like that. I would think you dial 9, then *67, then the number. Strictly a guess.

Yeah, I figured that part out... ....but it didn't work multiple times...weird.

[2Curious]

The STAR codes for vertical services are different from carrier to carrier.

Example, Call Forward activation is *72 (*73 to turn off) for some people. But, it can also be 72# (73# to turn off) for others, such as my phone company (that I work for).

Also, anytime Call Forwarding is activated in almost all standard telephone carrier lines (not counting VOIP as they are non-standard)...there is always a "courtesy ring" that we lovingly refer to as the "idiot ring" LOL.
So everytime a call comes in and is forwarded, you will hear a single ring each time. This is a reminder to you that your phone is forwarded, just in case you forgot to unforward it, etc.
So, even if the scammer would have gotten anyone to fall for the trick, the single ring would eventually drive you crazy enough to find out what was causing it.

Dialing #s to get an outside line and using vertical feature codes may not work in all companies. It is dependant on what kind of phone system (setup) your company has. They may have dedicated service (T1s or Centrex) with their own phone system, etc. In this case the vertical services may or may not be all active or usable, like in a residential scenario.
Ask your IT person to be sure. If it's a small company/office with only a few lines, and no phone system, the vertical services are part of your phone bill/order. Call the phone company to find out what features are provisioned or not.


(JUST FOR FUN: here's a great feature to play with telemarketers or harrassing callers, if you already have it on your line, call your phone company to see if you have it or not. Feature is called "Selective Call Forwarding".
It allows you add number(s) to a list, and when calls come in from any # on that list, it only forwards those calls. All other callers do not get forwarded. This is a handy feature for family when you are out, to forward only mom or wife or son's calls to your cell, all others get vmail.
The BEST part is this. I had some crazy telemarking company keep calling my home, at all hours day/night regardless of file complaints, requests to remove from list, etc. So, before I simply blocked the #, I "Selective Call Forwarded" all calls from this telemarketer, to the Corporate Headquarters of their company. Eventually I even found the mobile # of the company owner and forwarded the calls to him. Needless to say, I got some mean messages, and it all stopped right quickly!)

Good luck, and take care everyone.