Phone and Online Scammers Are The Worst

Scammers are so heartless and deserve everything Karma sends them

Have you been getting those scammers calling you about an Amazon order that you supposedly made that is for an iPhone costing over $1,200+ or something similar? I actually just did yesterday and thankfully I’ve been aware of these garbage people and their tactics because I’ve been online long enough to be able to spot them and learn about them, plus I have a wee bit of common sense to know better.

But even with all the knowledge I have, sometimes they can come close to getting me because they are always trying new tactics. Thankfully I usually clue into their scam before it gets too far and costs me. That’s why it’s crucial to protect yourself because no matter how smart and savvy you think you are, there is always that chance you may get duped into something you’ll regret and lose money over.

There are many ways to protect yourself from identity theft, and hacking through services like Nord VPN, PCMag has chosen NordVPN as one of the best tech products of 2022. I’m sure you’ve seen their ads all over the web by now. But that’s because it’s something everyone who has a device connected to the internet should have because it keeps those bad people from snooping around on your private information. Protect yourself from those idiot scammers and go check out Nord VPN and come back here when you’re done because I’m not finished with this rant just yet.

My experience with scammers so far

The first real scam that almost got me was the one back in May this year (2022). It was a YouTube Scam where they offered me a sum of money to do a YouTube video post for them. They claimed that they were Pierre Cardin and tried to get me to download some malicious software claiming it was video and graphic material they wanted me to use in the video. They provided a DropBox link to the files. When I saw the file extensions, I was like, “Yeahhh, riiiiiight!” And then Reported them to Google Drive.

Then there are Facebook scams. I know right, Facebook ads. *groans*
I don’t know why any advertiser would even want to advertise on Facebook now because all the ads on there are pretty much all Scams now. I fell for the Drone ad. Yes, Even I can get bamboozled. I posted about that experience back in August 2022. I just thought it was a cheap drone and wasn’t expecting something high-quality, but I at least expected something. They just took my money and I never received anything. That was just plain embarrassing to have been scammed like that.

Then we have the NFT scam that scammers tried to pull on me by offering a bunch of money to write a blog post review on their service. As soon as I read the terms they wanted me to follow about connecting my Crypto Wallet to their website, all the red flags went up. I played along so I could see how they planned on going through with their scam so I could post about it and then report it so nobody else would fall victim.

Then we have those F’n Robo Calls! I’m sure anyone reading this has had a bunch of them call them in their life already. I can tell right away when I answer the phone and there’s that long pause after I answer and say, “Hello?” Then it’s usually followed by a robot voice either offering me something that I can’t refuse, or I have been charged for something from Amazon, and the CRA Scam calls, and so on. These scammers are nothing if not creative.

This is going to sound Racist no matter how I say it, so put your cancel button-clicking finger aside because I’m going to say this anyway and I am not racist. Not going to say, “But” either. So here goes. Whenever I get a call and the person on the other end has an Indian accent, I immediately think it’s a scam. I do not trust anyone on the other end of a phone call with an Indian Accent. That’s because almost all the scammers that call you are from India. I didn’t create this stereotype, They did it to themselves!

I don’t get why companies like Rogers and Bell outsource their call centers to India these days with the influx of scams coming out of India. I literally hang up as soon as I hear the accent now. I know that not all of them are scammers, but when you are constantly being harassed by scammers who happen to have Indian accents, you develop a Stigma about them.

The only way that stereotype will ever go away is if they stop scamming altogether, but that will never happen when people still fall for their bullshit and don’t protect themselves.

How do they get my phone number?

Whenever you add your phone number to places like Facebook and other social media sites, you are giving them your info and are allowing them to sell you info, most of the time. Other times these sites get compromised and your info gets leaked. But the easiest way for scammers to get your phone number is by using free services that require a phone number to access them.

I know of one that has people input your phone number in order to send a prank call to you. Or have a recorded celebrity voice that says your name in a call to you, and there’s also the Santa Clause one that calls you with a recorded script with your name inserted into it. All these free services are actually harvesting phone numbers to sell to scammers. Just don’t use them.

A few years ago somebody thought it would be funny to give my cell number to a prank call website that would call me using my name and prank me. Well after that call, I was inundated with robocalls and scam calls on a daily basis. I had to change my phone number because I was on a Pre-paid account and the scammers were eating up all my airtime costing ME out of pocket money.

Stop those Robo Calls

Robocalls can find pretty much anyone these days. You don’t even need to have a phone for very long before you start receiving them. These scammers can be relentless and it drives us all crazy, right? If you are tired of getting scammers and Robocalls you can actually put a stop to them.

Life can be spam-call free! Using RoboKiller’s patented audio fingerprinting technology, machine learning, and global database of 1.4 billion analyzed calls, RoboKiller instantly protects you from known phone scams and annoying, unwanted calls. You never have to miss a legitimate phone call again. Start blocking Robocalls today!

Great YouTube channels to follow

If you know someone who you think is at risk to scammers, you should show them these links and videos of creators who catch and disrupt scammers so they can’t scam potential victims. They show you exactly how these scammers work and show you their tactics. Once you watch a few of these videos you’ll learn how to detect if a website or phone call is a scam or not.

Here is a list of my top 3 YouTubers (in no particular order) who really screw up the scam centers that are stealing millions from unsuspecting victims. Unfortunately, they cannot catch them all, but the work they do helps even if it’s a few people. Also, most of these garbage people scam older people and take their pensions and life savings, so what these YouTubers do is awesome work and we can use a lot more of them to wage this war on scammers to the point of destroying them all.

Scammer Payback

Scammers are ruthless, and that is why I am here. My channel is all about bringing awareness to this critical problem with humor and fun. We will learn a lot of things along the way and if I help one person through this, it will be worth it.
via: https://www.youtube.com/@ScammerPayback

Jim Browning

Tracking and identifying scammers who knock on my front door, call me or shove popups onto my computer screen.
VIA: https://www.youtube.com/@JimBrowning

Scambaiter

Scambaiter, scambaiting videos where we destroy scammers’ operations after hacking/ratting the scammer their computer. Memz, nanocores, and anything will be used to destroy them. Inspired by people like Jim Browning, Scammer Payback, and ScammerRevolts. Together as the scambaiting community, we can make a difference.
VIA: https://www.youtube.com/@Scambaiter

I recommend that you subscribe to these YouTubers. The work they do is heroic. It’s also very entertaining to watch them ruin these scumbags’ day. I really look forward to their latest videos busting these pieces of shit. The more people like these YouTubers we have in the world the better. The fact that law enforcement is in the pocket of these scam operations is pathetic, so having these warriors do the work that they do is all we can get at this time.

Until the government in India cracks down on these garbage people’s operations they will just keep popping up one after another. If we start educating ourselves on how they operate, and how to detect them, then we might stand a chance. It has to get to the point that making it harder and harder for these scumbags to keep in operation that won’t be worth the effort if their law enforcement and the government doesn’t step it up.

I hope you have found this post helpful and the links provided to help protect yourself from these festering piles of garbage help make your life easier and scammer free.