Is this a scam?

[danbradster]

Or he pays with stolen money. Or he pays, then gets the car, then reverses the transaction since Paypal doesn't exactly work like a bank...

nunthewiser - he wants my pay pal email address so he can send me his money.

But we know he wants the pay pal email address so he can hack into it or something.

I'v heard of scams asking for us to make payments, but not asking us for them to pay us lol. its different now.

Im suprised that they are on carsales now, theyr all over the place!

 

[tigerboi]

i got an idea...dont buy stuff online.

i would only use your own bank service like pay anyone...my

 

[pixel]

The latest scam appears to originate from Telstra, or at least they're using Telstra's name.
Here is what happened to me on my mobile phone:

A call comes in from an unknown number: "This is Telstra. It is not a marketing call. We need to talk to Andrew Fraser. Please press ..."
I broke off the first call; ignored the second call because I was driving, which then left a voice recording on my message bank. Retrieving that message has then been charged to my account - GRRR!
But I didn't ring their 1800 number.

As I'm not Andrew Fraser and don't know anyone by that name in my immediate circle of friends, I took the third call this morning to try and stop the calls. I tapped through those menu options - no, he can't come to the phone; no, I don't want to tell him to call 1800...; no, don't send me an SMS - until a call centre operator introduced herself. If I didn't want Andrew Fraser to be cut off, please get him to the phone right now. So I told her I wasn't Andrew Fraser, didn't know an Andrew Fraser, and her database must be wrong: "Sorry, I can't help you. Please take this number off your list and stop calling me!"

"If you're not Andrew Fraser, who are you? What's your address and phone number?"
"I am not Andrew Fraser. You got the wrong number."
"Sorry, I need to know who you are to correct my database."

yeah, right, girl: Your computer called me and now you would like to know my details.

I repeated that my name and address was none of her business; this number isn't even with Telstra; so knock it off and stop calling. She again repeated her request. I hung up. So far, no further call ... yet.

PS: It occurred to me that the voice mail that had been left earlier had come on my second number. (My mobile has dual SIM, but neither with Telstra.) What's the chance that "Andrew Fraser" had two contact numbers that happen to match both my numbers???

If anyone has been receiving similar phishy calls, please add your experience to this thread.

 

[pixel]

The latest scam appears to originate from Telstra, or at least they're using Telstra's name.
Here is what happened to me on my mobile phone:

A call comes in from an unknown number: "This is Telstra. It is not a marketing call. We need to talk to Andrew Fraser. Please press ..."
I broke off the first call; ignored the second call because I was driving, which then left a voice recording on my message bank. Retrieving that message has then been charged to my account - GRRR!
But I didn't ring their 1800 number.

As I'm not Andrew Fraser and don't know anyone by that name in my immediate circle of friends, I took the third call this morning to try and stop the calls. I tapped through those menu options - no, he can't come to the phone; no, I don't want to tell him to call 1800...; no, don't send me an SMS - until a call centre operator introduced herself. If I didn't want Andrew Fraser to be cut off, please get him to the phone right now. So I told her I wasn't Andrew Fraser, didn't know an Andrew Fraser, and her database must be wrong: "Sorry, I can't help you. Please take this number off your list and stop calling me!"

"If you're not Andrew Fraser, who are you? What's your address and phone number?"
"I am not Andrew Fraser. You got the wrong number."
"Sorry, I need to know who you are to correct my database."

yeah, right, girl: Your computer called me and now you would like to know my details.

I repeated that my name and address was none of her business; this number isn't even with Telstra; so knock it off and stop calling. She again repeated her request. I hung up. So far, no further call ... yet.

PS: It occurred to me that the voice mail that had been left earlier had come on my second number. (My mobile has dual SIM, but neither with Telstra.) What's the chance that "Andrew Fraser" had two contact numbers that happen to match both my numbers???

If anyone has been receiving similar phishy calls, please add your experience to this thread.

They're still looking for Andrew Fraser.
I received two calls today again: one early morning, the second a few minutes ago. Both from an "unknown" number. Same shpiel "This is Telstra, this is not a marketing call..." and they need to speak to Andrew Fraser (inserted by a second female robot voice).

I hung up both times, didn't even "press one"

 

[SirRumpole]

They're still looking for Andrew Fraser.
I received two calls today again: one early morning, the second a few minutes ago. Both from an "unknown" number. Same shpiel "This is Telstra, this is not a marketing call..." and they need to speak to Andrew Fraser (inserted by a second female robot voice).

I hung up both times, didn't even "press one"

Why don't you say you are Andrew Fraser and see what they want ?

 

[Gringotts Bank]

Why don't you say you are Andrew Fraser and see what they want ?

lol, yes that's what I'd do. Play them at their own stupid game, and win. Be so annoying they will want to take you off their list.

"Hi it's Andrew again. It's soooo good to have someone to talk to, you've got no idea. You'll never guess what I had for lunch...". Chew their ear off. If they try to edge in with a question like "are you a guy who could do with extra cash?" you go straight back to your story as if nothing happened.

Have fun with it!

 

[Tom32]

Website devoted to tricking scammers (there are several)

http://www.419eater.com

The real victims of these scams are the likes of Telstra. My folks genuinely believe Telstra gave their details out to the Indian call centres because the people said they were from Telstra. I tried to explain we get these calls which they saw as further evidence...

That said Telstra itself will ring and offer new deals. The difference is the real deal is never too good to be true.

 

[Tisme]

I feel so included now. I had missed call/message from a bloke with a strong Indian accent telling me I better call him back regarding my apparent tax evasion and fraud.

02 88804460

"to avoid consequences of tax evasion and tax fraud"

Gee what should I do..... I've already run around frantically with my underpants on my head.

02 88804460

 

[pixel]

I feel so included now. I had missed call/message from a bloke with a strong Indian accent telling me I better call him back regarding my apparent tax evasion and fraud.

02 88804460

"to avoid consequences of tax evasion and tax fraud"

Gee what should I do..... I've already run around frantically with my underpants on my head.

02 88804460

gee, you're a bad boy
Just wait till some web-savvy scammers get hold of your Census data and grill you about the "details that don't match up". Could facilitate a whole new "business model" and boilerroom script with questions about your account details, drivers license, etc.

 

[pixel]

Received a cold call last night. Caller number displayed as 02-followed by 7 (seven!) digits.
Pleasant voice - Pakistani or Indian accent - introduced himself, calling from AAC Insurance. Did I have a car accident the last two years? The counter party had admitted liability, but only given him my phone number.

I asked when and where that accident was supposed to have been?

He didn't know, would need to ask his supervisor. On came another voice, asking the same question, but now it was in the last 3 years, somewhere in WA. And it wasn't my fault.

Again I played dumb and confused, didn't know what it was about?
Answer: They wanted to settle my compensation for the damage and needed my bank account.

Yeah, right. I asked why didn't they settle with my insurance company?

Line went "toot - toot - toot"

 

[Habakkuk]

Can somebody "please explain".

How is a bank account number going to help a scam artist here or in Nigeria or anywhere else?

In this thread and elsewhere there are these little stories of people saying look how clever I was, not gonna fall for this, etc.
I'm not having a go at you, pixel or anyone else. Sorry if it comes across like that. I've always been puzzled. How can they extract money with just a bank account number?

I have my bank account number published in my eBay adverts and so do thousands of sellers. I could publish it right here, but I won't. What would it prove anyway?

When you have explained that, here is the next question: IF I was gullible enough to also hand out my login access code/password ( a real big no-no, of course ), how would you extract money with that? How do you get your hands on the actual money in my account? I understand that you could look at the balance. You could pay some of your bills with Bpay. That would be a nuisance, but traceable by the bank if they want to.
To use the 'Pay Anyone' function, you will need the answer to a 'secret' question. There is no way of guessing that.

I'm hoping that somebody can explain this to me.

If all you can say is that the account # would only be the first step, next they will ask for the password, yes, of course, at some point they will have enough information to do some damage. But is that really it? They're collecting information bit by bit with phone calls?

Again, I'm not having a go at people; it's just that I can't understand how an account number by itself needs to be protected.

 

[pixel]

Can somebody "please explain".

How is a bank account number going to help a scam artist here or in Nigeria or anywhere else?

In this thread and elsewhere there are these little stories of people saying look how clever I was, not gonna fall for this, etc.
I'm not having a go at you, pixel or anyone else. Sorry if it comes across like that. I've always been puzzled. How can they extract money with just a bank account number?

I have my bank account number published in my eBay adverts and so do thousands of sellers. I could publish it right here, but I won't. What would it prove anyway?

When you have explained that, here is the next question: IF I was gullible enough to also hand out my login access code/password ( a real big no-no, of course ), how would you extract money with that? How do you get your hands on the actual money in my account? I understand that you could look at the balance. You could pay some of your bills with Bpay. That would be a nuisance, but traceable by the bank if they want to.
To use the 'Pay Anyone' function, you will need the answer to a 'secret' question. There is no way of guessing that.

I'm hoping that somebody can explain this to me.

If all you can say is that the account # would only be the first step, next they will ask for the password, yes, of course, at some point they will have enough information to do some damage. But is that really it? They're collecting information bit by bit with phone calls?

Again, I'm not having a go at people; it's just that I can't understand how an account number by itself needs to be protected.

Good question, Habakuk.
And no, I don't take it as criticism. And by trying to report an experience in a more flippant, lighthearted tone, I don't intend to appear "clever", but express my contempt for the criminal perpetrators of such scams.

Regarding the question what can they do with your account number:
Have you ever given a biller the authority to auto-debit your account? If so, what did you have to provide, and to whom?
In case you have not: Quoting your name, address, and account number to the biller is enough. They present it to your bank and withdraw any amount they think you owe them.

Also: Have you ever had to provide proof of identity? Not every institution is as meticulous as our Banks and requires photo-id. Often, it's sufficient to show a letter addressed to you, plus a verifiable account. And if the Bank doesn't reply quickly enough, the scammers can verify the info easily enough by transferring as little as one cent into the account. Identity Theft for Dummies.

 

[Habakkuk]

You're right about direct debit, that's all it takes. I'm not sure how responsible the bank is to check out the billers. In my case it's just the real estate agent and the utility companies.
I hadn't thought of that.
Anyway, I can't imagine that those scammers would be prepared to totally waste their time if it was as difficult to get their hands on the money as I believed.
Thanks, pixel.

BTW, today's balance of my account that's shown on eBay is $2.50. I've just looked it up. I keep it under $20 most of the time.
Almost everybody uses PayPal with eBay.

 

[qldfrog]

received 2 emails in the last 24 hours using my Linked in title/details and sending me(aka my company) an invoice for $2000+ supposely from another australian company (whose details changes and are probably true) and a word attachment (I did not even open) with the details of the bank transfer I should do ASAP as i am 4 days behind

2k is probably overambitious as 200$ would net many more IMHO but, be aware especially if you do not handle your own accounting.

 

[Craton]

received 2 emails in the last 24 hours using my Linked in title/details and sending me(aka my company) an invoice for $2000+ supposely from another australian company (whose details changes and are probably true) and a word attachment (I did not even open) with the details of the bank transfer I should do ASAP as i am 4 days behind

2k is probably overambitious as 200$ would net many more IMHO but, be aware especially if you do not handle your own accounting.

These types of emails, stating we are late or behind on our supposed payment, are just another ploy or tactic at social engineering preying on our wish to stay credit worthy!

At first glance this may "look" like a word doc but it is not.

It is a nasty that will install itself unbeknown to the user and can and will do any number of malicious things, including downloading more nasties including key loggers and again, all unbeknown to you the user.

I get these type of emails with said invoice/quote/whatever attached and all "look" kosher. Always check the senders email addy and hover over any link in the email to ascertain the authenticity of the email. If it doesn't look or feel right, delete post haste!

@Habakuk. As I'm a little tech savvy, after giving away a false bank acc. # to see where this lead, I've had these grubs trying to elicit the access password or PIN. Oh the fun I had on those occasions.

 

[qldfrog]

These types of emails, stating we are late or behind on our supposed payment, are just another ploy or tactic at social engineering preying on our wish to stay credit worthy!

At first glance this may "look" like a word doc but it is not.

It is a nasty that will install itself unbeknown to the user and can and will do any number of malicious things, including downloading more nasties including key loggers and again, all unbeknown to you the user.

I get these type of emails with said invoice/quote/whatever attached and all "look" kosher. Always check the senders email addy and hover over any link in the email to ascertain the authenticity of the email. If it doesn't look or feel right, delete post haste!

@Habakuk. As I'm a little tech savvy, after giving away a false bank acc. # to see where this lead, I've had these grubs trying to elicit the access password or PIN. Oh the fun I had on those occasions.

Thanks, do not worry, I am in IT and manage my own accounting so not an easy target but I would bet they are successfull, and would be even more if asking 200$ instead.
The other ones are from company telling you your website will be deregistered from...their SEO program (in fine print) so urgently send xxx $;
The sad bit here is that except for the print size it is nearly OK; pretend to try to sell you a service but play on the presentation to confuse and get you to understand a different meaning: even more twisted...

 

[Craton]

Thanks, do not worry, I am in IT and manage my own accounting so not an easy target but I would bet they are successfull, and would be even more if asking 200$ instead.
The other ones are from company telling you your website will be deregistered from...their SEO program (in fine print) so urgently send xxx $;
The sad bit here is that except for the print size it is nearly OK; pretend to try to sell you a service but play on the presentation to confuse and get you to understand a different meaning: even more twisted...

Yep, I'm hearing ya. I guess by making it a couple of grand it pushes all the right panic buttons whereas a couple o'hundred...meh.

By any means necessary aptly applies to these grubs, and I'm not referring to their modus operandi either, oh to have some quality time in a deep, dark and dingy dungeon with these creeps... :whip

 

[Tisme]

Whale oil beef hooked! The Pakistani voice on the end of the phone flagged on the net as being a scam number was actually acting on behalf of the Taxation Dept.

A nasty cheap piece of paper, set out like a primary schooler designed it, arrived in the mail demanding payment for fines accrued on a company I lead dating back to the early 2000's. Of course it could not be real because it had a collection agency's name on it, but IT IS!!!!

The govt has outsourced it's policing and fining to three or so companies. We double checked with the ATO direct.

It seems that correspondence advices given back then aren't necessarily binding when it comes to agencies grubbing for money. It also seems non compliance by the govt in failing to send out notices, determinations, paperwork, etc is also the fault of the victim. We are supposed to request things without knowing that a request is required .... go figure.

 

[pixel]

Received an SMS "You have received an alert from ...westpac mobi"
reply to 048107****

As a Westpac customer, I know they wouldn't do such a thing. (They don't even know the number it arrived at,) So I treated it as a scam and deleted it unanswered - after forwarding it to Westpac's SPAM alert.

PS: I just checked the website pfovided in the alert: It looks genuine Westpac. Alerts visitors to log in with Westpac access codes to avoid having their account locked.
No, thanks.

 

[DB008]

This is a good one to watch....

Tracking Too-Good-To-Be-True 'Free Vacation' Mail Offer

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