Common Scams Section

[CitroJim]

That's interesting. I don't have a paypal balance as such, unless I happen to sell something and the buyer pays by paypal against my listing instructions!

Ditto, exactly the same here...

[myglaren]

Have been remarkably free from scams.
Never have a PayPal balance as I never sell anything, too much like hard work.
Been remarkably free from problems other than mt (debit) card being cloned a few years ago - around twenty years IIRC. Bank picked up on it very quickly and blocked the card, issued a replacement and refunded the money.

[Gibbo2286]

I've been using Paypal for all my sales through Ebay without trouble, about seven hundred of them.

I use Barclaycard Visa for most other stuff, only had one problem with that and not with some dodgy online seller, with John Lewis in the store, bought a music CD player as a gift, when I got the statement I'd also been charged for a hundred quid item form Miss Selfridge. (My new frock ) it was quickly sorted.

I'd guess that some JL Christmas part timer had used the card to buy his woman a gift.

[GiveMeABreak]

We've just bought a new LG washer dryer, not cheap at £1k and the AO staff are working from home. When we went to pay for it the chap connected some gizmo to the phone and told us to tap the keyboard of the phone to enter the card number and also the security code. He told me it was a new measure as some customers are reluctant to provide their card details over the phone to individuals (couldn't agree more) when buying, and this system adds some further reassurance.

From what I can tell it is probably the Syntec system, which part masks the numbers of the card number during capture and all of the CV2, plus cuts audio in the middle of the card numbers (for those that speak out the numbers as they are tapping them in ) , and also cuts the DTMF tones and prevents this part from being recorded. So no need for call centres and companies to store sensitive credit card info. I hope more companies start using it - and moreover I hope that the credit card companies / banks start insisting on it for these type of payments.

[GiveMeABreak]

I've just found out that one of the 600 compromised sites over a three year period that was hacked and customer credit card details obtained was less4spares.co.uk, which I've singled out as it may be relevant to members here. Their site is currently under construction unsurprisingly given the circumstances.

Main article here with a link to the compromised sites here:

https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/570-s ... rt-attacks

Which includes a link to the list of online companies that were affected here:

https://geminiadvisory.io/wp-content/up ... ix-C-1.pdf

[doctle]

Like a lot of people I have 2 email address' one for general use and one I use for things like banking and paypal. This address is very seldom used yet I have started to get emails, allegedly from An Post, DPD, Fed Ex etc claiming my parcel is ready for delivery but the sender didn't pay postage.
The sites look like the real thing.
Thankfully Thunderbird mail tends to flag these emails as dodgy.
Interestingly the emails are sent to me by name rather than "Dear Member" or "dear goatherd @ scam.com" etc so obviously there has been a hack in a big company, bank etc or some big organisation is selling private data. The amounts are quite small usually less than a tenner although I did get a £28.45 parking violation from HM courts for a violation in Colchester, a place I have never been.
It's very annoying anyway.

[Gibbo2286]

They use small amounts because they tend to slip by unnoticed.

[GiveMeABreak]

It must be the Christmas Scam season.

Yesterday alone I had 6 calls on the Landline from Indians claiming to be names James, Sheila and the like from BT Open Reach, MIB Insurance and several Solicitors.
Then a further 5 calls on my mobile from similar places, people.

Now all blocked, but they must be going for a Christmas Bonus!

Watch out everyone and have your call blockers at the ready

[Gibbo2286]

I thought the Nigerian general's fortune scam had gone away but I got one this morning claiming to be from a poor deaf girl who needs help to get $48 million that her father had tucked away before his sudden death in France.

[myglaren]

Haven't had one of those in decades now.

[GiveMeABreak]

The most recent ones doing the circuit now:

BT Open Reach Scam: - Your internet will be cut off / Router problems
Amazon Prime Scam: Your Prime membership has been extended - press to cancel / or someone has bought an iPhone on your account....
Domestic Appliances Scam: Insurance / Warranty Renewal
Microsoft Tech Support Scam: Offering Refund of costs

[mickthemaverick]

I got an email I've not seen before but is obviously a scam. Deleted!!

SCreenshot

[bobins]

What makes you think it's a scam ?

[Gibbo2286]

The Nigerians.

[GiveMeABreak]

Not that old chestnut again!

That's been going round since the Dark Ages, maybe they think we've all forgotten them