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Recently I got a request to add a person on LinkedIn (remind me: why do I have LinkedIn again?). It is Michael Donnelly Foundation. Who's that? Guess it must be the grinning guy in the profile photo, the one where he's holding a giant payout cheque from a lottery. Nice! Lucky for him for him to have lots of money. Why would he want to contact me? Hey, do you think you think this is one of those.... ....cons and scams - we've all heard about them - have even experienced them second or first hand. In this thread we talk about common scans, cons, stings and various tricks used to gain money, property and advantage. We're working on the basis that posters itt are not actually planning or participating in these activities. In this thread we can: * Explain what common cons are and how they work. * Ask for advice when we think we (or someone we know) are leaving ourselves open to a con. (On the basis that this what is posted itt isn't in any sense legal or expert advice on the subject. Always consult experts, organisations, charities, legal authorities or the police if you are victims of a crime. If you are being scammed by anonymous internet people don't ask equally anonymous bunch of internet people to help you out.) * Tell us about the psychological factors that scammers prey on. * Tell us your experiences of scams. * Share press/internet stories of scams. * Provide simple principles which will help us to avoid being victims of con artists. So, for example I guess this Michael Donnelly is a real lottery winner and hence his story and photo is all across the press in whichever country he lives in. Presumably the scammers set up a fake account and LI/FB profiles and either offer money or wait for people to request money. Then I guess bank details get exchanged and...something?  Is it the Nigerian prince routine but using real public figures? What's the deal? I had it about 6 months before, with another lottery winner + "Charity" after the name, so I presume it's an established scam which targets mass numbers of targets at random.
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Feb 21, 2016 16:56
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Der Luftwaffle posted:My favourite has always been the guys selling X out of the back of their truck, usually AV equipment. Offering ludicrous deals on garbage in expensive boxes with the veil of dubious legality that used to draw people in like flies. I had that years ago (though I didn't fall for it). I guess the principle there is that scammers are selling rejects/display replicas/faulty material to people in a situation where they cannot test the item (on the street). The incentive is that buyers think that they are getting an expensive item for a discount price. Please don't doxx my girlfriend. She's 100% genuine.
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Feb 22, 2016 09:33
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Anyone have an experience of the petition scam? Here's mine: In Belgium I was approached by a gypsy girl who asked for my signature on a petition (something do with forcing EU to provide education for gypsies - which it already does). I was thinking of signing then decided not to. She got abusive and aggressive and I just walked away. Later I learnt what the scam was. The person signs the petition then the scammer flips over the page to show a sheet on the clipboard which asks (in several languages) for a €10 donation to the cause (whatever it is). The signer feels either obligated or pressured to hand over a "donation". Of course the petition is not real (not an actual cause and is never submitted) and the cash is pocketed. This is kind of a cruel one because it doesn't prey on a victim's greed but on their desire to support a worthy cause.
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Feb 27, 2016 10:31
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Kopijeger posted:gone after foreign tourists specifically Yes, I got the impression that this group were targetting tourists because they might be less used to seeing/ignoring the scam, plus being ignorant of the subject. Sad eyes, social injustice, sign here, please etc. Someone pulled the ring scam on me in Paris and it worked because I had never heard of it or encountered it. Hopefully this thread will clue up a few people in advance.
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Feb 27, 2016 13:29
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artsy fartsy posted:I saw this one in Paris a couple years ago! I forget what the petition was supposed to be for but I signed and yeah, she flipped the clipboard over and asked for money. Actually, I almost added that this scam is common in Paris.  There are organised gangs which work the Eiffel Tower, the Seine Bridges and the Louvre. The Louvre was actually closed for a day or two because the police couldn't handle the number of thieves, scammers, pedlars and beggars working the courtyard. The metro is (or was) rife with pickpockets and "steaming" gangs.
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Feb 28, 2016 01:07
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^^ man, that's a lot of work for e10. But I guess he sometimes hits e150. Guess you only need one good day per week to turn a profit.
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Mar 22, 2016 14:01
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grack posted:Walking out of a dollar store today, some guy pulls up in a minivan and asks me if I want to buy a flat screen TV. I hope you said "Yes please!"
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Apr 2, 2016 21:03
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Please no more chat about in/authenticity of begging by homeless people. There are multiple reasons for homelessness and there are scammers and con artists in every level of society. Talking about forms and tactics of scams is interesting and amusing; beating each other over the head with our moral righteousness is not. In short, if you want to debate homelessness, housing policy or whatever, please start a new thread.
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Apr 8, 2016 09:59
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Posting fresh from Central Park, NYC and I am pleased to tell goons that the cool-black-kid-giving-away-free-CDs scam is still alive and operating in the year of Our Lord 2016.
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Apr 28, 2016 22:23
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Dr. Platypus posted:I didn't know anyone thought it went away, I pass kids doing this every day on the way to work in Chicago I assumed it had gone away because I never encountered it in Europe (where I live) and I thought the scam had passed before I encountered it. Maybe it is just a American spin on that scam. Has anyone encountered it outside the US?
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Apr 29, 2016 00:04
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photomikey posted:This is a scam? I thought it was people trying to promote their own music. What do they do when you take the CD? I am not interested in lovely music, so I've never taken one, but I've seen people take them with no bad juju. Someone in this thread said the CDs are sometimes blank or have malware on them.
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Apr 29, 2016 11:01
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cumshitter posted:I clench my fists whenever I walk by them now because simply letting your arms hang isn't enough. I've had those guys bend down and try to shove the CD in my hand like they were expecting me to reflexively grip it or something. I know what you mean. I put hands in pockets because if they press something on to you and it falls then it's "Yeah, man, that CD's damaged now." Antifreeze Head posted:I've had a few people accuse me of being racist because I won't buy their CD. Yeah, the guy said as I was walking away "Hey, I'm one of those good black men". Which was a sharp dig. And of course he wasn't (not strictly even a petty criminal but a huckster). I bit my tongue and walked away with a smile because getting into a dispute would a) have made me look like a prick and b) solved nothing and won over no one. 
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Apr 29, 2016 18:30
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As with the discussion of the moral standing and social status of homeless people, could we please not go down this road? Gypsy/Roma/Sinti/Traveller discussion is the fastest known route to a thread becoming a shitfest and getting gassed. If you have views on the subject (or want to ask questions) then perhaps start an A/T or D&D thread on the subject?
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Apr 30, 2016 17:27
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MayakovskyMarmite posted:Everyone interested in this should watch the 1972 documentary Marjoe. It is a fascinating movie about a former child evangelist who drops out of the faith/scam. He then goes back with a camera crew to expose the grift. Has some insanely great gospel music along with superb under cover cinematography. It is also a great time capsule of 1972. Pro-click indeed!
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May 7, 2016 16:03
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The bracelet scam, like all the other push-something-in-your-hand scams, is essentially "hey I gave you something for free because I am welcoming but I am poor, hungry and homeless and won't you help?" The pressure of reciprocation, embarrassment and ignorance of local culture (plus a fear/aversion to getting involved with local local enforcement who couldn't give a drat) all combines. Plus if there is a gang of scammers there is always the fear of getting outright robbed. Paying E10 seems like an easy/quick way out of an embarrassing and intimidating situation. Personally, if they are polite I just wave them away with a smile. If they are pushy I get in their face and tell them to get lost. Never touch anything that is offered in that way and just walk away.
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Jun 14, 2016 17:56
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I heard about the Shinola brand revival on NPR a while back. Recognisable brand but hell, who chooses a brand name that in a word association test that produces the response "poo poo" 100% of time?
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Jun 30, 2016 21:53
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JohnGalt posted:Cat litter. It was cat litter. The entire environmental consulting/cleanup industry is scummy with pricing things super expensive and ripping off their employees. Wouldn't surprise me. When I did building work a guy I worked with said "A nut and bolt and sell for $1 as a building item, repackaged as a car part it sells for $2, repackaged as a boat part it sells for $3."
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Jul 19, 2016 11:12
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Peztopiary posted:I was in NYC near Penn Station and had a guy dressed as a monk (saffron robe, shaved head) slip a Buddha card with a bit of gold on it into my hand. I looked puzzled as hell, and he whips out a book with people's names and money written next to them jabs at it a couple of times. I tried to ask him what it was, and he feigned having no English. He actually handed me the book and a pencil so I wrote my name and 25 cents and gave him a quarter. He jabbed the $20 dollars other people had written down, but since he was pretending not to understand English I pretended not to understand his (probably fake, in retrospect) Chinese. I mean, he still got a quarter out of me. I never realised that was a scam. There were dozens of them last time I was in NYC - all Chinese. You walk the High Line and you pass about 10. I thought they were out for converts. From what I know about Buddhism this definitely sounds like a scam and not genuine practice. ninjahedgehog posted:I just remembered something that happened in Paris when I was there as a teenager. My family and I were waiting at a pretty empty Metro station, with just one other dude sitting on the bench a few yards away. A third dude with a scraggly beard was talking to him for a bit and then dropped an absurd amount of change on the ground right in front of him. A few minutes later, the bearded guy came up to my dad and mumbled something in English that included "Please take my money" and did the same thing, dropping a bunch of coins in front of him. My mom took me and my sister to sit somewhere else while my dad talked with the bearded guy (presumably telling him to gently caress off), so I'm not sure what happened next before the train arrived. I've never heard of this before. I'd be curious to know if anyone else encountered it. One day I was walking through Newcastle (U.K.) and a couple were having a row about money. Just as I was passing the guy throws about £200 ($300) in small notes at me and says "Here you go mate, you might as well have it." I decided the guy wasn't really serious and decided to walk on. I don't think it was a scam, just a couple arguing. When I walked back 15min later the couple and the cash had gone. I did find about £120 in £20 notes on the pavement in London. No wallet. I guess it fell out of a cycling dealers pocket. (In the UK a lot of drug dealers are kids who cycle.) I gave £40 to the street sweeper nearby. He almost got the money but I just saw it ahead of him. I guess he needed the money more than i did but hey. I'm no saint, so I kept £80 for myself.
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Aug 31, 2016 22:13
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MightyJoe36 posted:I was not in the know. I did have my mind blown. Seconded.
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Sep 1, 2016 12:55
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Cool. Thanks for that. Looks like they are organised - at least in districts.
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Sep 1, 2016 19:03
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I know this isn't really the thread for it but can anyone remind me what the logic is behind that campaign "You don't own your legal name"? I saw some posters here in the UK and I remember a few months ago someone explaining it was sovereign citizen poo poo. Remind me pls?
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Sep 5, 2016 22:55
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Thanks for those replies. So what is the economic incentive to pay for posters? I know most of the sovcit stuff is scam/paranoia/libertarian/magical thinking so what's the payoff for putting up enigmatic posters?
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Sep 6, 2016 12:26
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Captain Monkey posted:I knew your mother could identify brands by taste, but I didn't know she taught you too. Nicely played, sir.
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Sep 24, 2016 22:56
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Here's one for Britgoons: I see around on the street (and have seen on trains) some ex-meth addicts collecting for charities to help addicts. They have the tabards (those day-glo tunics - is that what they are called?) and ID cards. I feel conflicted. If they are genuine I don't mind giving a £1 or 2. If they aren't then I wouldn't give. The thing is if you engage in conversation and check the ID you have pretty much committed to donating. Also, how am I supposed to check the ID? Write the name and number and check it by i-net later? The men themselves seem straight while collecting but are clearly ex-addicts (often they tell you this). The charities are all for recovery and rehabilitation of addicts - pretty worthy - but I don't want my money actually going towards drugs. Suggestions/responses? Do you get this in the US?
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Oct 26, 2016 12:44
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I checked the website on the guy's tabard and couldn't find it but maybe I misremembered it. I'll update you. Here is another for Britgoons (but might apply elsewhere). Just had an email from "HM Revenue & Customs" headed "Council Tax Refund". Basically: "Dear email address You are entitled to £219.67 refund on your council taxes. Click here [link to fdhgsdhgasuyieyiue.com website] to fill in your claim form." Red flags are: a) If you know my name from my tax records, why are you calling me dfghjkdfghjk.gmail? b) Why is your link not to a website ending "gov.uk"? c) Why, if I pay my council tax to my local council, is central government offering to refund me the money? Answer: big fat scam, maybe?
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Oct 29, 2016 12:19
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B-b-but why didn't tell that before I gave them my bank details???? No, I figured it was a scam but it took me about 20 seconds to figure it out. Usually I can do it in less than 5. It would be mildly plausible to some people as "HM Revenue & Customs" is an official name - shame the sender address is actually "manageacc@dgdgdgdwhateverfhfhfhf.edu" though. Points deducted for that. Most householders in the UK pay some form of council (local) tax and while refunds are uncommon they are not implausible. But there are obvious red flags which show it is fake. I wouldn't be surprised if a reasonable number of people fell for it though. And not greedy, want-earn-money-for-nothing types, just ordinary taxpayers.
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Oct 29, 2016 14:09
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I guess another aspect of pushing the Christian angle is that you are playing on the mark's sense of being a Christian and having a generous benign outlook on life. If you've established a connection where scammer and mark are both Christian, the mark looks suspicious and cynical if he questions the honesty of the scammer. I think the Nigerian Christian angle is less cynical calculation, more cultural. I think that Christianity is so embedded in life there that it is a natural part of social/business interactions so it would naturally come up. I think that the ethical and legal (Sharia etc) dimension is probably an important consideration when you do serious business deals, so knowing that your partner has a similar frame of reference to you is probably normal for life in Nigeria.
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Jan 31, 2017 10:40
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DizzyBum posted:just get lucky with guessing things like lastname-firstinitial@gmail.com Please do not doxx me. Yours sincerely Lastname Firstinitial BTW any of you guys getting the old your-email-account-has-been-suspended emails? You get an email addressing you as myname@yahoo.com and the notification that your account has been suspended (due to suspicious activity) and click on this definitely legit link to reactivate your account. Phishing I presume?
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Mar 31, 2017 00:30
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Cyrano4747 posted:Did an elderly person live at your house? There was a recent case of a 90+ y.o. British woman who was so bombarded by phonecalls and mail from legit charities that she gave over all her savings and all her time to the charities. (She volunteered time working for charities, raising money for them.) Financially ruined and guilted-out, she committed suicide. Made a news splash in the UK. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-letters.html
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Mar 31, 2017 00:35
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impulse 7 effect posted:Unfortunately, giving anything to street collection workers is just not worth it. Multi-part scam that's been covered before but a direct experience, so: Yeah, you read my previous post on this. As far as I know it is gypsy girls or young women from the Balkans, usually reasonably dressed and not odd looking. They work in gangs all over tourist destinations in Europe. I've seen them in Brussels and Paris. Weird thing is that I've never heard of/seen locals doing this scam.
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Apr 16, 2017 09:46
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Midjack posted:a couple of Lord of the Rings scammers. A dark lord offered them rings of power but they didn't read the small print in the contract and ended up losing their souls for eternity? Or were they complaining because they didn't get that?
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May 15, 2017 09:25
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How do I post a negative review of Yelp?
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May 23, 2017 22:30
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