I am a pretty savvy guy, tech-wise, for a 60-year-old. I see these "phishing" scams every single day. They come via email, via text, via phone. They are getting more and more sophisticated and frequently cause me to pause and consider whether they are legit: so I fear that one day I will fall for one of them. More importantly I wonder how the less aware masses can possibly avoid getting scammed. It's a problem.
The latest scam trend is the AI-generated voice. If you have a loved ones who post regularly on the TikTok or the Insta, their voice can be modeled and replicated by voice filter, so that somebody calling can sound like, say, your daughter who's been in an accident and totaled the car and needs you to wire money asap. So these days you need an agreed-upon safe word or a security question to ask to make sure the person is actually the person. Frightening.
The phishing scams are the main reason I use alias forwarding email addresses when I sign up for anything. When I get that email from Geek Squad, I can instantly see if it was addressed to the same email address I would've given to Geek Squad. If it's instead addressed to the email I used to subscribe to The Gene pool, then I know it's a scam.
A recent thread in the Language Snobs Я Us FB group asked, if you were taken hostage, what message you would send to signal that you were writing under duress. One of the suggestions was, "I'm alright."
I don't worry a lot about AI voices, as my children are not on social media AT ALL, much less vocally. We haven't established a safe word, but I think I could reference events only we would know about in a way that would let me know whether the call was genuine or not.
I used to get calls from "Windows." Now, I used to build my own computers in the good/bad old days, so I knew it was a scam immediately. But I used to like to screw with them. My windows are all closed, I'd say. Can you open them? No, I'd say, we'd get awfully cold and ever since Aunt Emma wrenched her shoulder trying to open the one in the kitchen we've left it closed. CLICK.
ANNOYING LAWYER ALERT [acknowledges redundancy]: I have several clients whose family members/loved ones were made prey to scams as they aged and dementia started. It is so tragic, and no telling how much money they lost before it was caught. Just want to take the time, as Debbie. Downer can only do, and ask that everyone keep checking in on your family and friends, maybe get a list of their passwords and even a power of attorney from them. We all hesitate to interfere, but getting into a little dust up with someone is better than the alternative. Do it in a buddy system so you both cover each other. And of course send me a list of all those passwords as a backup. [Do NOT do this last thing.]
We all vary in terms of gullibility, but the folks who responded “zero” are likely overconfident. Virtually every precaution can (under the “right” circumstances) be tricked. Sometimes your involvement isn’t even necessary, for example when a time-consuming bit of identity theft is perpetrated.
I would venture that the people who responded “zero” are the most likely to get scammed. Contrary to what most folks think, con men don’t look for stupid people per se, they look for people who think they’re smarter than they are. These peoples self confidence could well be their downfall.
Meh. I am one of those who replied 0. First of all, over 20 years ago I switched to Mac and I detest windows and Microsoft. I have avoided any scams so far. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
As somebody who casually follows security patch announcements, and who uses a mac for work, I concur. The difference is like riding a motorcycle with a helmet, or without.
I almost fell for the “Geek Squad” scam too. I was on the phone with the rep when I saw a post on NextDoor about it, among the “what’s this critter” and “why are there cops at that strip mall” posts.
I have the opposite problem. If I have even a scintilla of doubt, I deem it a scam. This can cause more damage than an actual scam, such as when it’s from your mortgage company saying there’s a problem with your payment…
I've had messages like those. When I receive them, I go to my files, look up the contact information on the bills (Yes, I still get hard copy bills. I insist on getting hard copy bills.) and use that contact information to contact the creditor to identify and resolve the issue.
I almost didn’t get a brand new saxophone I’d won in a drawing for my kid because of this. It was only after some back and forth with the prize distributor, checking around, and a faint memory of having actually submitted an entry into the contest in question, that I agreed to sign the necessary tax forms. Then nervousness until the instrument arrived.
Yeah, I apparently have $27M sitting in a bank with which I have never had a relationship thanks to someone who keeps addressing me as "Dear One," and which I can access once I fix a non-existent malware problem with my computer by calling a number I was requested to by a relative I don't have who is in police custody. Trump U. obviously became an offshore franchise after it was shut down here. All hail to the "pro" scambaiters, having entertainingly been an amateur one on and off for years.
Nothing whatsoever to so with the subject at hand, but then I'm a fondling member so I get to do what I want...or Gene's water gets cut off. Anyway, I am gratified that a number of the big movie chains --- not just what used to be called "art cinemas" --- are showing more and more classic films. This is not out of a love for the cinema, you understand; it's far more to do with practical reasons, like some 30% fewer films being distributed now compared to just five years ago. But, for a film buff it's a welcome relief from the latest CGI extravaganzas. And I was pleased to find, while relieving myself one recent evening, that I was in the company of a surprisingly younger audience. We were there for a sensitive restoration of Elia Kazan’s "On the Waterfront" starring Brando in his famous role as ex-boxer Terry Malloy. With its all around superb acting, direction certainly, locations and Leonard Bernstein’s memorable score (surprisingly, his only one) — it was, in a word (okay, two words..), absolutely stunning on the big screen. May have something to do with the same search for "authenticity" that is motivating the young to embrace vinyl and stuff, in general, we really didn't give a second thought about back in the day. I, for one, am delighted and know you were concerned you hadn't heard from me about this until now.
Don't get me wrong, some wonderful films, nay super-duper films, from every decade but, I always find it interesting how much more absorbing many of the films of the ’30s, ’40s and in general, from the pre-CGI era, are — and especially the great classics — on the large screen, in a theater environment. This may have to do with the lack of obvious special effects, forcing a viewer to focus on the acting and story — as simple or formulaic as the latter may be. Perhaps, with exceptions of course, they generally were better written, acted and directed and again — the classics, in particular. It could also be that they were, on average, shorter, which meant everything had to be more concentrated — no egocentric distracting interludes from the director.
I think the last time I was truly scammed was when I bought a used car from a dealer about a decade ago. No regrets on the car, but the purchase process, ugh, I overpaid. I did manage to claw some of the money back by being a pain in the ass and filing a complaint with state consumer affairs (where I’m sure it was promptly circular filed). The whole thing is still too painful to write up as an anecdote though, sorry Gene.
I'll be 90 in ten years, and I did say zero. Undoubtedly that is hubristic, but I've done pretty well so far. I have the great advantage that, when we switched from an AT&T landline that was bankrupting us to a cheap Vonage account (using Wi-Fi), we got phones with Smart Call Blocker, which screens out robocalls. Our "landline" phone hardly ever rings any more, and when it does, it is either someone we actually know or someone smart enough to listen to the outgoing message and press #.
I’m not aware of any recent successful scams upon me, which either means I’ve been vigilant or they were really good ones. They appear to slowly be getting better and better though, so I have to expect it’s only a matter of time.
Um..I really shouldn't be telling you this Sam, considering the investigation is ongoing, but between us --- the answer is, yes. The real Gene Weingarten (occasionally visited by the real Pat Myers), under an assumed name of course, has set up on a decommissioned oil rig in international waters and is repackaging submissions, along with other US societal castoffs, like cigarettes, remaindered copies of "Kardashian Konfidential," and bread products containing only two grains, for sale primarily to Central Asia. If it's any consolation, my confidential source tells me your stuff is big in Tajikistan and the wildly popular "What the Eff Is So Funny!?" TV show (when the power is on). That's a rough translation and it's the only TV show, which would explain its popularity, but hey, the usual Invitational suspects are well down in the local Q rating so something to be more or less proud of Sam. Keep the stuff coming.
A few years back I was using Microsoft Edge when all of a sudden I got “virus” alerts. They looked real so I called the number as my screen was “frozen”. After a 25 minute chat with a “Microsoft rep”.” I hung up. Total scam. I’ve never used Edge since then.
I've never had a scam from Edge, but I dislike it on general principle as being pushy and invasive and arrogant (like most of Microsoft). I do use it regularly for a few specific sites, but I hate that about once a week when I try to open, say, GoComics, I'm instead subjected to a page telling me about all the latest "improvements" in a recent Edge update.
Not scam exactly, but I do use Edge and it keeps linking me to Microsoft Start (as Yahoo does to its news) and it is really so far right that I hate what it calls "news." Always about the recession we are in or something that I know is false or exaggerated. I do not trust them at all. Does anyone know how to get rid of it. Besides giving up edge, I do like its tabs to save sites on the left. G4B
Who knows how gullible I will be in 10 years? I have been briefly swayed at times, but swiftly recovered. However, the criminals are getting better, and the honest people still send materials out that are often so clumsy that they would not be effective as scams. I am particularly bothered by phone calls from my medical insurance company (monthly nursing tele-health) that are almost certainly real (*almost* certainly), but which ask me to verify my identity using the kind of information that is suitable for identity theft. I usually tell them that I refuse to give that information to a phone call I have received, and we part amicably.
This was a Late Cretaceous operation, on the landline -- and the woman seemed to be a native speaker of English. I was at the time an active participant in various community activities -- PTA, fending off various developers from destroying green spaces, anti-war, pro-women, etc. The caller alleged a local interest group, for planning purposes, was seeking input on issues of importance to the community and my name had come up. I was eager to answer the long list of questions on a by wide range of my opinions. Must have been on the phone half an hour. Then the final question! "For verification purposes, please provide your Social Security number." I yelled No I Would Not! And hung up. Felt I had dodged one, rebuked self for almost letting vanity overcome good sense. Nowadays I only answer my phone if know the caller or expect a call -- my phone may even tell me if a call might be a scam! Tech not available in the so-called Good Old Days. And the internet -- ads & scams like black flies & mosquitoes in the North Woods. All the time.
My husband's bank (he had called them, not the other way around) asked for his SSN, and he still refused. He will not give it over the phone. Okay if they ask for the last four, but not the whole thing. I even felt a little nervous about providing it to the Social Security Administration recently when they revamped their website and required a new sign-in.
I got a call from my grandson recently telling me he'd had an accident while driving.
Since I don't have a grandson -- or even a son -- I led him on a merry chase for a few minutes. This is how I get my jollies these days . . .
Sure, blow off the long lost relative you never knew you had - and right at his time of dire need. Some people.
I am a pretty savvy guy, tech-wise, for a 60-year-old. I see these "phishing" scams every single day. They come via email, via text, via phone. They are getting more and more sophisticated and frequently cause me to pause and consider whether they are legit: so I fear that one day I will fall for one of them. More importantly I wonder how the less aware masses can possibly avoid getting scammed. It's a problem.
The latest scam trend is the AI-generated voice. If you have a loved ones who post regularly on the TikTok or the Insta, their voice can be modeled and replicated by voice filter, so that somebody calling can sound like, say, your daughter who's been in an accident and totaled the car and needs you to wire money asap. So these days you need an agreed-upon safe word or a security question to ask to make sure the person is actually the person. Frightening.
The phishing scams are the main reason I use alias forwarding email addresses when I sign up for anything. When I get that email from Geek Squad, I can instantly see if it was addressed to the same email address I would've given to Geek Squad. If it's instead addressed to the email I used to subscribe to The Gene pool, then I know it's a scam.
A recent thread in the Language Snobs Я Us FB group asked, if you were taken hostage, what message you would send to signal that you were writing under duress. One of the suggestions was, "I'm alright."
If it goes to the email you gave Gene, that might just mean he wasn’t kidding about needing paid subscribers.
I don't worry a lot about AI voices, as my children are not on social media AT ALL, much less vocally. We haven't established a safe word, but I think I could reference events only we would know about in a way that would let me know whether the call was genuine or not.
Yep. I'm sure most people could. The key is knowing that such a scam is possible.
Good point. AARP has done a good job of reporting such scams in its publications, which I read regularly.
I used to get calls from "Windows." Now, I used to build my own computers in the good/bad old days, so I knew it was a scam immediately. But I used to like to screw with them. My windows are all closed, I'd say. Can you open them? No, I'd say, we'd get awfully cold and ever since Aunt Emma wrenched her shoulder trying to open the one in the kitchen we've left it closed. CLICK.
Or the magic words--I use Linux.
ANNOYING LAWYER ALERT [acknowledges redundancy]: I have several clients whose family members/loved ones were made prey to scams as they aged and dementia started. It is so tragic, and no telling how much money they lost before it was caught. Just want to take the time, as Debbie. Downer can only do, and ask that everyone keep checking in on your family and friends, maybe get a list of their passwords and even a power of attorney from them. We all hesitate to interfere, but getting into a little dust up with someone is better than the alternative. Do it in a buddy system so you both cover each other. And of course send me a list of all those passwords as a backup. [Do NOT do this last thing.]
Lynne is absolutely right about not doing that last thing. Send them to me.
We all vary in terms of gullibility, but the folks who responded “zero” are likely overconfident. Virtually every precaution can (under the “right” circumstances) be tricked. Sometimes your involvement isn’t even necessary, for example when a time-consuming bit of identity theft is perpetrated.
I would venture that the people who responded “zero” are the most likely to get scammed. Contrary to what most folks think, con men don’t look for stupid people per se, they look for people who think they’re smarter than they are. These peoples self confidence could well be their downfall.
And yet all my internalized self-doubt and paranoia doesn’t make me safe.
Word
Meh. I am one of those who replied 0. First of all, over 20 years ago I switched to Mac and I detest windows and Microsoft. I have avoided any scams so far. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Yeah . . . Too many Mac people seem to be under the illusion that they are protected.
As somebody who casually follows security patch announcements, and who uses a mac for work, I concur. The difference is like riding a motorcycle with a helmet, or without.
Illusion to you, reality for me…
I hope it remains your reality
Yes, but the survey said "at least partially due to your own gullibility". That would rule out your last sentence.
Rule of thumb. Just (don't) do it! If it smells like Donald Trump. It very well may be.
I almost fell for the “Geek Squad” scam too. I was on the phone with the rep when I saw a post on NextDoor about it, among the “what’s this critter” and “why are there cops at that strip mall” posts.
You mean to tell us that Next Door had some useful information?
Stopped clock phenomenon.
I have the opposite problem. If I have even a scintilla of doubt, I deem it a scam. This can cause more damage than an actual scam, such as when it’s from your mortgage company saying there’s a problem with your payment…
I've had messages like those. When I receive them, I go to my files, look up the contact information on the bills (Yes, I still get hard copy bills. I insist on getting hard copy bills.) and use that contact information to contact the creditor to identify and resolve the issue.
I almost didn’t get a brand new saxophone I’d won in a drawing for my kid because of this. It was only after some back and forth with the prize distributor, checking around, and a faint memory of having actually submitted an entry into the contest in question, that I agreed to sign the necessary tax forms. Then nervousness until the instrument arrived.
Yeah, I apparently have $27M sitting in a bank with which I have never had a relationship thanks to someone who keeps addressing me as "Dear One," and which I can access once I fix a non-existent malware problem with my computer by calling a number I was requested to by a relative I don't have who is in police custody. Trump U. obviously became an offshore franchise after it was shut down here. All hail to the "pro" scambaiters, having entertainingly been an amateur one on and off for years.
Nothing whatsoever to so with the subject at hand, but then I'm a fondling member so I get to do what I want...or Gene's water gets cut off. Anyway, I am gratified that a number of the big movie chains --- not just what used to be called "art cinemas" --- are showing more and more classic films. This is not out of a love for the cinema, you understand; it's far more to do with practical reasons, like some 30% fewer films being distributed now compared to just five years ago. But, for a film buff it's a welcome relief from the latest CGI extravaganzas. And I was pleased to find, while relieving myself one recent evening, that I was in the company of a surprisingly younger audience. We were there for a sensitive restoration of Elia Kazan’s "On the Waterfront" starring Brando in his famous role as ex-boxer Terry Malloy. With its all around superb acting, direction certainly, locations and Leonard Bernstein’s memorable score (surprisingly, his only one) — it was, in a word (okay, two words..), absolutely stunning on the big screen. May have something to do with the same search for "authenticity" that is motivating the young to embrace vinyl and stuff, in general, we really didn't give a second thought about back in the day. I, for one, am delighted and know you were concerned you hadn't heard from me about this until now.
Don't get me wrong, some wonderful films, nay super-duper films, from every decade but, I always find it interesting how much more absorbing many of the films of the ’30s, ’40s and in general, from the pre-CGI era, are — and especially the great classics — on the large screen, in a theater environment. This may have to do with the lack of obvious special effects, forcing a viewer to focus on the acting and story — as simple or formulaic as the latter may be. Perhaps, with exceptions of course, they generally were better written, acted and directed and again — the classics, in particular. It could also be that they were, on average, shorter, which meant everything had to be more concentrated — no egocentric distracting interludes from the director.
I think the last time I was truly scammed was when I bought a used car from a dealer about a decade ago. No regrets on the car, but the purchase process, ugh, I overpaid. I did manage to claw some of the money back by being a pain in the ass and filing a complaint with state consumer affairs (where I’m sure it was promptly circular filed). The whole thing is still too painful to write up as an anecdote though, sorry Gene.
I would have said "zero," except in ten years I'll be 86 and not as sharp as now.
I'll be 90 in ten years, and I did say zero. Undoubtedly that is hubristic, but I've done pretty well so far. I have the great advantage that, when we switched from an AT&T landline that was bankrupting us to a cheap Vonage account (using Wi-Fi), we got phones with Smart Call Blocker, which screens out robocalls. Our "landline" phone hardly ever rings any more, and when it does, it is either someone we actually know or someone smart enough to listen to the outgoing message and press #.
I’m not aware of any recent successful scams upon me, which either means I’ve been vigilant or they were really good ones. They appear to slowly be getting better and better though, so I have to expect it’s only a matter of time.
You really think this is "The Gene Pool," do you Sam? Bwahaha!
You mean somebody’s been scamming me out of (mostly) mediocre Invite submissions? The bastards!
Um..I really shouldn't be telling you this Sam, considering the investigation is ongoing, but between us --- the answer is, yes. The real Gene Weingarten (occasionally visited by the real Pat Myers), under an assumed name of course, has set up on a decommissioned oil rig in international waters and is repackaging submissions, along with other US societal castoffs, like cigarettes, remaindered copies of "Kardashian Konfidential," and bread products containing only two grains, for sale primarily to Central Asia. If it's any consolation, my confidential source tells me your stuff is big in Tajikistan and the wildly popular "What the Eff Is So Funny!?" TV show (when the power is on). That's a rough translation and it's the only TV show, which would explain its popularity, but hey, the usual Invitational suspects are well down in the local Q rating so something to be more or less proud of Sam. Keep the stuff coming.
Your conspiracy theory was compelling g for a while, but you lost me once I noticed no bitcoin was ever involved.
A few years back I was using Microsoft Edge when all of a sudden I got “virus” alerts. They looked real so I called the number as my screen was “frozen”. After a 25 minute chat with a “Microsoft rep”.” I hung up. Total scam. I’ve never used Edge since then.
I've never had a scam from Edge, but I dislike it on general principle as being pushy and invasive and arrogant (like most of Microsoft). I do use it regularly for a few specific sites, but I hate that about once a week when I try to open, say, GoComics, I'm instead subjected to a page telling me about all the latest "improvements" in a recent Edge update.
Not scam exactly, but I do use Edge and it keeps linking me to Microsoft Start (as Yahoo does to its news) and it is really so far right that I hate what it calls "news." Always about the recession we are in or something that I know is false or exaggerated. I do not trust them at all. Does anyone know how to get rid of it. Besides giving up edge, I do like its tabs to save sites on the left. G4B
To turn off the "feed" of news etc. entirely:
1. Click the "gear" icon near the top right (at the same level at the small "Microsoft Start" logo at top-left)
2. Click the "Show feed" toggle to "off".
You can also leave it on, and just block certain "news" sources:
1. Hover the mouse/cursor over the objectionable headline / tile.
2. Click the "circle with 3 dots" that appears at the upper-right corner of that tile.
3. Click "Block <Stupid News Source>"
Who knows how gullible I will be in 10 years? I have been briefly swayed at times, but swiftly recovered. However, the criminals are getting better, and the honest people still send materials out that are often so clumsy that they would not be effective as scams. I am particularly bothered by phone calls from my medical insurance company (monthly nursing tele-health) that are almost certainly real (*almost* certainly), but which ask me to verify my identity using the kind of information that is suitable for identity theft. I usually tell them that I refuse to give that information to a phone call I have received, and we part amicably.
This was a Late Cretaceous operation, on the landline -- and the woman seemed to be a native speaker of English. I was at the time an active participant in various community activities -- PTA, fending off various developers from destroying green spaces, anti-war, pro-women, etc. The caller alleged a local interest group, for planning purposes, was seeking input on issues of importance to the community and my name had come up. I was eager to answer the long list of questions on a by wide range of my opinions. Must have been on the phone half an hour. Then the final question! "For verification purposes, please provide your Social Security number." I yelled No I Would Not! And hung up. Felt I had dodged one, rebuked self for almost letting vanity overcome good sense. Nowadays I only answer my phone if know the caller or expect a call -- my phone may even tell me if a call might be a scam! Tech not available in the so-called Good Old Days. And the internet -- ads & scams like black flies & mosquitoes in the North Woods. All the time.
My husband's bank (he had called them, not the other way around) asked for his SSN, and he still refused. He will not give it over the phone. Okay if they ask for the last four, but not the whole thing. I even felt a little nervous about providing it to the Social Security Administration recently when they revamped their website and required a new sign-in.