fishy online scams! beware!!

[Red]

i haven't really had much spam since i switched internet providers last year, but yesterday i got an email from someone called Vox Trail LTD. i ignored it for a while coz i figured it was spam and i never even heard of them, but last night something told me to open it and i'm sure glad i did!!!

SOMEHOW these people think i signed up for their internet voicemail service, and they were going to bill my local phone company $14.95 a month! uh hello! i don't even have call waiting or anything above the basic phone plan, so why would i need that crap? i have no idea how i they think i signed up, because i haven't filled anything out online!

i was suspicious! i called my phone company and said i didn't trust the links in the email to cancel it by *clicking here*. so they called the number and said it seemed like a legit customer service number and i should call at 10 am when they open (they got an answering machine)

i hesitantly called them and they immediately asked for my phone number, and i said before you ask me any questions, i wanna ask YOU how you got my name and phone number and why you think i signed up for this service, because i sure as heck did no such thing.

the guy got defensive right away and after the usual i will help you ma'am if you just give me a chance bullcrap, (and i HAD to give him my phone number, but since they already had it i did) he then told me that i registered thru a site called usprizedraw.com. and i said WHAT? i have never visted that website and have no idea what you're talking about. i've never even HEARD of that website....and then the guy said if you will just calm down i am about to cancel your service.

and at that exact instant there was a click, and my phone went dead. no dial tone whatsoever. i went to the other phones in the house, nothing.

so i called my phone company back with my cell phone and explained this whole thing to them and i only called them because they said i should, and now what?!

he asked me if i still had no service and i picked my phone back up and there was a dialtone now, but for a few mins there wasn't.

the guy called the customer service number back and he said that they did cancel my service, so i shouldn't be billed for anything, but they'd put an alert on my account just in case.

he said i *probably just had an interuption in my home phone service* at the exact same time and it was a total coincidence and everything should be fine because there's no way that guy could have turned off my service.

does this seem logical to any of you? i mean, yeah, maybe he couldn't turn my service off.......but is there anything else that could have happened? it all seems fishy! the guy says i am about to cancel your service and bam, the line goes dead without even a dialtone? that's just too much of a bizarre coincidence if you ask me.

i am always extremely careful when i do stuff online. i certainly would have known if i was signing up for some voicemail service!! i am still baffled that they think i signed up thru this usprizedraw.com site that i never even heard of!!

so just beware everyone!

[Frank The Bunny]

does this seem logical to any of you? i mean, yeah, maybe he couldn't turn my service off.......but is there anything else that could have happened? it all seems fishy! the guy says i am about to cancel your service and bam, the line goes dead without even a dialtone? that's just too much of a bizarre coincidence if you ask me.

My guess is that your phone line didn't go dead, but that he put you on hold or mute.
Often, with land telephone lines - even if you hang up, the other end can stay connected. So, you got no dialtone on the other phones because you were still (silently) connected.

But yeah, these phishing scams are all over the place.
I get a number of emails a month from those wanting "more account information" from me.

Scarier than that is actual theft of personal information.

I received an email from my company a couple days ago which indicated that a laptop was stolen, and that laptop contained personal information of quite a few managers including myself. SSN, salary info, home address... all that.



Fun times.

[Red]

My guess is that your phone line didn't go dead, but that he put you on hold or mute.

well, he could have said he was putting me on hold.........if that's what happened. i dunno, i just hope that's the end of it. the guy from my phone company said i *probably* got registered by closing a pop-up! i think that should be illegal!!!!!!! i usually do the CTRL W thing anyway.

[Frank The Bunny]

well, he could have said he was putting me on hold.........if that's what happened. i dunno, i just hope that's the end of it. the guy from my phone company said i *probably* got registered by closing a pop-up! i think that should be illegal!!!!!!! i usually do the CTRL W thing anyway.

Oh, he absolutely should've informed you he was putting you on hold. But he sounds like he was a douche anyway. Probably parked your call just to annoy you.

As for closing the pop-up window - that shit should be illegal - and I think it is. "By closing this popup window, you agree to the terms and conditions of service.. blah blah blah". I'm pretty sure there are stronger "opt-in" regulations in place. I would report the company to your state Attorney General's office.

[withahip]

I have a chance at helping a Nigerian get back their riches from a Swiss bank if I send them two thousand dollars.

[Dr Cheese]

I have a chance at helping a Nigerian get back their riches from a Swiss bank if I send them two thousand dollars.

I used to get loads of those - all they need are my bank account details so they can transfer funds into it ...

[zabird]

got one of those today ... said I'd won 500,000 GBP. wheeeee!!!!!

seriously, tho, can you really "sign up" for some service by opting out of a popup? It's bad enough that trojans can get in that way (or at least that's what the mcafee tech guy said last week), but to unintentionally sign up for something you don't want by clicking no, WTF??!!!!!

[Frank The Bunny]

got one of those today ... said I'd won 500,000 GBP. wheeeee!!!!!

seriously, tho, can you really "sign up" for some service by opting out of a popup? It's bad enough that trojans can get in that way (or at least that's what the mcafee tech guy said last week), but to unintentionally sign up for something you don't want by clicking no, WTF??!!!!!

The best option is to just delete the email. Don't click "unsubscribe" or any other links.
A lot of spam is sent out to randomly-generated email addresses. If you respond in any way, it lets the spambots know your account is "live", and you get hit with a lot more crap

[Red]

seriously, tho, can you really "sign up" for some service by opting out of a popup? It's bad enough that trojans can get in that way (or at least that's what the mcafee tech guy said last week), but to unintentionally sign up for something you don't want by clicking no, WTF??!!!!!

Oh, i didn't even click anything...i usually read the pop-ups to see what they say before closing them. i haven't even seen anything like that recently, nevermind had a chance to even opt out of signing up for something! so it was totally without my knowledge or consent. but they told me i had registered thru a website called usprizedraw.com but i have never heard of that, nevermind visited it!

a

[Red]

The best option is to just delete the email. Don't click "unsubscribe" or any other links.
A lot of spam is sent out to randomly-generated email addresses. If you respond in any way, it lets the spambots know your account is "live", and you get hit with a lot more crap

yes, i'm aware of all that, that's why i called my phone company first and THEY called the customer service number that i was supposed to 'cancel my service' with. so i definitely was going to be billed $14.95 per month on my phone bill had i not called them and cancelled. and to think i nearly deleted the email without even opening it, like i usually do. luckily i caught it immediately, before they actually billed my phone bill for it. then it would have been harder to argue.

[Frank The Bunny]

yes, i'm aware of all that, that's why i called my phone company first and THEY called the customer service number that i was supposed to 'cancel my service' with. so i definitely was going to be billed $14.95 per month on my phone bill had i not called them and cancelled. and to think i nearly deleted the email without even opening it, like i usually do. luckily i caught it immediately, before they actually billed my phone bill for it. then it would have been harder to argue.

There needs to be way more consumer protection in matters like this - stiff penalties for the culprits and such.

Problem is - a lot of these companies are offshore and US authorities can't touch them

[black francis]

I used to get loads of those - all they need are my bank account details so they can transfer funds into it ...

Well shit if that's all they need for you to get 20% of a 20 million I say why not? It's not like it's costing you anything.

[black francis]

http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/

[withahip]

I have gotten spam from myself.

[Kounelaki]

I have gotten spam from Death.