Text message scammers

August 16, 2022, 06:36 AM

Lately I have been receiving a bunch of text messages from “Anna”. Asking if the order came through, if the photography studio opened, how’s your day…

I started a conversation a couple times via text, and all they want is to get on WhatsApp with you. Im not sure why they want to more to WhatsApp from text, but I won’t take the bait.

I have found a pretty good way to never hear back from them. I had gone through the meme thread the other day, all 20 some pages. I collected quite a few of the most offensive and rude memes I could find. Now when I get a text from these scumbags, I simply blow them up with about 20 memes.

August 16, 2022, 07:39 AM

V-Tail

Have you asked her what she's wearing? Does she have underwear on? What color is it?

August 16, 2022, 08:05 AM

P250UA5

I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

August 16, 2022, 08:20 AM

Flash-LB

quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

Interesting. The spam texts I receive have essentially gone down to zero and I have no idea why.

August 16, 2022, 09:08 AM

P250UA5

quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

Interesting. The spam texts I receive have essentially gone down to zero and I have no idea why.

Definitely not complaining, it was to the point I had my phone on silent to ignore all of the spam.

August 16, 2022, 09:08 AM

Perception

quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
Have you asked her what she's wearing? Does she have underwear on? What color is it?

Well, "Anna" is probably a dude in Somalia so be careful what you ask for.

"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."

August 16, 2022, 10:21 AM

mcrimm

I got one yesterday saying she'd pay me $500 a month to hang some sign on my car doors advertising candy - Really.

Her real name might have been Candy?

August 16, 2022, 10:25 AM

HRK

quote:
Originally posted by Perception:

Well, "Anna" is probably a dude in Somalia so be careful what you ask for.

Khakis,

August 16, 2022, 12:50 PM

sigmonkey

"Well she's a guy, so..."

August 16, 2022, 02:31 PM

airbubba

quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

Interesting. The spam texts I receive have essentially gone down to zero and I have no idea why.

az primaries are over!!

August 16, 2022, 02:49 PM

Flash-LB

quote:
Originally posted by airbubba:
quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

Interesting. The spam texts I receive have essentially gone down to zero and I have no idea why.

az primaries are over!!

They are over, but I wasn't getting political spam texts, I was getting offers to buy my house for the most part.

August 16, 2022, 03:58 PM

airbubba

quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
quote:
Originally posted by airbubba:
quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
quote:
Originally posted by P250UA5:
I used to get multiple a day, it's tapered off & I haven't gotten one in weeks.
Oddly, both my cell (personal) and my work desk phone would get spam (calls on both, text to cell) for Elizabeth

Interesting. The spam texts I receive have essentially gone down to zero and I have no idea why.

az primaries are over!!

They are over, but I wasn't getting political spam texts, I was getting offers to buy my house for the most part.

all political for me!!

August 17, 2022, 12:38 AM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by Beancooker:

I started a conversation a couple times via text, and all they want is to get on WhatsApp with you. Im not sure why they want to more to WhatsApp from text, but I won’t take the bait.

You got my interest. I feel like I'm been targeted on LinkedIn. I keep getting connection requests from what looks like Chinese women profiles. One even had a Spanish name but her picture sure looks Chinese. And these profiles have a decent number of connections.

But each of these even if I ignore their connect requests, message me to start a conversation. The conversation is professional enough but they quickly get to their point: they want to connect via WhatsApp so they can continue the conversation there. LinkedIn has it's own private message system.

Like you, I'm skeptical. I think it's a way to get information via the app once they know your WhatsApp account number. I tell them I prefer Tinder. If they say they don't have that, then I say PlentyOfFish.

I'm not quite sure what the information they want from me but I suspect it's Red China wanting to database everyone in the US.

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

August 17, 2022, 01:51 AM

KevinCW

Mess with them. It's fun.

August 17, 2022, 05:21 AM

SigSAC

Ignore all spam texts other than to forward to your provider. Most major companies have a mechanism to allow you to report these.

Don't encourage more spam texts by replying.

August 17, 2022, 07:42 AM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:

I was getting offers to buy my house

I was getting repeated offers to buy a house that I have never seen at an address that I had never heard of.

I responded, accepting the offer, providing that they would be ready to close at my office within 72 hours for the house as is, and pay cash. That's "cash," as in U.S. currency. No checks, no wire transfers, just a briefcase full of cash.

They wanted 30 days to close, so I told them not to waste any more of my time with offers if they're not ready to buy. Haven't heard from them since.

August 18, 2022, 08:07 AM

Beancooker

quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:
quote:
Originally posted by Beancooker:

I started a conversation a couple times via text, and all they want is to get on WhatsApp with you. Im not sure why they want to more to WhatsApp from text, but I won’t take the bait.

You got my interest. I feel like I'm been targeted on LinkedIn. I keep getting connection requests from what looks like Chinese women profiles. One even had a Spanish name but her picture sure looks Chinese. And these profiles have a decent number of connections.

But each of these even if I ignore their connect requests, message me to start a conversation. The conversation is professional enough but they quickly get to their point: they want to connect via WhatsApp so they can continue the conversation there. LinkedIn has it's own private message system.

Like you, I'm skeptical. I think it's a way to get information via the app once they know your WhatsApp account number. I tell them I prefer Tinder. If they say they don't have that, then I say PlentyOfFish.

I'm not quite sure what the information they want from me but I suspect it's Red China wanting to database everyone in the US.

Same here on LinkedIn. I just can’t figure out the WhatsApp angle. It makes me curious, but not enough to connect with one there.

I used to string them along for a while via text, but it just wastes my time. I really prefer the meme bombing. It has drastically reduced the number of texts I’m getting also.

August 18, 2022, 11:19 AM

PJS

I always tell them I busy having relations with their mother. That usually ends it. I sometimes ask them if they want but naked pictures of their wife.

August 18, 2022, 01:19 PM

V-Tail

quote:
I sometimes ask them if they want but naked pictures of their wife.

It was "Anna" who called. Her wife? Well, maybe even better.

August 20, 2022, 03:33 PM

fiasconva

I actually got my first one today. It was supposedly from my bank saying my CC had been locked and to call this number. Since we are going out of town for a week and will need it I called my bank just to make sure and it was bogus. Funny how my first one was a few days after the last Apple update.