r/Scams

As the title says, my 80yr old mother believes she is talking to the country singer Cooper Alan. It started in Facebook, then moved to WhatsApp, now she is on bloody Signal! I feel sick!

She will not believe me that this is not real. It has gotten to the point that they are telling her they are moving to Australia to near our town to be near her. At this point, I am convinced she has dementia.

They are also telling her their bank details and how much they have in the bank, next step, I am sure is to ask for her bank details as they need to move money from US to Oz, so their management can’t get it. Yep, that is part of the scam, telling her their management is trying to steal their money.

I have sent her videos of the real Cooper Alan saying he will never contact anyone privately, she believes she is talking to him. The scammer has even faked Coopers mom messaging my mom to say thank you for making him smile again. I feel sick.

How do I prove to her this is fake? I am at a loss. I have pulled out all the stops, telling her she loves the scammer more than me. Please help, I don’t know what to do.

Okay so for context I live in the US (florida area for context) I work at a restaurant and have a woman that is a regular. She talks about a delivery service that she runs and gets regular people to deliver said packages. They run Friday-Monday. They have Morning and evening routes.

From what she’s explained, one route is $150, two is $300. You use a company vehicle (van) to go to walmart, a worker loads it with packages, and you use an app to deliver the packages. She said that everything is paid cash under the table but she can tax it if it’s an issue.

I’ve been texting with her back and forth and she said that she has this service with 19 walmart locations. I don’t know if there is any company name or how it’s not illegal to pay unofficial employees like that. I sent her a message asking all those questions and am waiting on a reply.

She said the company vehicles are stationed at her house and she tops off the gas tank every morning, when done with your routes you return to her house with that vehicle and leave.

The main part i’m suspicious about is the fact that she is a regular at this restaurant and seems like a trustworthy person. So far the only info she’s asked me for is my name, number, and email. And she said the only info she’ll need in person is proof of a valid drivers license.

She seems genuine and talks like a real person would talk to you about this kind of thing so i’m just wanting opinions on this. Thank you

Just received email from Microsoft with a passkey that I supposedly requested. I did not request a passkey. I immediately changed my Microsoft login password. Is there anything else I need to do?

Thanks!

Edited to add more information at request of Bot:

I received an email from Microsoft that contained a single use code. My mind interpreted it as a passkey, so I asked about passkey. After reading some of the comments, I re-read the email and realized that it was not a passkey, but a single use code.

Before asking here if it was a scam, I logged in to my Microsoft account and did not use the code in the email. I changed my password. I then posted here to see if there was anything else I should do.

Long story short, i got a virus a few months ago cuz of unfortunate stupidity, already reinstalled windows and all that, and in the email they said i got 48 hours before they leak me masturbating to highly controversial adult movies with my webcam and such, whats funny is, my webcam was broken at the time lmao, meaning it wouldve been impossible, what i'm curious about is the email came from an official service email from a company called "Sumo Logic" telling me to email them on a seperate email, im just wondering if they got hacked or they work at sumo logic? i'm just surprisied lol (i know its a scam so i wont bother with the email)

Email:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL INSTEAD EMAIL ME HERE: (not showing email cuz subreddit)
Well, hello there, (my name)
I hope this email finds you well, but it is important that we have a conversation regarding the recent activities on your device and how they may impact your life. Please give me your full attention for a moment as I explain.

Let's get straight to the point.

We've knоwn each other for a while, at least І knоw.

A few mοnths ago, І gained access to your device, including your internet history and webcam. And ӏ captured sоme fоotage (with audiο) оf yоu masturbating while watching a highly cοntroversial \"adult\" movies.

It's unlikely you would want your family, colleagues, or contacts to see these videos. We are also prepared to release this data on multiple public websites, which would permanently damage your reputation.
We also have a password that you have previously used: (old password i dont use anymore)

If you think I'm joking, simply reply to this email and we will send one of the pictures to your contacts using your own device.

Ι also plan to release these data on many websites and expοse the real you. At this stage, it will be impоssible to undο it.
You may ask how did ӏ do that?

You allоwed my rаոѕοⅿԝаrе tο yοur device. After that, Ӏ gained remote access to it. After infecting оne device, Ι was able tо access all оther devices and yоur WiFi netwоrk withоut any issue.
 
І'll just lay оut a cоnditiοn for you nοw. A little payment tο save yоur reputation is a fair deal.
 
Τrаոѕfеr exactly 2,O05 ՍЅᎠ (US D0lla.rs) , in btc ( 0.027 ) , to the ԝаⅼⅼеt provided below. This is the way to ensure your privacy is protected.
########------########
ⅾеⅼеtе ѕрасеѕ аոⅾ сοру thіѕ ԝаⅼⅼеt - → (obviously not gonna show scammer crypto wallet)
########------########

This is a small fee to pay to prevent any future issues. Once the payment is received and confirmed, We will permanently delete the software from your devices, delete all the data that we have collected, and you will not hear from us again.

You have 48 hours - Ӏ'll be nоtified as soоn as you οpen this email, and frоm then on it's a countdοwn.
If you are unfamiliar with how to send the payment to the provided address, do a quick search for \"Pay,Bis , Bit,Pay , Moon,Pay , Change,lly, Coin,Base\" , or else use Crypto ATM ( Google it )

I've just received a text saying my number called someone claiming I was from HMRC and telling them they have committed tax fraud and owed money. I obviously did not make this call and despite me telling this person not to give any details over as I didn't call, they have reported my number to the police? Has my number been spoofed or is the person texting me a scammer?

Last Monday my husband got off work at 4pm . Go to a Walmart parking lot at 4:20 and home at 5:20. During that time my calls were ignored but I had his location so I could see where he was .

He came home and said at 4 his phone turned completely off ( iphone 12 pro max ) once it came back on everything was gone . His photos / apps ect. Factory reset . He was on the phone with someone but I have no clue who , he told me apple support but idk .

5 k gone from accounts . Accounts for one pay and chime were made . Using our address and one pay used his passcode same as phone passcode . He swears he didn't download these or sign up.

5k was sent off to cash up which was then used for p2p Bitcoin exchanges . Chime accounts. And then a zelle to a person we don't know . He was locked out of every app / social media . Someone took over his Instagram and ironically blocked me . His emails never has login information for that day as far as I can see .

This was 10 days ago and I still can't understand any of it . All payments were made from 4:40-5 pm . When he wasn't home . It just seems fishy to me but I don't have proof and there's proof he was hacked with a chime ( could be mistaken for another app ) but they said he login in another state using an iphone 13 ( which we don't have ) . As well as Instagram messages being sent when he wasn't even using the phone .

All his messages are deleted . His call logs from 4:40-5:30 are missing . Can someone give me insight ? I've tried asking him but he swears he was hacked and non of this is him and that he didn't give personal information or codes over the phone ect .

So me and my family just got woken up at 4:30 am by a call from an anonymous number, of course my mom half asleep answers it, they claimed to be with the local Sheriff department, they asked for someone with our same last name but a first name we had never heard of. She told them that, it sounded like they asked again or she asked to confirm and again said no...She did tell them that it was just last name but we don't know the person, and they kind of mutually just got off the phone with each other.

So what are the odds that this one is a scam? I suspect it is with the anonymous number, but they also didn't seem to push and threaten that hard like you hear so many do...Also is it common for them to call at 4:30?

I also cannot find anybody by the name given in town on a search z

Edit: So she said after the 2nd time she told them that she didnt know the name they ended the call with "ok, please disregard this call"

Update: It appears it was a real call, there were 2 people arrested with the same last name around the time of the call last night in my town.

I think I fell for a scam call this morning. It was at 7:30 am, and came from a local number. It left a voicemail from an old lady sounding like she was crying and saying "I'm scared and I don't know where you are." I called the number back, it rang 5-6 times, then went to voicemail (I hung up before I heard what the voicemail message said). As soon as I hung up, I remembered that there are scams where they pretend to be a loved one in danger.

I feel so dumb for falling for it, but I spent years taking care of an elderly relative with dementia, and this is exactly the kind of thing she really would have done. And people with dementia get super confused and have panic attacks, so I guess I'm really sensitive to the sound of a scared elderly person. 😞 I was prepared to call the police to go check on her and everything.

What should I look out for going forward? Is anything bad going to happen because I called back? No one answered and tried to scam me out of money, but the call did connect to their voicemail. Any advice? I feel dumb...

I placed an order from a store about a year ago, today, a year later, I got a charge to my credit card for a subscription. I called the store, and they confirmed that I do not have an active subscription with them.

I also checked my Shopify subscriptions, and no subscription appears there. I removed all payment methods from Shopify last year, yet I was still charged through Shopify on a card that Shopify supposedly no longer has on file for a subscription that does not exist.

I have tried several times to delete my Shopify account, and I attempted to do so again today. How do I permanently remove my Shopify account and stop Shopify from billing me? At this point, the process feels like an outright scam. How is this legal? and how do I get the charges to stop? help!

*I would have posted this on r/shopify but I don't have enough post Karma to post there...

I used the website to try to apply for a job and soon after I started receiving multiple calls from various numbers about my Medicare benefits program. I told them multiple times I don't have Medicare and was asking how they got my name and number but they hang up the phone and call with a different number each time.

I received a letter in the mail telling me to call a number about my updated Medicare benefits but threw it away because I don't have Medicare.

Anyway it all happened after using talent.com I never even was able to submit the application it started trying to get me to apply for more jobs before submitting.

I cant see any other way they can get my name number and home address but its confusing what are they really after anyway? I legit don't have Medicare that I am aware of it makes zero sense why they bother me multiple times a day with multiple numbers and send letters.

I got a letter this week from what seems to be the IRS (Addresses and Numbers look legit) claiming they noticed they owe me some money from December of 2020, and to expect the check for it in the next ~7 weeks. I was suspicious, especially since they usually direct deposit my stuff, and went to check, and saw a very legitimate looking (matches previous information from the IRS) deposit in my account for a few hundred more than the letter claimed they owed. I plan on calling them when I get off work, but I’d like to know if there’s a precedent for a scam like this, or if they really make mistakes like this?

If this is a scam, what’s the angle? Evidently they have my banking info and SSN, what more could they want?

Update: ID’s expired so ID.me is on hold, but I checked my tax documents from that year, and the amounts match, so I’m listing towards Real.

Please help! I received a “possible scam” telephone call while at work today, so of course I ignored it. The caller (a real person, not an AI robot), left a voice mail saying she was from the “OSP” and that there is a case against me (gave me a case number) and that it was very important that I contact the firm handling my case immediately. My husband received the same message. My husband called her back, at which time he was transferred to “the law firm handling my case” but was told the case is against me only, so they wouldn’t give him any information other to tell him that there may be a lien on our house (they had our address); that was all they would say. Of course when I tried to call the original caller back, it was after 5:00 and no one answered and there was no way to leave a message.

Does anyone know what “OSP” stands for? I’ve googled it, but nothing relevant comes up in my search. Has anyone heard of this before? If it’s a scam (fingers crossed!) it’s a very, very real-sounding one!!

I woke up this morning to alerts from my bank about a fraudulent charge on my debit card issued by my bank. I checked my bank account using their website, and found 7 fraudulent charges all in the range of 100-199 dollars that were pending from less than 24 hours ago. I already cancelled my debit card, and filled out forms to have the charges denied, but thought I'd post here about how the scam happened.

Here is what happened:

I am visiting my sister's apartment in Washinton DC for a few weeks, feeding and caring for her pets while she is out of town until June. Her apartment complex has laundry machines in the basement level that use QR codes and an app to pay for and start the washers in dryers. Users are expected to scan the QR codes using signs attached to the machines, both to install the app on their smart phone and start whatever machine they pick to use.

At some point the app maker requires users to load money unto the app using their credit or debit cards, which can be used to pay for washing or drying. The app does not use apple or android pay. Users must enter their debit card number using a form to use the laundry.

Here is where this stupid scam goes awry. The app makers, in their infinite wisdom, put a space on the screen where you sign up for an account and pay with your debit card that allows for 3rd party advertisements. Of course, someone paid them for a targeted ad that looks like the rest of the app, and the ad says something to the effect of "active your laundry account and add credits".

You can see where this is going.

Users need to add and account, and add credits to use the laundry, and they allow their user interface to be hijacked by a 3rd party by placing ads right there in the same area where users must activate their account and add credits. I was suspicious that when I was trying to get their app setup, I was directed via a popup window that was using a webpage (with window chrome hidden) to enter my payment details, and that somehow after filling out what at the time I thought was the credit form, I was asked a second time for the same information.

Later, when trying to determine exactly what happened, I thought at first that someone had surreptitiously replaced some of the QR codes stickers for the laundry app or the machine start codes, with stickers that went over the top of the legitimate QR codes, but after further research I am quite sure now that the exploit the app vendor allowed is exposed by accepting 3rd party advertising inside the app, and allowing those ads to be places directly on the screen where new users are expected to active and add credits to the app.

Let me know if this is helpful and if I ought to list the name of the app or company that allowed this to happen.

Cheers, and be careful.

I’ve gotten scam phone calls where the phone number was a legit number of a local Chase bank. The caller was obviously a scammer and had spoofed the number.

If I block that phone number, am I blocking the scammer’s real number or the legit Chase number?

For context, I'm a young adult with autism. I was making art for an account I had somewhere. I love making art and that kind of stuff and this was over the course of two days.

Suddenly I get a message asking me about something their concerned about. I ask what it was, but also get a little suspicious about this since there's something about scammers. This should've been my first warning.

The next day roles around and the person told me that an account that was copying me, "bought a membership", and had hacked their account. They said they had filed a ticket against me instead of filing against the other person.

I told them that I'll look into it more and keep them updated. No evidence of a copied account, that should've been my second warning sign, so I told them my findings. .

I called up my mom and asked her if there was a payment for hundreds of dollars. Mom checked and said no and there wasn't any card information attached to my account, that part I did know and there wasn't any that I couldn't recognize. Third and Fourth warnings.

The Fifth warning I didn't recognize until later. The first person who contacted me stopped responding after I was providing evidence of my innocence. Probably thinking I was catching on. I wasn't catching on.

Then another person messages me and tells me that about 6 people have done the same thing, thinking I'm scamming them and the second person was gonna clear my name.

At this point I'm in utter hysteria, hyperventilating and sobbing, because I'm scared about what's gonna happen. Since I read the account suspension policy could last forever.

That is until my mom calls me back up while I was still sobbing over the phone, and tells me that her work friend has found out that those were scams. Even finding people who got the same messages.

I luckily calmed down and was relived about what had happened. I luckily blocked both accounts.

This felt scary and felt more like blackmail than anything. Not to mention it happened just yesterday.

She ordered royal jelly products from: nectarjelly

She never received the order. No delivery, no proper tracking updates, and after a while the support stopped replying. No refund was given.

Instagram:
nectarjellyco

I also found this Fiverr profile that appears connected to similar product mockup work:
fiverr - alrcxz/design-product-mockups-in-blender

The product images on the website also look fake AI generated instead of real photos.

Please be careful and report this website and Instagram account so others especially older people don’t get scammed.