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Sorry but I failed to see how this is different from any other normal scam. 1. Banks specifically mention they wouldn't behave like this over phone. They send

Sorry but I failed to see how this is different from any other normal scam. 1. Banks specifically mention they wouldn't behave like this over phone. They send notification every so and then about not giving in to calls along with warnings and disclaimer everywhere. 2. You should always check whether the number is banks or not. Simply ask them to call from an officially verifiable number and hang up. If it's important, you will get a call. If it's not, life goes on. > Had the word PhoneBank not appeared on the screen when my phone rang, I would have hung up within the first minute. The trust I had invested in that nine-letter word took my breath away. > I hadn’t known that fraudsters have devised software that can do that. And as a result of that ignorance, I was penniless The problem is pretty clear to me - blind trust in tech and not knowing where those names come from when you receive calls. On my current phone, you can just report the number or add them for a company so it will appear as spam/company on others. I guess she had a phone doing something similar.

DanBC 7y ago
It's not different from any other scam, that's the point. Let's look at the thing you've said would be reassuring. The scammer calls you. You say you're going to call them back on a number that you get from the Internet. They give you the number, but you don't believe them. You hang up. You double check that against some mail you happen to have, and the same number is printed on that letter. You pick up the phone, get a dial tone, and dial the number, and are connected to a receptionist who then transfers your call to the person you were previously speaking to. Is this genuine, or is this part of the scam? > 2. You should always check whether the number is banks or not. Simply ask them to call from an officially verifiable number and hang up. This used to be used by the scammers, because in the UK phonecalls were not cleared until the caller disconnected the call. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/may/23/credit-card-users-phone-call-courier-scam https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/may/23/credit-card-us... > The fraudster suggests the victim hangs up in order to call the bank back and ensure the call is genuine. However, the fraudster stays on the line, keeping it open. They then play a recording of a dial tone so that when the victim picks up their handset again they think they are really calling their bank. The entire point of the post is that people say "I could always spot a scam", and maybe that's true, but it probably isn't which is why social engineering is so powerful

DanBC 7y ago

It's not different from any other scam, that's the point. Let's look at the thing you've said would be reassuring. The scammer calls you. You say you're going to call them back on a number that you get from the Internet. They give you the number, but you don't believe them. You hang up. You double check that against some mail you happen to have, and the same number is printed on that letter. You pick up the phone, get a dial tone, and dial the number, and are connected to a receptionist who then transfers your call to the person you were previously speaking to. Is this genuine, or is this part of the scam? > 2. You should always check whether the number is banks or not. Simply ask them to call from an officially verifiable number and hang up. This used to be used by the scammers, because in the UK phonecalls were not cleared until the caller disconnected the call. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/may/23/credit-card-users-phone-call-courier-scam https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/may/23/credit-card-us... > The fraudster suggests the victim hangs up in order to call the bank back and ensure the call is genuine. However, the fraudster stays on the line, keeping it open. They then play a recording of a dial tone so that when the victim picks up their handset again they think they are really calling their bank. The entire point of the post is that people say "I could always spot a scam", and maybe that's true, but it probably isn't which is why social engineering is so powerful