TheMoonBnuuy
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Normally I wouldn't post something like this but it's a new angle that I haven't seen before.
First of all, Amazon wouldn't use a third party URL shortener. Second of all I've literally never received a text from Amazon, EVER. Third, if I did receive a text from Amazon, I'd expect it to come from one of those non-phone number numbers. Fourth, every time they've sent me a security message (always email) they addressed me by my government name before using any second person pronouns.
Be skeptical of alerts, especially if they don't include your real name or information you know they'd actually have and a scammer likely wouldn't. Even then, if you trust a security alert, don't trust links in the security alert. Instead go to the official website directly, change your password, and verify your info hasn't been changed. Also it doesn't hurt to change the password of the email address associated with that website, just in case.
ProfessorHerpDerp
I enjoy getting scam texts because 1) I use a flip phone and 2) I have outgoing texts turned off. Unfortunately most of mine are some variant of "Hey is that home you listed still for sale?".
sloomoo
Got a text earlier this month (October) that said my contract was ready to sign and helpfully provided a link.
GermanSausagesAreTheWurst
As a small business owner with a phone number on a website, I get a lot of scam calls and texts. But they have really ramped it up for the past month or so. It seems like the election season is a great time for scammers.
bokodasu
There was a couple weeks where I was getting 2-3 texts from "USPS" every day. Right now I'm getting 9 emails a day about how my Netflix is ending (I don't have Netflix) and yesterday I got 14 about SiriusXM, so I guess the scammers all think they're getting in on the ground floor of that one.
janeQdoe
I actually appreciate these kinds of posts because the older I get, the more isolated. I'm less likely to compare with friends scams I've seen.
TheMoonBnuuy
It's people like you I posted it for.
If I can clue even one person in, I've done my job.
Two rules will keep you safe.
1: If they seek contact out with you unbidden, don't trust anything in the message
2: Go to the actual source to confirm and don't trust anything in the message about how to contact the source.
Cilvaa
I'm an IT admin at my work and one of my duties is managing all the spam that hits our Zendesk and makes its way into a ticket (rather than Zendesk's spam filter catching it). I see so much of it, they keep inventing new tactics. I've seen a lot lately where they hijack legitimate business's mailboxes and use them to send spam. And in some cases going into the sent items and forwarding one, and putting their message crap at the top; as that email chain has been through authentication already.
Netjerenbau
There's a common one doing the rounds here in the UK threatening action if your parking fine isn't paid. I used to get them claiming to be from banks I've never been with.
AyatollahBahloni
I hate scammers with the fury of a thousand blue-hot suns.
neilwatkinsfromaccounting
This clip explains pretty well how to look out for scams like this https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=MFFIBn-fm0G8ZXQW
lp12345
Yes, his videos are always so helpful! I’ve shared them with so many people.
evilklownz
Great video. Very informative. Thanks.
habenerohn2718
Hey, I got one of these only it said it was the Post Office, not Amazon.
numlocks
Sometimes I get emails from sellers of somerthing I bought. Be like "You liked that toilet brush you bought? Try these oven mitts I sell!"
smax410
If you’re getting a text, phone call, or email relating to anything like this, you always, ALWAYS go directly to the website or direct customer service line.
TheMoonBnuuy
exactly
AWildPandaAppears
I keep getting random DocuSign emails from scammers. They just keep on sending them over and I keep ignoring the shit out of them.
erikleorga
I still see scam emails coming to my 24(ish) year old Yahoo account that throw the Nigerian Prince scam. Or the one saying "wire xxx dollars of food faith money to get your inheritance".
Do people still fall for these?
Toqom
My mom fell for it, luckily I changed her password a minute later
UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA
One time, i got a scam email, but I'm the real mail. It had an unsubscribe link and everything.
allyouneedtodoisbreathe
*Especially* if sounds like something super urgent. It's a social engineering trick to make people engage but also forget about common sense.
ForlornHopeful
As always, never click on the links. If it's a genuine message it'll be available through the app or on their website.
gobblinal
Lately I have been seeing "There is a problem with your credit card starting with XXXX ...." Do people not realize that ALL credit cards from specific banks/what-have-you start with the same 4 digits? It's the LAST 4 digits that are used to identify a card as uniquely yours.
xj4low
According to my spam email, my netflix payment has been declined, I have an amazon package that is going to be sent back, my SiriusXM payment didn't go through and will be canceled yesterday, and my Mcafee virus protection expired on the 9th. I don't have any of these things. Never have except amazon (all packages received, and netflix we are currently watching).
dashers
My twenty year old phone number and low level of scamming validates my view that you shouldn't share your mobile with companies.
baals
It's a numbers game, if one out of 100,000 fall for it and they sent out a billion emails....
NappaTheFriendlyGhost
My wife's viagra order needs verification apparently.
certainlynotaserialkiller
I love it when they call me about subscriptions and stuff that i have. All that stuff is in her name but with my phone number listed. so anyone that calls me and not asking for her is a scammer.
xj4low
I'm on spam call list for Medicare/Medicaid and get calls from people from India. They never verify my info which is required for insurance-related calls. I usually ask them for what the scam is or ask if they could just pass me to their closer. They will start calling me names in a different language. It's funny.
certainlynotaserialkiller
Lots of bhenchod i assume...
algavinn
Don't forget your package is going to be returned to the sender if you dont give us your blood type and pictures of your asshole or something.
sirclesam
Don't forget your USPS package that had insufficient address info to be delivered (but they somehow have your phone number?)
TheFastpaws
My number a few years ago got sold by services I literally need to live. Since then it has been hell. Every other day is lots of idiots from India all in a group trying to convince me USPS has packages for me.
TheMoonBnuuy
Yeah I've gotten those... It even comes from a phone number in India... Like why would the USPS be sending text messages from India? And they don't even HAVE my phone number. They BARELY have any way of knowing my name and address given they don't exactly keep records of those things. Tracking is done through anonymized tracking info. The name on the package is so someone at the address knows who the recipient is.
UnluckyScarecrow
I get so many scam calls, when a real government agency phoned me and read my personal details off to me I went into panic mode and started locking accounts and cards
IHaveGreatKittenRecipes
I got a call from the actual IRS (US tax folks) once and I spent about 10 minutes trying to convince the guy he was some shithead scammer. Whoopsie. He took it in good humour and we sorted out why he called in the first place (followup on a letter I hadn't seen yet cause I hadn't been home to check my damn mail) but still.
SodomySnake
Does anybody reputable use link shorteners? I've only ever seen them in the shady corners of the internet, and scam texts, but I gather it might also be a social media thing? It's an immediate red flag for me, anyway.
anteyeclimbaxe
Companies that send legit links to things via SMS often have to use them to fit a usable URL into a text message with enough characters available for a useful message. It all depends on context. That said, if you have your own domain, it's not that difficult to set up your own shortened URLs rather than needing to use a 3rd party system.
TheMoonBnuuy
Which is why I said they'd never use a third party url shortener.
Amazon would be more likely to say like "please go to amazon.com/account and make sure your address is correct"
They'd also be likely to send an email too. Or make a pop up when you visit next.
aducksayswhat
My instinct if I got a text like that which somehow passes the plausible sniff-test would be to go via the main website into my account, any important message/tracking/request for info will be there. Trouble is, people love convenience that a link likes that provides, and time pressures+loss aversion pushes our buttons so "do this now or bad things happen" works (and limited time sales do the same thing)
TheMoonBnuuy
Thing is, my love of convenience doesn't trump my hate of the inconvenience of getting hacked or scammed.
fantabuloustimewaster
Ten years ago, before character limit expansions on Twitter, when a long URL might consume an entire tweet. They always carried some risk, even if the risk was your "friend" sending a Rickroll or a goatse link. But they did serve a legit purpose. I recently found an old document where I had used several tinyurls, and I was shocked at how long it's been since I had seen one.
ToSisPoS
If companies really cared they would have staff to directly email customers to properly debunk each new scam.
Dear “your name”, a recent email (screencap) claiming to be us is trying to (scam you this way). Just remember that we would include your name and your account number in an official email from us. And we would never ask you to give us your personal information in return.”
TheMoonBnuuy
they sometimes do that, but thanks to spam blockers and an IT pro bias that "this looks obviously like a scam to me therefore it does to everyone" can lead to that not happening.
ToSisPoS
Never seen it once. Since a lot of E-Mail scams all seem to use the exact same template it would be great if the actual company could address it to their customers.
TheMoonBnuuy
It only really happens when it becomes a sufficient enough problem that affects enough people that it can't be considered a few isolated incidents.
Happened I think twice with Second Life.
mustbethedragon
I got the same message today!
TheMoonBnuuy
yeah I think it's a new one that isn't hitting the spam filters yet
ClarkKentfield
Oh the laughs we have,...I get this weekly, (UPS) We are trying to delivery a package,...please confirm your address.
ydwyrd
With the most painfully obvious fake URL you've ever seen in your life.
magic8balls
The quality of the scam is poor, similarly, I got this awful attempt this week. Some poor old folk or someone will fall for these though 😭
Misora
I'm really proud of my mom that she got one of these and laughed and was like yeah no I'm not falling for that. She's turning 72 next week. We also have pass codes in case anybody calls pretending to be me to ask for money.
TheMoonBnuuy
Glad I'll never be one of those old folks who falls for a scam. I'd be all "pah, damn foreign whippersnappers don't know it's called a business day, you can't fool me!"
magic8balls
Them goddamn whippermotherfuckers might not be from the US, like me, in the UK where it's a working day. I reckon you'd be rather easily snared 😂
JellyGlonut
The text scammers are getting so lazy and super easy to spot. It’s the phone call scammers people keep falling for.
CerisCinderwolf
That's what I don't get. It's basic logic that anyone calling you can lie or tell you the truth about who they are- you have no way to know unless you call the number on your actual bill/physical bank card/etc... yet so many people don't exercise that common sense. :/
TheMoonBnuuy
"Hi, I'm calling about your vehicle's extended warranty."
"Oh, cool I didn't know it had one. What a pleasant surprise."
"Just to confirm, what is your vehicle's year, make, and model?"
"Do you want like the manufacturer's internal model number, or the name they sold it as?"
"What they sold it as."
TheMoonBnuuy
"It's a vintage 1988 Kawasaki Police 1000"
*click*
they just hang up at the word "police", doesn't even matter that no police department in America has a vehicle THAT OLD active on the force.
evilklownz
In Canada we use postal codes, not zip codes like the scammers keep asking for. Lazy buggers.
onlyhalfghost
I keep getting scammers pretending to be temp job agencies. I respond that I'm happily employed selling toe sucking videos.
Triatticus
I got that USPS scam text one time...but they didn't even bother to hide it was a mass text, so I just had a scam text and a heck of a lot of numbers attached as recipients. I already knew it was a scam but they weren't even trying there 🤣
TheMysteriousTraveller
I saw a scammer talking about the scam once, and they said that they didn't want to make the scams more sophisticated, because their target market was the unsophisticated. A terrible set up weeds out the people smart enough to see through it, and leaves them with the truly gullible.
cyrusthevyrus
Check out the phone number on this text I got from the "U.S. Postal Service", lol
crusadurus
I get messages like that alot. its been a couple months tho, i see 1 in my spam folder from sept 14th. guess the filters getting better and my # prob rotated off their active list for now.
Thisisabigmistake
Doesn't your phone automatically filter out scams? I never see these texts
TheMoonBnuuy
it does, but such systems rely on people who receive them and report them, until it's entered into the system with enough reports the system won't filter it... i reported it
Thisisabigmistake
I think maybe once a year, I get something through on my pixel
DocBeeblebrox
Oh that sucks, btw I can get you removed from all scam SMS lists, normally I'd do that for $20 but today since you've had this I can do it for $5. Just send me an image of both sides of your credit card and your SSN for identity verification, along with a proof of address. My guarantee: if you receive another scam text within 30 days, you get double your money back ($40). Deal?
Teddygramslam
ChrisGegi
Good evening. Even if this for fun you violated the law. We have to get your real name and adress so you hear from us soon. You could avoid this struggle if you pay 200 right away. Please let us know what it should be. P.S. as im some kind of fun maker myself you could send me 50 and i take the issue away.
Anaphriel
Extended warranty? How can I lose?
onlyhalfghost
ah, you've reinvented the various services that literally just charge you to give them your PII so they can "get it deleted"
HonestCommentFarmer
Do you accept gift cards?
CoinedWatcher
Sure, but I'm currently locked out of my account, if you just send me some gift cards I will be able to access my bank to send it to you
DocBeeblebrox
Sure I'll go and buy some gift cards, lemme just redeem them real quick...
(h/t kitboga)
TheMoonBnuuy
you've got yourself a deal
usingYourMomAsAHat
Thats very nice of you. Here's my bank-account password aswell since I obviously can trust you with it: Broke4Ev3r$$
Itslukus
Password: Webothbr0k3!
MeowWoof
NGL, you had me for like a sentence and a half.
PileOfWalthers
The company I work for just went TO Crowdstrike, like the week after their disaster, proving once again there's no such thing as bad publicity, or a lack of suckers.
Xenarion
Wow. WOW.
Nalianna
Flew with Malaysian airlines shortly after they lost 2 planes.Friends thought i was mad ."Can you imagine how careful their pilots are now?"
Xenarion
That one makes more sense.
HonHomes
"What's the odds of them cocking up like that again?" - your boss, probably
aslum
PileOfWalthers
Let me just check something real quick... ah yes. "Their office is 9 miles from ours and we're all going golfing together" - my boss's boss, probably
sleepinggreenidea
"You only see a fuckup that bad once in a century" "So you're saying they're not gonna fuck up again for 100y? Sign me up!!!"
SheepySleepySmuggler
Yes, it really is that good. I accept that their outage was painful and it took the best part of a day for us to recover, but I've been through this with at least 5 other security products excluding McAfee.
PileOfWalthers
No it isn’t. It’s feel good garbage for inept middle managers.
thotterpop
Well, I didn't know there was a disaster. Also, I'm guessing i the disaster was with crowdstrike (is that like GoFundMe?), and not your company
Xenarion
Did you hear the story a few months ago about a bunch of websites and internet-based services going down all at once? Even airports got affected. Well, that was all caused by Crowdstrike. They pushed an update that make all impacted computers unable to start, and couldn't be resolved remotely because the computers couldn't start.
PileOfWalthers
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/business/microsoft-outage-cause-azure-crowdstrike.html
dragoonwraith
I remain incensed that it kept getting reported as a Microsoft or Windows problem; it was a problem with the Windows version of Crowdstrike’s product, Microsoft had absolutely nothing to do with it. Not that I’m crying for Microsoft, but holy fuck it’s so misleading, done intentionally in a desperate grab for more clicks, and it directly harms the public’s understanding of the modern world. Yes, our entire economy/society can get fucked over because a company you’ve never heard of fucked up.