Apparently I'm a sucker. There's one born every minute they say.

[The Folk Prophet]

So...another path down a scammer's scammy scam...much further than I wish I'd gone.

Another, you ask?

Why yes. Another.

I don't remember if I've shared this before, so forgive me if so.

Maybe months ago I had a phone call come through and the caller ID says, "Utah County Sherriff's office". So I answered it and....

Well...before I complete the story...it wasn't the Sherriff's office, and there were MANY signs that it wasn't. But.... the caller ID sold me. And once sold....

So the guy introduces himself as officer something or what-have-you and then tells me they've been trying to reach me because I have a warrant out for missing jury duty. He texts me the warrant...which was for a ridiculous amount (I can't remember, but something like $40,000), and then tells me I need to pay a refundable deposit on it or they would have to come and physically arrest me. And it can't be a credit card (of course). It's 10%...so $4000. But it's refundable after I get it resolved...it's just to keep me from getting physically arrested. And it has to be paid in person at the Sherriff's office. And he has to stay on the phone with me while I drive to the Sherriff's office (or, once again, they'll immediately come for my physical arrest.)

I'll interject here... I was shaking scared. This guy was GOOD. And, like I said... the caller ID.

So onward with the story. I get in my car and drive, but... I have to stop at the bank for the money (no problem he says...). About every 2 minutes he pipes up wanting a status report. Where are you now? Etc. How far out are you? Etc.

So I get the money from the bank...and then he says the quickest way to clear the warrant is to pay the deposit at a "bonding" machine... which...the closest one too me looks like it's at the Smiths.... So I drive to the Smith's parking lot.

Okay, in the meantime my wife is frantically texting me..."This doesn't feel right." But I wouldn't hear it. I was scared. They were going to arrest me. Etc. But then.... she finally texts me. "My dad called the city offices. The Sherriff dept. doesn't handle jury duty warrants." I still wasn't convinced. He had explicitly said it was a Federal trial and so-forth. So the city wouldn't know.... or something like that I'd convinced myself of... but....the crack appeared and, finally, I got a wee bit suspicious. So I (sitting in the Smith's parking lot), looked up 2 things on the internet. 1. The sherriff's office number, and 2. Bonding machine at Smiths. As I was doing this the guy pipes in "What's going on?" To which I reply, "I'm contacting the Sherriff's office to verify." He almost yells back, "This IS the Sherriff's office." And I hung up on him.

Now...I would like to say that when I hung up on him I didn't have the feelings of dread and fear that I'd just assured my arrest and etc.... but I did. Regardless, I called the Sherriff's office and... yep... turns out that's who my father-in-law had called too. And they don't do that. There was no warrant for my arrest. Etc.

Then I looked up the bonding machines and.... they're for buying bitcoin. Bitcoin!!! Are you freaking kidding me?
 

Now...I would like to think that I'm smart enough that if I'd actually gone into Smiths to pay the "bond" and seen that it was bitcoin I would have known and been done with it, at the very least, by that point. But.... I went WAY further down the path of belief than I should have. First of all....they wouldn't call. They'd knock. Second. $40,000? For missing jury duty? (It might have been more. I can't remember. It was ridiculous.) Can't use a credit card? Have to stay on the phone and check in every minute. Threats of physical arrest. Giving me an "easier" way out by going to Smiths?

That, of course, is weighed against the STINKING caller ID that said Utah County Sherriff's Dept. or something, Fear of being arrested, convincing acting (it wasn't some guy with an Indian accent or the like), and...the fact that they were sending me to the Sherriff's office (they introduced the idea of paying at a "bonding" machine later).

It's embarrassing. But that's the story. (Once again, if I've shared it before, I apologize).

So...today:

I bought an Echo Show 21 for my wife. (That I did mention in another thread.) It was having some issues with bluetooth disconnecting in certain circumstances that seemed software related. Well...just contacting Amazon tech support is... well... let's say not easy (or my A.D.D. means it is easy but I can't figure it out). But they had a link for "asking the community" in the forums, which I've seen, at other times, is often answered by an Amazon associate. So I posted my question there:

Shortly thereafter, I got a message as follows:

Amazon Chat Support Agent 771
Please click "Chat Now" to connect with Amazon customer Support.
Click Here

So I (thoughtlessly, because... you know...expectations were set...Amazon associates reply and help here...which is just what happened....) clicked.

And...sure enough...chat window. Legit looking. How can I help you today?

So I explain my problem. They confirm my identity with my phone and email associated with my account (whoops), and then ask for my serial number for the device. I say it's attached to a mount and the SN is covered. Do I need to unmount it?

No... are you at your computer? Okay...I'm sending you a link.

And... a link comes through the chat that's an .exe file.

I literally replied, "No way, no how am I clicking on that." And then said the same to the guy. He told me...something...but I said "no...I'm not clicking on a link that give access to my computer. Why do you need access to my computer anyhow?" Now I would have been on the verge of hanging up...but he says, casually, "No biggie. It's just on the same network and allows us to troubleshoot. But we don't need it." Okay...so he's not pushing it...so maybe it was legit (I'm still not clicking on that thing!). And I told him I didn't even know if I was speaking with Amazon. I noted (at that point) that the url of the chat window wasn't even Amazon, but was a google address. He said it was just the tool being used (in retrospect...yeah...right. Amazon is using google? Give me a break...but in the moment... I let it go enough to stay on the call.)

So he has me remove the mount and get him my serial number (in retrospect... whoops)... and then has me reset the device. And.... he doesn't seem very familiar with it... I have to explain what buttons it has.... but... you know...that's not uncommon. He's just some guy in India (this one had an Indian accent) who they hired on the cheap an run him through scripts.... so I'm still not hanging up. But he has me reset the device (turn it off and back on again) and then try again. Which...of course didn't fix it. I'd tried that already. So he says that he'll need to escalate the issue to the development team and someone would call me back.

Which someone won't, I now realize.

Dang it! It wasn't until after the fact that I concluded it was a scam. I mean like 2 seconds after the call. As soon as the stress (minor stress, but stress still) of being on the call left... duh. I was being scammed.

I only gave out my phone, email, and serial number of the machine. Which ticks me off...but.... you know...plenty of scam emails and phone calls come through. I'm pretty good at ignoring them (unless the caller ID says it's the Sherriff...apparently... But lesson learned on that. Here's the deal. I DON'T ANSWER MY PHONE. EVER! Leave a message! (which...to be fair...that's what happened with the "Sherriff". They left a message, but the caller ID...and the message that sounded like the Sherriff's office.... I called them back. Argh.) I digress.

But I don't trust my Show 21 now. I don't know how compromised someone having the SN makes it. But there's a possibility that it means they could hack it. So it's being returned.

The summary.

Apparently I'm a sucker. Let your con-men friends know. They can easily find my number and email because I keep giving them out to other con-men.

[LDSGator]

8 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Apparently I'm a sucker. Let your con-men friends know.

Can I borrow 50$ FP? It won’t go to anything productive, but at least it saves you the indignity of losing it in another scam.

In all seriousness- be careful out there, and don’t be too hard on yourself. All of us have been duped before and have played the mark. 

[Backroads]

My husband had the sheriff's call a few months' back. He was trying to be smart. He was looking up the guy's name.

Now, my brother makes his side money from a scam-bait YouTube channel. He gets and shares a lot of the good stuff. When my husband was on the phone for this guy for thirty minutes, not letting me get a word in (scammers talk), I was suspicious.

Finally my husband says he needs to go and withdraw money. I finally figured out what was happening and had to pull up a declaration on the computer of how the sheriff's department works before my husband calmed down.

Our first clue should have been the mispronunciation of Weber County, to be honest.

But my husband is smart and has dealt with scammers. But scammers just amp it up.

 

[Carborendum]

Someone called me saying they were from my insurance company. 

--Which one?

Your insurance company.

-- Which one?

Click.

Edited January 28 by Carborendum

[zil2]

Folks, however suspicious you are of strangers who call, text, or email you, it's not enough.  For the record: The sheriff, your insurance company, the bank, the IRS, and everyone else is a stranger!   Even if you've known the person for years and think you recognize their voice - the minute money, accounts, addresses, etc. get involved - they're a stranger!

[NeuroTypical]

@The Folk Prophet, thanks for sharing.  It happens to too many people.

The worst I did was open a Craigslist ad with my real phone number 8 years ago.  Now I routinely get at least half a dozen scam calls and texts a month.  Sometimes there's a quiet period, then it all starts up again.  Guess I'm on a potential suckers list that gets sold over and over again.

(I've also been bad at real estate deals twice, but that involved trusting the wrong agent more than getting scammed.)

 

When I saw that kindly old brother Bob from the ward had shared a picture of his driver's license on Facebook, I threw a big loud massive fit about it.  I couldn't reach him so I called his relatives, his home teachers, and the bishopric and let them all know he was in the process of being online scammed.  I think plenty of people thought I was overreacting and sticking my nose where it didn't belong.  Then a year later we had a forensics auditor come talk to us in a 5th Sunday, and I was finally vindicated.  People are so strongly against knowing stuff like this is so close.

Edited January 28 by NeuroTypical

[The Folk Prophet]

I only lost money one time. It was pretty early in the ebay world...and I sold an expensive camera lens for $1800. The person then told me they were on vacation and that's why they needed/wanted it, and asked if I could ship it to them in Europe. Sure! That's good customer service, right?

A day after I shipped it Ebay notified me that the $1800 that had been paid to me had been pulled back out of my bank account because it had been a fraud transaction, and because I hadn't followed Ebay's rules (only ship to the address on the account), I was liable.

I tried to stop the shipment...but it was already out of the country. Gone.

That was early on though, like I said. I've wizened up a lot. And yet....

[The Folk Prophet]

23 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

The worst I did was open a Craigslist ad with my real phone number 8 years ago. 

We put our car up for sale on KSL last month.

Holy....crap!

I've sold vehicles that way before. It was fine. A few dirtbags who low balled you. But overall...fine. And not that long ago. Like...I dunno...4 or 5 years back.

But now.... all I got was scams and ridiculous low-balls. It was....shocking. It's gotten SO bad.

The latest scam, apparently (of which I got 20 or more) is they show interest, even offer to come see it tomorrow to test drive, suggest they're willing to pay a good price, etc... but then they say they need a car report. Then they send you a link to pay for one (that's a reasonable price)...and I think (I didn't fall for any) you actually even get a report....but they and the money disappear then. It's numbers game scam. They hit every new car that goes up for sale.

Fortunately on that one I had heard of the scam. And, moreover, I won't run a car report when selling a car. They're useless. If someone's buying a car and wants to validate it, take it to a mechanic.

I told one of the early scammers that (not knowing it was a scam yet for sure), and he said..."I understand. Unfortunately my mechanic is out of town and I wanted to purchase before he comes back...."

I not only literally laughed out loud but replied with a "Hahahahahahah!"

My mechanic is out of town?  That was funny.

 

Edit: I had another one, when I said no to the car report (once again, early before I learned to start ignoring the obvious scripts they're using), that I was making her uncomfortable with my lack of trust. It wasn't a laugh out loud funny. But still.

Edited January 28 by The Folk Prophet

[mirkwood]

General rule, if you did not initiate the phone/text/email contact it is fake.  If you are concerned, disconnect from the conversation, look up the number for said entity and call that number and see if they are trying to reach you.

 

Police don't call and tell you that you have a warrant and if you pay a fee you are good.  We come get you and take you to jail.

[The Folk Prophet]

27 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

Police don't call and tell you that you have a warrant and if you pay a fee you are good.  We come get you and take you to jail.

Yep. But...man...that caller ID threw me. It's funny how some little thing like that can make some logic just kind of disappear because you're down the rabbit hole.

I felt really ashamed and stupid after the experience (I'm over it now). Because, you know...I'm actually a moderately smart guy.

[Carborendum]

5 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Yep. But...man...that caller ID threw me. It's funny how some little thing like that can make some logic just kind of disappear because you're down the rabbit hole.

I felt really ashamed and stupid after the experience (I'm over it now). Because, you know...I'm actually a moderately smart guy.

It happens.

I lost $500 once.  That was the last time.  Because of that burn, I've never been caught in a scam since.

[LDSGator]

18 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

elt really ashamed and stupid after the experience (I'm over it now). Because, you know...I'm actually a moderately smart guy.

Intelligence has nothing to do with it-it’s based on emotion. 

[The Folk Prophet]

31 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

Intelligence has nothing to do with it-it’s based on emotion. 

Yep. And insecurities driving those emotions.

Inside I'm still a 12-year-old kid who doesn't understand much about much.

[LDSGator]

31 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

Yep. And insecurities driving those emotions.

 

We all have them, and the ones who we think are the most put together usually are most fragile. So don’t be too hard on yourself. 

[LDSGator]

More good general advice-

-if someone says, “This is not a pyramid scheme/a scam” there’s a 99% chance it’s a scam or pyramid scheme. 
 

-if someone wants gift cards for payment, it’s a scam. 
 

-if they try to tell you you can “retire” in only a few years if you invest with them, it’s a scam. 
 

-if someone claims their company has a “secret” and are willing to share it with you to get your money, it’s a scam. 
 

there are a lot more red flags. Please add some more if you’ve encountered them. 

Edited January 28 by LDSGator

[LDSGator]

I wish the church did more to address fraud. Utah is the affinity fraud capital of the country and has a reputation for all sorts of scams. 

[mirkwood]

3 hours ago, LDSGator said:

-if they try to tell you you can “retire” in only a few years if you invest with them, it’s a scam. 

 

Uhhh....can I have my investments with you back please.

[Just_A_Guy]

7 hours ago, mirkwood said:

General rule, if you did not initiate the phone/text/email contact it is fake.  If you are concerned, disconnect from the conversation, look up the number for said entity and call that number and see if they are trying to reach you.

 

Police don't call and tell you that you have a warrant and if you pay a fee you are good.  We come get you and take you to jail.

Also, if you’re in Utah and someone says there’s a warrant for your arrest, you can check that at https://warrants.utah.gov.

[zil2]

1 hour ago, Just_A_Guy said:

Also, if you’re in Utah and someone says there’s a warrant for your arrest, you can check that at https://warrants.utah.gov.

opens a new tab... Well, just as I expected, no warrants for me. 

[Backroads]

14 hours ago, mirkwood said:

Police don't call and tell you that you have a warrant and if you pay a fee you are good.  We come get you and take you to jail.

But he says that would be too much trouble and wanted to help us get it all squared away!

[Backroads]

13 hours ago, LDSGator said:

Intelligence has nothing to do with it-it’s based on emotion. 

Yup. They don't give you time to think, they plan on the lizard brain, hit you where it hurts. I've heard of people who actively investigate scams finding themselves fooled.

And a lot of people want to trust, want to protect their food name, or maybe just find it rude or problematic to not answer the phone.

As for other types of fraud Gator mentioned, I think Utah Church members have certain weaknesses that put us in danger of being scammed. We really like our provident living. We want to prove we are successful at the commandment to work hard and provide for ourselves and others. Oh, something comes along that can get us living providently at a faster speed? (but surely not get-rich-quick because this is totally different). It certainly would be prudent to try it! Oh, and Brother So-n-So and Sister Whatsit come from good families and we don't want to hurt feelings by saying no.

Edited January 29 by Backroads

[LDSGator]

5 hours ago, Backroads said:

for other types of fraud Gator mentioned, I think Utah Church members have certain weaknesses that put us in danger of being scammed. We really like our provident living. We want to prove we are successful at the commandment to work hard and provide for ourselves and others. Oh, something comes along that can get us living providently at a faster speed? (but surely not get-rich-quick because this is totally different). It certainly would be prudent to try it! Oh, and Brother So-n-So and Sister Whatsit come from good families and we don't want to hurt feelings by saying no.

These are all excellent points. 

 

[Carborendum]

5 hours ago, Backroads said:

Yup. They don't give you time to think, they plan on the lizard brain, hit you where it hurts.

Maybe that's why I don't get fooled anymore.  My lizard brain is always angry all the time. 

Someone tells me that I owe them money, my lizard brain kicks in and says, "What?!? You think I owe you money!  Well FAT CHANCE LARDO!!!" (click).

It's the fight or flight response.  If the emotional games come up, people want to find safety. For many, that means compliance.  For me, it means rebellion.

[LDSGator]

Just some humor. 

[mordorbund]

On 1/29/2025 at 12:07 AM, zil2 said:

opens a new tab... Well, just as I expected, no warrants for me. 

Nope. None in Utah...