More bitcoin idiocy
Fortunately I have, so far, not been attracted to get rich quick or Bit coin offers.
whereas I do not have £800k in readies my house and savings probably amount to £900k
Fortunately I am happy my investments are low yeald and with reputable companies
I used to invest in stocks and shares but ONLY ones recommended by people I know or Martin Lewis.
So overall I do not feel I'm a risk taker and am happy with my lot....
Moral is expect the worse, it will probably happen..
whereas I do not have £800k in readies my house and savings probably amount to £900k
Fortunately I am happy my investments are low yeald and with reputable companies
I used to invest in stocks and shares but ONLY ones recommended by people I know or Martin Lewis.
So overall I do not feel I'm a risk taker and am happy with my lot....
Moral is expect the worse, it will probably happen..
I put him on speaker phone and made coffee and read a book as I told him I was turning on my computer, getting online, then experiencing problems connecting to their site so he could take control of my computer in order to fix my problem. He kept on telling me what to do as I did nothing but told him I was really trying to follow his instructions, he got angrier and a more belligerent. I finally told him “ Wait you said Windows? Windows? I use an Apple and don’t have Windows. You must have the wrong number.”
He lost it! I managed to place a curse on him, his family and friends as a parting gift before he hung up.
I figured every second I kept him on the line was preventing him from scamming someone else.
To another scammer I explained that my wife desperately needed to use the phone (I’m not married) and gave him my “Home Office Number” to call back immediately. It was the phone number of the RCMP fraud squad. I have no idea if he called them but like to think he did.
Last edited by albatross; 27th Mar 2022 at 15:33.
Of course it's possible CG, just as it is with shares. Shares in airlines and aerospace-related industries have been on a roller-coaster these last two years. I 've read that some believe the Winkelhoff twins ( who got the multi-hundred million $ payout from Zuckerberg after he took the idea for Fcebook ) invested those $ 000,000,000 very early in Bitcoin and could be big enough to manipulate trading.
Of course it's possible CG, just as it is with shares. Shares in airlines and aerospace-related industries have been on a roller-coaster these last two years. I 've read that some believe the Winkelhoff twins ( who got the multi-hundred million $ payout from Zuckerberg after he took the idea for Fcebook ) invested those $ 000,000,000 very early in Bitcoin and could be big enough to manipulate trading.
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Originally Posted by albatross
I finally told him “ Wait you said Windows? Windows? I use an Apple and don’t have Windows. You must have the wrong number.”
But I did have another occasion where he lost his place on the call-sheet, and called me again about 2 minutes after the previous “Sod off”. All I needed to say was “Oh, hello, you again …” before the line went dead.
However, we are deviating from Graeme’s sad tale.
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Let's play the ball, not the man, eh?
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Don't be so hard on the chap. I think he's living alone, and perhaps no-one to bounce ideas off. I'm 75, and live alone. Lots of neighbours and friends at the places I volunteer for. However, more than two days passing without speaking to anyone (happens) and I start talking to myself. I'm alone, not lonely; however loneliness can be a mental problem.
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Well said, Herod.
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Your lament about "playing the ball " would appear to be based on the fact you knew him personally, fair enough, except that the ball in question was related entirely to the apparent need to get more personal finances when millions would agree he was already more than financially secure.
I see no reason for the bank to pay out this person. They were carrying out numerous instructions from their customer, all of which were duly qualified ; far too many of these frauds are repaid when the total responsibility lies on the account holder.
Could be worth checking into the banks responsibilities as well, if they see a large transfers to a new account which is out of the ordinary perhaps they should give a call and ask some questions, maybe the bank doesn't have to... Has to be fraud so at least should be a police case and they could start digging, fraudsters belong in jail with a long sentence.
For those who enjoy baiting phone scammers (I certainly do!), there is a chap on YouTube who takes it to another level. He gives them access to a 'virtual machine' (basically an entire separate computer system running within his computer system), and then gains access to their computer, deleting whatever he wants - the ensuing anguish is very cathartic!
Anyway, bottom line for investing, crypto or traditional- use established, reputable platforms or brokers, not some random guy that contacts you and promises you rapid, ridiculous returns, realise that your capital is potentially at risk and for god's sake don't invest in meme stocks like GameStop when they're at their peak after they've been artificially pumped stratosphericly higher than the company is worth!
Oh, and just a word of warning after a few recent experiences - if anyone ever rings you and asks you to confirm personal details like DOB, account password etc, before you can continue, remind them that they rang you and could be f*cking anyone, and put the phone down. Nothing is ever that urgent.
Anyway, bottom line for investing, crypto or traditional- use established, reputable platforms or brokers, not some random guy that contacts you and promises you rapid, ridiculous returns, realise that your capital is potentially at risk and for god's sake don't invest in meme stocks like GameStop when they're at their peak after they've been artificially pumped stratosphericly higher than the company is worth!
Oh, and just a word of warning after a few recent experiences - if anyone ever rings you and asks you to confirm personal details like DOB, account password etc, before you can continue, remind them that they rang you and could be f*cking anyone, and put the phone down. Nothing is ever that urgent.
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" and put the phone down"
There's an even better response on a mobile.
If you don't recognise the number, don't answer . Those that are genuine will leave a voicemail message so you can simply call them back.
Being a bit thick, this seems to work very well for me. Along with checking and blocking the number if no message is left.
There's an even better response on a mobile.
If you don't recognise the number, don't answer . Those that are genuine will leave a voicemail message so you can simply call them back.
Being a bit thick, this seems to work very well for me. Along with checking and blocking the number if no message is left.
I'm not sure if it has been happening in the UK, but for some years there have been fairly unsophisticated telephone scams perpetrated in Germany, where a crook phones up someone and pretends to be their grandson/daughter ( victims are selected by those with old-fashioned names in phone-book, therefore likely to be elderly ). They then spin a story about being in a car accident and need to pay a fine to stay out of jail and it seems this often works. There was one particular gang that pulled this stunt and consisted of second or third-generation German/Turks who were based in Turkey - may have been arrested.
Last edited by Tartiflette Fan; 28th Mar 2022 at 13:38.
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For those who enjoy baiting phone scammers (I certainly do!), there is a chap on YouTube who takes it to another level. He gives them access to a 'virtual machine' (basically an entire separate computer system running within his computer system), and then gains access to their computer, deleting whatever he wants - the ensuing anguish is very cathartic!
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For sheer entertainment, Kitboga keeps them going for days, using voice changing software to hold conversations with himself and multiple scammers for days at a time - I'm sure the record I've seen was a total of 36 hours spread over several days, leading them on for hours at a time till they eventually guessed who he was and gave up. If you have the time, it's hilarious to watch. He also has entire fake websites and banks setup where it looks like he has millions in savings just to get them more interested and unwilling to give up...