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Good ol' 1/1/11, never fails. That's right, I'm 105 years old and using the internet. Prove I'm not!
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# ? Feb 18, 2025 10:20 |
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Lutha Mahtin posted:Another thing like this is when there's a website that has an article I need for something, but they hide it behind a free account login. So I fill out all the account information with fake stuff; like, I'm sure there are quite a few Lutha Mahtin accounts here and there around the web that were logged into exactly once, and then were logged out a few minutes later. The problem is when you have another instance where that site has some page you want to see, and you try and sign up again only to see "that email address is already in use". Then I go to the password recovery system and it asks me "what's your birthdate"? Oh, looks like I must have just picked a random birthdate when I signed up the first time. Looks like the person who got scammed this time....is me That's why you pick a consistent fake birthday, obviously!
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Captain Bravo posted:That's when you start a throwaway hotmail account with more fake information, to register with the site again! Gmail has a neat trick for this. Messages to account+1@gmail.com, account+spam@gmail.com, account+somethingawful@gmail.com and account+blabla@gmail.com will all end up in the inbox of account@gmail.com.
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I recently got called up by a telemarketer who pushed a magazine that supports a hotline for bullied kids. The scammy part is that the hotline is only barely open and run by completely untrained people. The company printing the magazine pockets the vast majority of the profit from their overpriced mag but presents their operation as charity. Since you do receive a poorly edited quarterly magazine, it's technically not fraud though. I told the guy to go gently caress himself. Of all kinds of frauds, charity frauds are the worst.
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Jasper Tin Neck posted:I recently got called up by a telemarketer who pushed a magazine that supports a hotline for bullied kids.
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I'm in Italy right now and I keep getting people pushing these stupid string bracelets on me. Like the dudes literally put a bracelet on my shoulder as I'm walking by and then grab my arm when I ignore them and keep telling me "it's free it's free." Whatever I just keep ignoring them and walking away. Sometimes I see them approaching me with a hand full of bracelets and I stick out my hand and start saying no and they've generally gotten the idea. Like I get the general idea of this scam but how exactly does it work out? According to Google they should tie it on my wrist and then demand money for the bracelet. How does it go from them telling me repeatedly that it's free to "give me money now?"
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Boris Galerkin posted:I'm in Italy right now and I keep getting people pushing these stupid string bracelets on me. Like the dudes literally put a bracelet on my shoulder as I'm walking by and then grab my arm when I ignore them and keep telling me "it's free it's free." Whatever I just keep ignoring them and walking away. Sometimes I see them approaching me with a hand full of bracelets and I stick out my hand and start saying no and they've generally gotten the idea. I'd check here for a great list of European tourist scams: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams
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I read that already. I can understand if the dudes just chatted me up and started putting the bracelet on and then tell me it's 20€. But my experience all day has been more like "here's a free bracelet." Now I've never let it go any further than that so I just don't know how it goes from "here's a free bracelet" to "lol changed my mind it's 20€."
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Boris Galerkin posted:But my experience all day has been more like "here's a free bracelet." Now I've never let it go any further than that so I just don't know how it goes from "here's a free bracelet" to "lol changed my mind it's 20€." It's the standard strategy to make the mark feel uncomfortable enough that they'd rather part with some money, rather than risk this stranger getting angry with them or feeling like they are causing a "scene". The bracelet trick has the bonus that the scammer can tie it on to someone's wrist in such a way that it is difficult for the mark to remove it themselves. And targeting tourists is always good, because scammers can imply that this is a normal thing in this culture and that the mark is committing a faux pas.
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Jasper Tin Neck posted:I recently got called up by a telemarketer who pushed a magazine that supports a hotline for bullied kids.
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Boris Galerkin posted:I read that already. When I was in Milan they would talk about how they're trying to visit their family at home and just need some money for transportation to the airport, they already have a ticket, something like that. They usually have a decent back story. Then when you don't give them money they yell at you that you need to pay x€ for the bracelet you just bought and they tell that you're stealing and hope it embarrasses you into just giving them money to stop the scene. Outside the duomo was the worst, they would just grab your wrist and start putting tying it on. I'm pretty sure the best move is to get some sunglasses and ignore them.
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Read this yesterday... still seems a bit odd regardless of what the author says. Either way it's interesting to read 'I'm aware of the scams and I went along with it anyway' and I'm sure plenty of people will now read this and fall for scams themselves. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160601-the-moroccan-scam-that-wasnt
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Like I said upthread, it's a mugging with props.
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cheerfullydrab posted:Like I said upthread, it's a mugging with props. did you actually read the link or are you just patting yourself on the back for some weird reason
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EL BROMANCE posted:Read this yesterday... still seems a bit odd regardless of what the author says. Either way it's interesting to read 'I'm aware of the scams and I went along with it anyway' and I'm sure plenty of people will now read this and fall for scams themselves. I've been through similar things in a few different countries (although never invited to a wedding, usually just for dinner or drinks or something) and I've never been scammed*. In fact, sometimes I've felt bad because people have bought me drinks or dinner and I haven't had the chance to reciprocate properly. Most people really aren't out to get you, no matter where you are in the world. * EDIT: Not true, I did get scammed one time based of a "come have a drink in this bar" and you get the tourist menu with insane prices. That was the worst of it.
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Boris Galerkin posted:I read that already. So is your whole arm just covered in bracelets right now?
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drunk asian neighbor posted:did you actually read the link or are you just patting yourself on the back for some weird reason It can be both!
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If you go to a scam bar, is it possible to go out for a smoke and then just never come back in? I don't know how bars work across the pond.
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many johnnys posted:If you go to a scam bar, is it possible to go out for a smoke and then just never come back in? This was in Cuba, so I didn't want to gently caress around too much (and it cost me $6 extra or so, which is not an amount I'm prepared to get pissed off over, when you get right down to it, even though it was about four times what I should've paid). Arguably it wasn't a "scam" so much as a hustle. I got the drink I ordered (after being convinced to order that specific drink), and I paid the price that was on the menu.
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PT6A posted:This was in Cuba, so I didn't want to gently caress around too much (and it cost me $6 extra or so, which is not an amount I'm prepared to get pissed off over, when you get right down to it, even though it was about four times what I should've paid). Arguably it wasn't a "scam" so much as a hustle. I got the drink I ordered (after being convinced to order that specific drink), and I paid the price that was on the menu. Fair enough, if it's six bucks it's not worth the trouble. But I figure, what are they gonna do if you grab a smoke and then just disappear? Yeah yeah, I'm suuure the cops are really interested in someone walking out of a scambar, and will care a whole lot about finding some tourist who may not even be in the city the next day.
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many johnnys posted:Fair enough, if it's six bucks it's not worth the trouble. But I figure, what are they gonna do if you grab a smoke and then just disappear? Yeah yeah, I'm suuure the cops are really interested in someone walking out of a scambar, and will care a whole lot about finding some tourist who may not even be in the city the next day.
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London still had a bunch of 'clip joint' bars running pulling the exact same scam even up to a few years ago, possibly even now. Authorities say they wanted them closed in the early 2000s but didn't really do a good job of it as you can still find stories of them operating a bunch of years later. So even in the English speaking world you can't always escape this poo poo it seems.
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If you're in your home country and go to a clip joint, you could always say you need to go to the ATM, then enter the wrong number and have it eat your card. It would be inconvenient but it might be enough to make them let you go. I'd rather not go into one in the first place, though.many johnnys posted:Fair enough, if it's six bucks it's not worth the trouble. But I figure, what are they gonna do if you grab a smoke and then just disappear? If I were running a scam, I'd either come out for some fresh air/a smoke with you, or nod to the bouncer outside to make sure this doesn't happen.
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House Louse posted:If you're in your home country and go to a clip joint, you could always say you need to go to the ATM, then enter the wrong number and have it eat your card. It would be inconvenient but it might be enough to make them let you go. I'd rather not go into one in the first place, though. ![]() This is not how ATMs work. If you put in the wrong PIN it says "Hey, wrong PIN" and gives you back your card and tells you to try again.
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WampaLord posted:
After enough wrong PINs it will make you reset your pin with the bank, at least in Canada.
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WampaLord posted:
I've seen machines that swallow the card after three errors or that will block it.
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I know of some that will eat the card if the person is too dumb to take it out after they're done so that the next person that comes up doesn't steal it, but none that eat it for wrong PINs.
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Bank ATMs will eat the card sometimes but not the crappy little freestanding ones you usually see in (USA) bars.
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ATM's in cash-only bars are a scam in and of themselves.
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WampaLord posted:
Yes, but if you get it wrong three times it'll eat the card. In the UK anyway; maybe it's different where you are.
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Many pages ago someone asked why scammers still say that they're from Nigeria. Sadly, I can't find the source right now, but a theory is that stating that they're Nigerian immediately allows them to decrease false positives. Since scammers want to avoid investing a lot of time on people who will not fall for the con, it's better to just appeal to idiots from the very beginning. If they start talking to you, they're probably going to fall.
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Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria? e: it's actually a pretty interesting paper that has implications for many diverse fields
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EL BROMANCE posted:Read this yesterday... still seems a bit odd regardless of what the author says. Either way it's interesting to read 'I'm aware of the scams and I went along with it anyway' and I'm sure plenty of people will now read this and fall for scams themselves. While that does sound like he had a fun night, it also suspiciously sounds like the foreign equivalent of a pig party. Especially the "Old man warns him to be careful" and "Everyone laughs as he enters the room." I bet tricking stupid foreigners to wear a funny robe and make a fool of themselves is a pretty hilarious, and harmless, good time. ![]()
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House Louse posted:Yes, but if you get it wrong three times it'll eat the card. In the UK anyway; maybe it's different where you are. Except you'll have a heavily muscled guy escort you to the ATM and the second time you 'forget' your PIN he applies some rubber hose cryptanalysis until you 'remember' it properly...
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The bracelet scam, like all the other push-something-in-your-hand scams, is essentially "hey I gave you something for free because I am welcoming ![]() ![]() Personally, if they are polite I just wave them away with a smile. If they are pushy I get in their face and tell them to get lost. Never touch anything that is offered in that way and just walk away.
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You people who let random strangers engage with you on the street are quite confusing to me. Are you just super polite all the time or something?
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If you don't live in a big city, you might not be that used to encountering strangers on a street, and probably don't know how to deflect them. Doubly so if you're in a country and don't know how common/uncommon it might be for strangers to talk to you.
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Pryor on Fire posted:You people who let random strangers engage with you on the street are quite confusing to me. Are you just super polite all the time or something? I talk to strangers on the street all the time. You know the "don't talk to strangers" things only apply when you're a kid, right?
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I mean on the one hand you may get scammed if you engage with strangers, on the other hand you could completely ignore when people are talking to you, and you look like a douche, plus you may get punched in the back of the head for it.
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# ? Feb 18, 2025 10:20 |
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I just walk down the street with both hands up, middle fingers blazing, and turn towards every person I see to give them the full salute. Is that not what everyone does?
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