Social Engineering has been real the moment the internet was invented.
I myself used it a time or two when Yahoo! was the big thing for talking to people.
Comment has been collapsed.
social engineering has been a thing way before the internet tho
Comment has been collapsed.
Yes it has, usually for turning an enemy operative.
I'm merely marking the drastic increase in use once the internet hit the mainstream.
Comment has been collapsed.
Now I can use that "yes" to fake your approval with online forms! MWAHAHAHA!
Comment has been collapsed.
The "yes" thing is a new one to me. That's seriously slimy.
Comment has been collapsed.
This is going around a bit lately, and I don't think it is real. Why wouldn't the scammer just say 'yes'? See this comment from below: https://www.steamgifts.com/go/comment/jr0tr7Q
Comment has been collapsed.
I guess in retrospect that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing!
Comment has been collapsed.
what is that meme from? You can't search black guy bbc.
Comment has been collapsed.
But I really like when they call me, they're always so passionate and so interested in me...
Comment has been collapsed.
Sometimes people with foreign accents call me and tell me that they are from Microsoft and that I have a virus and that I need to do things to give them control over my computer and also pay them money. They don't seem to understand when I ask them why Microsoft are concerned about my Linux installation...
Comment has been collapsed.
tell me that they are from Microsoft and that I have a virus
why Microsoft are concerned about my Linux
To Microsoft, Linux is a virus. :P
Comment has been collapsed.
Maybe. But if they really are Microsoft and I'm supposedly one of their customers and they are getting 'suspicious messages' from my computer then I think should at least have some idea of my name before calling me. I certainly shouldn't be able to tell them that I'm Mr Pink Floyd of 1973 Dark Side Road, Moon Town and that I don't need any education regarding my internet connectivity before finally getting bored and putting the phone down.
Comment has been collapsed.
"Mr Pink Floyd of 1973 Dark Side Road, Moon Town"
I wish I was able to double withelist you, that's some god level trolling <3
Comment has been collapsed.
If it makes you feel better, that got a whitelist from me. =3
Comment has been collapsed.
Maybe Microsoft recently outsourced their customer support to Valve..?
Comment has been collapsed.
Valve customer support just send me an automated response that isn't relevant to anything and then close the ticket. I actually prefer the chat with the scammers...
Comment has been collapsed.
And in the future Windows will be a virus.
Comment has been collapsed.
I spent about 15 minutes trying to get the one who called me to tell me how they identified it was me. I never even got the chance to tell them there aren't any Windows computers in the house.
- Oh you know my IP address - can you verify it for me?
- How did you match the IP address with this phone number?
- Which computer in the house is the one with the problem?
On and on ... I had so many questions they couldn't answer!
Comment has been collapsed.
"Why are you calling me?"
"We have been getting suspicious messages from your computer."
"What kind of suspicious messages?"
"The suspicious ones."
"Can you be any more specific?"
"Very suspicious."
"I know a bit about computers and you can be technical if you want."
"The messages are in the computer code."
"Can you authenticate yourself as a Microsoft employee?"
"It would not help because some Microsoft employees are tricking people."
Sounded legit...
Comment has been collapsed.
My grandmother fell for that once and even downloaded the crap he wanted her to, but foiled the scammer completely by accident because she's so computer-dumb she couldn't figure out how to do the next step. XD
I spent four hours scouring that computer for every shred of those downloaded files and running several different malware/antivirus scans just for good measure, and I made her sit there and watch every minute of it in hopes that she'd remember and never do it again.
Comment has been collapsed.
I got one too! Except everyone in my family but me uses Macs and i was like >_> Why does Microsoft care about a bunch of Mac computers? "Oh we do Macs as well!"
I hung up.
Comment has been collapsed.
that sad man......they can't even do their homework before any scamming attemp ?
Comment has been collapsed.
It's random cold-calling. Their is nothing to "homework".
Comment has been collapsed.
This guy is in trouble, then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbmB9k2Y88
Comment has been collapsed.
OK, no more moaning and screaming "yes, yes, YES!" when a telemarketer calls me.
Got it.
Comment has been collapsed.
It's either that or, in the creepiest voice possible ... "What are you wearing?"
Or you can pick up the phone, and if they're trying to sell you auto insurance (for example), start with "Hi, I'm calling today to talk about your current auto insurance policy." Confuses the fuck out of them and they usually hang up.
Comment has been collapsed.
my vote goes to something like:
it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!
Comment has been collapsed.
I'll be taking those lines for the next time they call me. I'll be sure to credit you for them when I'm rich and famous.
Comment has been collapsed.
And thats why I never answer the phone unless I recognize the number. If its really important, they can leave a message.
Comment has been collapsed.
+1. And recently I've noticed that more of these calls (I'm assuming, since I don't answer the phone) are coming from the same area code and exchange as my home phone. It's like they have harvested a bunch of easy-to-spoof phone numbers and are calling people with the same exchange, trying to look legit. Grr.
Either that, or all of my neighbors need my help and I keep ignoring them.
Comment has been collapsed.
It's all VOIP from India. On google Voice for example, I grabbed a phone number that's my hometown area too.
Comment has been collapsed.
I just try talking dirty to them. Practice makes perfect.
Comment has been collapsed.
That widespread speaker recognition would be so expensive. I poked around and I found out that Citi bank uses speaker recognition in some areas, but even then it's overseen by a human caller, and at least several seconds of data, not just a "yes."
Comment has been collapsed.
I get these calls all the time :(
If you answer and you get someone saying
"Hi this is Josh from customer support; can you hear me?"
Just hang up. It sounds legit, but its a scam.
Comment has been collapsed.
I get calls like this, it is normally a recording - though hard to tell. I always answer with "how can I help you?" and when I get an answer to a different question, my suspicion is confirmed it is a recording and I hang up.
Comment has been collapsed.
The only guys that seem to love to call me are the telemarketers from a cellphone company that try to convince me to switch to them, the conversation always boils down to:
"Hi"
"Good day, we're calling you from edited..."
"I'm not interested, bye."
Comment has been collapsed.
I once got a call telling me I won a GA on which I never took part in the first place. They were offering like 2000$ and a week on accommodation somewhere abroad.
Comment has been collapsed.
Golden rule: if they are calling you, they are responsible to confirm your info.
Golden rule extended: Who calls is responsible to provide identification. Who receives just confirm (never corrects btw).
Comment has been collapsed.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/carjack.asp
The other scam is listed on Snopes too as "unknown," but it's difficult to think what scammers would do with a recording of your voice. It's not as if anybody you could call for the release of sensitive information verifies you by the sound of your voice or anything, they verify by various other means of personal information.
From an automated perspective, you'd be talking about speaker recognition, not just voice recognition, and current speaker recognition technology needs a lot more data than a "yes" to verify your speech. The most expensive system I can find out about seems to be able to do it to some degree with three seconds worth of data. A "yes" isn't even that.
[Edit: TLDR; what Movac said up there.]
Comment has been collapsed.
actually, there is a scam like that, but it's a little different.
Got a call from "mastercard", saying there was a promotion where you could win $100 bucks, or something like that.
They asked me to state my address, to repeat the last 4 digits of my card, and the word "yes". ~note that I caught on, and gave false information).
They then charge it, and record your voice over their questions:
"so you're buying X. what's the name on the Credit Card?"
recording of your name
"what's the address of the card?"
recording of your address
"please repeat the last 4 digits"
recording of the last 4 digits
"do you agree to pay XXX?"
recording of Yes
Comment has been collapsed.
I mean, that's not contrary to what I was saying. They aren't going to audio record that information because there's no reason to. If you're giving out your name, address, and the last four digits of your credit card, and they call up to make a charge and just /say/ the information that you told them, nobody is going to stop them because their voice doesn't sound like yours.
Comment has been collapsed.
Then instead of paying the bill I would go to court to say their company stole my identity/faked my agreement.
They say "we don't have recording", I win right away. They provide recording without my voice, I win again.
They provide recording that is cut-paste from my other conversation, then it's all in the hands of audio-exports...
Comment has been collapsed.
I get what you're saying, but that seems extremely optimistic of our justice system. Still, you're right, that's definitely something to consider when it comes to voice recordings.
Comment has been collapsed.
Stay vigilant Khalaq! Give those scammers the fight of their lives!
Comment has been collapsed.
Oh I've heard about the "yes" one! I don't often get called though and when I do, I just ignore the number if I don't recognize it. Who gets calls on their phones nowadays anyways? Right guys? Am I right? (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Comment has been collapsed.
I get phone calls..... but they're only from scammers. :(
Comment has been collapsed.
I never answer my phone, lol. Sometimes I listen to messages if they leave them and 90% of those are from Red Cross asking my sister to donate blood (I have her old number).
Comment has been collapsed.
i thought you were going to just tell me things i already know but then you toss me new scary information
fuck you! :<
now im more worried about the old man and mama bear being scammed by people. they are not tech savy.
anyway thanks for looking out, ill call you later to confirm whether or not you have received this message
Comment has been collapsed.
You are so right in everything you've said. The worst one most people don't realize is receiving a call from someone and the first thing out of their mouths is the statement "can you hear me?" If you answer yes, you have been scammed. Never answer a "yes" to anyone you absolutely don't know. Just an FYI for my fellow members.
Comment has been collapsed.
I like to play prerecorded messages back to scammers. Sometimes I'll use Zeromancer's "Dr. Online" bit about 1-800-Suicide, sometimes I use the speech from Taken.
Both seem to work well.
Comment has been collapsed.
This slimy git just tried to scam me over the phone, and I thought I would mention this type of scam in case any of you haven't heard of it. Not since the "piece of paper on the windshield" scam has there been one so effective in catching people unaware. Here is how it works:
What They Are Doing
These people are trying to mine you for personal information.
Even if they don't get any of the above information, there is one more thing they can use: the word "Yes."
Purportedly, these slimeballs record you saying, "Yes," and then use that recording to emulate your approval and/or acceptance in other situations. Whether it be shopping, or taking out a line of credit, or some other kind of transaction, they can pretend to be you using your voiced responses. This is why you never want to say, "Yes" over the phone unless you know the person to whom you are speaking. (See Dingbat's post for details.)
The world is full of scam artists. Be careful, and pay attention to what is going on around you.
P.S.(As a reminder, never get out of your car to remove something from your window without first taking your keys with you.)
Comment has been collapsed.