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Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
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Scams & Fraud
Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
<font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><div>Learn what are the lastest list of scams and how you can prevent your identity from being stolen. Protect yourself from scams, whether they be phone scams, online scams or in-person. </div></font>
There are three new types of survey subterfuge out there, both over the phone and online. (See our article, " A Survey Con Can Cost You Big .") In one, a caller offers to install free software on your
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Cat:827966ee-6d39-4ef7-98a5-0157a43092f8Forum:b90a5c24-5453-42fa-b1f5-851b8a98e4aaDiscussion:4310e045-57a0-4083-87dc-5c03024abb49
Forums » Money » Scams & Fraud » Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 11, 2012 6:30 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: June 11, 2012 Last: June 11, 2012 |
What I find very annoying is signing up for a new survey program, only to discover that after the initial survey and $5 tease reward is attained, each successive "survey" takes you to a signup for another "survey" program... and subjects you to a myriad of nefarious or shady offers... It's a start down a slippery slope...and most likely opens one up to all sorts of junk emails and schemes. Come-ons like "GetPaidToTry.com" and others like it should be shut down by their Internet Providers. That $100 Visa Card promo is just so much elusive "pie in the sky"... |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 12, 2012 11:53 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: June 12, 2012 Last: June 12, 2012 |
To the guy getting calls from the VMS Alarm company - I saw a news program about them in my home town. Don't be surprised if they show up at your door and tell you they are putting in an update alarm box. They switch out the alarm box you have now with whatever company you are with and put theirs in (pretending to be your alarm company) and then start charging you. So don't let any alarm company in or sign anything or let anyone do anything to your alarm system until you call your alarm company to confirm! |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 12, 2012 5:00 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: June 12, 2012 Last: June 12, 2012 |
Response to Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys: I n Response to Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys : At least you got a phone call. My thieves work with the phone company. The phone company adds third party scam bills to your monthly bill hoping you won't notice. When caught the phone company says it MY responsibility to get a refund from a third world scam that the phone company is in partners with. This scam has gone on for many years and the phone company continues to rack in the stolen money. No government agency is willing to take on the phone company eventhough everyone knows of the scam. The phone company should be charged with federal racketeering and a class action lawsuit to recover years of damages. Posted by donviel yes! you are correct the phone company are in with this scam placng a third party bill to your phone bills. And THERE IS NOTHING BEING DONE ABOUT IT! |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 13, 2012 5:34 PM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: June 13, 2012 Last: June 13, 2012 |
In Response to Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys: I have received not just one but two calls from the scammer about my computer. They said that my computer had a trojan on it and if I would go to my computer and just give them some information their technician would fix my computer. Since I had just been on my computer and had left it seconds before I knew there was nothing wrong with it plus I also knew that Microsoft (which is where they claimed to be calling from) doesn't call consumers personally to fix their computers. I told the man who had a very strong foreign accent that there was nothing wrong with my computer. He told me he would call me back again. True to his word he called back again in a few days and we went through the whole thing again. He said something about calling me back again and I told him this time in no uncertain terms that he was wasting his time calling me because he wasn't going to get any information from me. That was the last time I heard from him. Posted by magnolia32404 |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 13, 2012 5:40 PM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: June 13, 2012 Last: June 13, 2012 |
I constantly get calls from people with indian accents who want to do a computer checkup. I've complied a few times, but what a mistake that was. I've heard from online PC support, e-solving, & windows tech, who all say I have errors on my computer. I've also paid out a lot of money this year because they conned me into believing that my computer was going to crash if I didn't have those errors removed. |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at June 16, 2012 8:25 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: June 16, 2012 Last: June 16, 2012 |
In Response to Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys: In Response to Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys : I hear from these people on an average of 1x per week or every other week. With some calls, there is an option to remove yourself from their calling list but it hasn't worked. So I'll wait to speak to a representative. Once they are on the phone, I ask them the name of the company they are calling from. Then I ask for their phone #. (these 2 items you need in order to turn them over to the "Do Not Call" agency so they can persue penalties and action to investigate further). Every time I ask for a phone #, they hang up on me. The last 2 times I've just come right out at first opportunity and told them I'm on the "Do Not Call" list. One person immediately hung up and the last person was the straw that broke the camel's back. She said "If you were on a DNC list, we wouldn't be calling you." I told her that every week they call me, I tell them and they don't remove me, they just keep calling. She said, " well, then you aren't on it." I said, "Do you hear what I'm telling you? I don't WANT you to call here anymore - even if I wasn't on a DNC list!!" She came back at me "Do YOU hear what I'm telling you..." With that I hung up on her. Holy beetle juice! They have called once since then so I do not expect it to stop anytime soon. I did contact the local telephone company. Use to be that you could report phone calls like these and the phone company would do the prosecuting. That's all changed. I don't think they want to spend the money and the personnel to monitor a phone # for abusive calls. Good luck! Posted by knairn I was being driven nuts by those calls and tried ALL of the things that have been mentioned in the posts. The ONLY thing that has worked for me is this: I finally broke down and got a set of cordless phones (mine is a Panasonic and has a master unit and four others to put in different rooms of the house) that allow you to block numbers after an annoying call. At first I thought that it wouldn't help because the annoying callers could just switch to another line out. Au contraire, it has worked beautifully! You just finish the obnoxious call, do two menu scrolls to "save" and then "block" the number. In the future that caller will be able to ring once and then the line dies on them and you see a symbol show up on your phone with a bell that has a slash through it. I get such pleasure (well a little, I DO have a life) watching the people that I asked to not call again, have their calls die on the vine right on my phone screen. It must happen 8 times a day. Kind of like the way a bug zapper works! |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at August 15, 2012 11:20 AM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: August 15, 2012 Last: August 15, 2012 |
I have been inundated with emails saying "I am to awarded 2.5 million dollars and would I send just 196 dollars to hold my award" Most of these come from Nigeria. They vary a little but all are scams. I have begun replying and telling them I will forward their email to the FBI. Also, there is one which say they are the FBI and will assist me in recovering any money I lost if I would send them my passwords and account information. Duhh! Okie, Dokie! |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at August 15, 2012 11:34 AM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: August 15, 2012 Last: May 7, 2013 |
I won't answer calls with (1) numbers I don't recognize; (2) caller ID displayed as "Private"; (3) any recognized number I don't want to have dialogue with. If I receive continued calls from these numbers (automated dialers), I block them so I won't be tempted. That solves a lot of telephone scam issues. I definatelyi don't participate in on-line surveys unless the source is known to me and after checking the email name the suvey is coming from. So far, so good using these practices. |
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Re: Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
posted at August 15, 2012 11:40 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: August 15, 2012 Last: August 15, 2012 |
If you expect to get something for nothing, you will. A lot of trouble and cost because your greed was trumped by the scamers greed. Don't answer unsolicited phone calls from people you don't know. If you do answer them don't say anything, the autodialer will click off after 3 seconds believing it is not a working phone line, and you will be off the list. Never click on a link in an email, without looking to see where that link is sending you. Most scam links will say something like Chase Bank or whatever but the actual website is something totally different. However the most important thing to remember is that no one is going to give you something for nothing. You will be taken if you respond. Don't respond to their come ons. |
Forums » Money » Scams & Fraud » Watch Out for Bogus Phone and Online Surveys
