S/O Beggars, Moochers and Scammers

[Morticia]

I would think law enforcement would be interested.

[nutraxfornerves]

He's been posting on all sorts of internet forums since the beginning of the year, so has no doubt been reported all over the place.

It's quite likely that he isn't a real credit card seller, but rather a scam artist. He may be paying teenagers a pittance to register & post on forums. That's a common spam tactic, although more common for slightly more legitimate products, such as drugs for manly men. If you actually contact him and try to buy something, he'll demand money up front via Western Union and you'll never hear form him again. Who do you complain to that you never got your stolen credit cards?

The real credit card thieves have much more clandestine ways of offering wares and use other payment systems.

[wolfie]

I reported his post to the homeschool boards and got it removed, but are you saying I should report it to somebody else?  If so, who?  Yahoo, since he gives his yahoo sn?

The FBI


http://www.fbi.gov/report-threats-and-crime

[jedikaiti]

I reported his post to the homeschool boards and got it removed, but are you saying I should report it to somebody else?  If so, who?  Yahoo, since he gives his yahoo sn?

I believe the FBI has a way to submit tips via their website. If you let them know the content, screen name, date it appeared, and the boards info, they would likely be interested.

[MommyPenguin]

Thanks!  I tried reporting it.  I probably won't know if it did any good, but at least I tried. 

[WolfWay]

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Man-prevented-power-cuts-through-prayer-20140122

Wait... what?? Gotta admit, that's a doozy of a claim.

[kherbert05]

Not sure if anyone's seen this, but the hoax has done the rounds on my FB feed recently. If you see this image of "Mallory", know that's it's been stolen from her mothers blog and us brung used without permission.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/facebook-stole-my-disabled-daughters-identity/story-e6frfrnr-1226503776416

Only horrible people would do something like that. There was a worse one a while back were people were encouraged degrade and make fun of a young woman who was also disabled. FB did little to stop that one either.

[Harriet Jones]

This scammer needs to try a little harder.  This is the entire email I just received:

I am Capt.Rivera a US Army in Afghanistan i need your help for safe keeping of two military trunk boxes

[Seven Ate Nine]

Not a "scammer" the way that some of these stories are, but still enough to make me 

I belong to several local mom 2 mom facebook groups.  Most of them allow people to post home business sales stuff (Mary Kay, Pure Romance, etc) which annoys me some, but I just scroll past.  A few weeks ago, someone posted a message along the lines of:

Hey moms, who's tired of all this cold?  We should have a girls night in!  Come to my house at X day and time, and we'll have snacks, chat, and I'll give everyone facials!

Being the skeptic that I am, I clicked on her profile.  Consultant for Arbonne.  Girls' night in... right.

[ladyknight1]

I know someone who does that for her lingerie, skin care products and scrabble item sideline. I just ignore everything she posts.

[Katana_Geldar]

Got another scamming call from the ATO today, I hate that they have my name. This time they hung up after my earful.

[Yarnspinner]

Hope I didn't post this before, haven't been able to find it, so here goes....

This past summer my father was visiting and there was a phone call from a breast cancer organization.  Dad pledged to send them $XX and they thanked him profusely.  They called back that night and got me and gave me their spiel and I decided, okay, in honor of my beloved stepgrandmother who died twenty plus years ago, that I would also contribute $XX. 

I thought it was odd they called twice in one day, but--maybe two different volunteers crossed wires.

Then they called at the end of the week because they hadn't received our donations yet.  THEN they called the following week to thank us for our donations and wanted to know how much more they could put us down for THIS week.  I told them to stop calling and went and looked their organization up.

Surprise.  They are, unfortunately, legit...but only on a superficial level.  Approximately 10 cents of every dollar goes to people who need help with their cancer treatments.  The rest is all for the organizers who "help" those victims of cancer.

Next time they called I told them to take my name off their list.  They said they would.  They called back for my father (who had returned home by then.)  I told them to take HIM off their list as well.

It didn't stop them.  They sold our names (and my phone number) to other organizations who call for all kinds of cancer victims, the police and so on.  When one group called to ask for my Dad, I told them he had died, just to see what this guy would do.

"Oh, well, maybe you'd like to help our cause...."  and they just steamrolled over my words....I finally took a deep breath and said  "You clearly do not understand a word I have said and I have no desire to continue this conversation" and hung up on them.

They have switched tactics now, sending me envelopes detailing how my generosity helps so many in need....yeah, no.  It all goes in the shredder now.

[MrTango]

They have switched tactics now, sending me envelopes detailing how my generosity helps so many in need....yeah, no. It all goes in the shredder now.

Just be sure they didn't include something in the envelope that might harm your shredder.  There's a religious one that sends "angel coins" which are cheap gold-colored coins about the size of a quarter.  I'm sure they're made of really cheap metal, but they might still damage a shredder's teeth.

[Katana_Geldar]

There were some people collecting for a charity in our shopping centre recently, DH and I wanted to get home so we went to the other side of a stall to avoid them. One guy purposely went over to us to try and get us to donate. He got the cold shoulder.

[Elfmama]

Next time they called I told them to take my name off their list.  They said they would.  They called back for my father (who had returned home by then.)  I told them to take HIM off their list as well.

It didn't stop them.  They sold our names (and my phone number) to other organizations who call for all kinds of cancer victims, the police and so on.

As soon as they go into their spiel, I just interrupt and say "I'm sorry, but we do not respond to any telephone solicitations at all.  But have a nice day." And I hang up without giving them a chance to reply.  The telephone is for YOUR convenience, something YOU pay for -- why let a telemarketer hold it hostage one second longer than necessary?