New Cruise Scam

[Gunner22aa]

Got a call last night about having won yet another free cruise. Normally I hang up right away but out of boredom I decided to listen and am glad I did. This offer was totally different. I was told that for a $100 donation to a major charity which they refused to divulge I would be entered into a lottery with a guaranteed prize of a 3, 5, 7 or 10 day cruise from one of several major cruise lines which when questioned they again refused to divulge. I asked when and where I would be departing from and of course they couldn't tell me that either as it would depend on the cruise that I won. I asked for the name of the company that the caller represented. When questioned as to why that was important I told them it was so I could report it to the Canadian authorities as we have registered for the no call list for telemarketing here and companies that don't abide by the list face large financial and potentially criminal penalities. You will never guess how fast I got a dial tone on the other end of the phone. A new twist on a very old scam.

[CaroleSS]

The sad part of all these scams is that if they didn't work, they wouldn't still be here!

 

Sad that some people choose to prey upon the uninformed and (for all intensive purposes) steal from them!!! :mad:

[John Bull]

The sad part of all these scams is that if they didn't work, they wouldn't still be here!

 

Sad that some people choose to prey upon the uninformed and (for all intensive purposes) steal from them!!! :mad:

 

Yep.

Even with the downright obvious "you've won/inherited X-million dollars, send us $5000 to cover the legal fees & we'll send you the money"

What's it cost to buy & send to 100,000 e-mail addresses? Just one mug in 100,000 makes it worthwhile.

 

But at least with tele-sales, you have the choice of practicing your foul language or leading the caller on.

And leading them on is a lot of fun. Interrupting by asking a question halfway through their spiel, to see if they're so brain-dead that they then have to start all over again from the beginning. And disclosing fictitious bank etc details. Every minute of my value-less time that I spend with them saves some other poor soul from being troubled.

I really do need to get out more :D

Always the risk of getting another call at 3am just to get their own back. But it's never happened - probably cos I'm not the only one who winds them up.;)

 

JB :)

[kcwingwalker]

Got a call last night about having won yet another free cruise. Normally I hang up right away but out of boredom I decided to listen and am glad I did. This offer was totally different. I was told that for a $100 donation to a major charity which they refused to divulge I would be entered into a lottery with a guaranteed prize of a 3, 5, 7 or 10 day cruise from one of several major cruise lines which when questioned they again refused to divulge. I asked when and where I would be departing from and of course they couldn't tell me that either as it would depend on the cruise that I won. I asked for the name of the company that the caller represented. When questioned as to why that was important I told them it was so I could report it to the Canadian authorities as we have registered for the no call list for telemarketing here and companies that don't abide by the list face large financial and potentially criminal penalities. You will never guess how fast I got a dial tone on the other end of the phone. A new twist on a very old scam.

 

Many thanks for the heads up!

[Scrapnana]

Now that one has at least a new twist with the insertion of a "major charity". They could possible make it a little more believeable by giving their charity a name - one that sounds close to a legit one.

 

Back before I got caller ID, I would ask the charity phone calls (which evidently are not part of the "Do Not Call" registry) to send me information about their charity. None of ever agreed to do so (and none ever got my money).

[reedl]

Two things to do with Charities:

 

1) Ask if they are a paid fundraiser? If so, then I tell them I do not give money to paid fundraisers.

 

2) If they are the charity directly, I say I always do my donations in December. If December, I say that I already donated my budget's worth of donations.

 

If neither of these work, I have an asterisk PBX in my house through which all my calls go through. I have an extension that I can transfer a call to that just plays music. I just transfer the call to that extension and forget about it. They give up eventually.

[Keith1010]

I just hope that most people will say thank you but no thank you and then hang up.

 

Keith

[LA_CA_GAL]

Now that one has at least a new twist with the insertion of a "major charity". They could possible make it a little more believeable by giving their charity a name

 

The Human Fund.

[Taxguy77]

Yep.But at least with tele-sales, you have the choice of practicing your foul language or leading the caller on.

And leading them on is a lot of fun. Interrupting by asking a question halfway through their spiel, to see if they're so brain-dead that they then have to start all over again from the beginning. And disclosing fictitious bank etc details. Every minute of my value-less time that I spend with them saves some other poor soul from being troubled.

I really do need to get out more :D

Always the risk of getting another call at 3am just to get their own back. But it's never happened - probably cos I'm not the only one who winds them up.;)

 

JB :)

 

I saw a video of a man who led them on, to the point the scammer went to the airport to meet him! :p

 

Another joker told the caller to stay on the line, he was a policeman investigating a murder and why was he calling this number at this exact time? Did he have an accomplice there? etc. :D

[jocap]

Yep.

Even with the downright obvious "you've won/inherited X-million dollars, send us $5000 to cover the legal fees & we'll send you the money"

What's it cost to buy & send to 100,000 e-mail addresses? Just one mug in 100,000 makes it worthwhile.

 

But at least with tele-sales, you have the choice of practicing your foul language or leading the caller on.

And leading them on is a lot of fun. Interrupting by asking a question halfway through their spiel, to see if they're so brain-dead that they then have to start all over again from the beginning. And disclosing fictitious bank etc details. Every minute of my value-less time that I spend with them saves some other poor soul from being troubled.

I really do need to get out more :D

Always the risk of getting another call at 3am just to get their own back. But it's never happened - probably cos I'm not the only one who winds them up.;)

 

JB :)

True, JB....my calls reduced considerably after I started asking them whether they wanted to book a burial or a cremation.

[boogs]

Yep.

Even with the downright obvious "you've won/inherited X-million dollars, send us $5000 to cover the legal fees & we'll send you the money"

What's it cost to buy & send to 100,000 e-mail addresses? Just one mug in 100,000 makes it worthwhile.

 

But at least with tele-sales, you have the choice of practicing your foul language or leading the caller on.

And leading them on is a lot of fun. Interrupting by asking a question halfway through their spiel, to see if they're so brain-dead that they then have to start all over again from the beginning. And disclosing fictitious bank etc details. Every minute of my value-less time that I spend with them saves some other poor soul from being troubled.

I really do need to get out more :D

Always the risk of getting another call at 3am just to get their own back. But it's never happened - probably cos I'm not the only one who winds them up.;)

 

JB :)

 

LOL! I sometimes do something similar as well. Leading them on is entertaining, and often well worth the time spent. Occasionally I'll act like I am very interested, but after a couple of minutes I'll stop them and say something like "Can you hang on for a minute, I need to turn the stove off" and then walk away and do something else. Eventually they will give up and hang up in disgust. I once had some dimwit wait over ten minutes for me to return, at which time I said "Gotta go, my favorite show is on." and hung up. After I have had my fun I'll use my phone's blocking feature to prevent another call from that person.

 

My absolute favorite prank that was pulled on a telemarketer, done by a comedian named Tom Mabe, was fortunately recorded and broadcast on a national talk show. It is available for all of us to enjoy. Give it a listen - you will be smiling the entire time!

 

http://www.hark.com/clips/qlztssnyzk-telemarketer-calls-murder-scene

Edited November 7, 2013 by boogs

[headhunterke]

Yep.

Even with the downright obvious "you've won/inherited X-million dollars, send us $5000 to cover the legal fees & we'll send you the money"

What's it cost to buy & send to 100,000 e-mail addresses? Just one mug in 100,000 makes it worthwhile.

 

But at least with tele-sales, you have the choice of practicing your foul language or leading the caller on.

And leading them on is a lot of fun. Interrupting by asking a question halfway through their spiel, to see if they're so brain-dead that they then have to start all over again from the beginning. And disclosing fictitious bank etc details. Every minute of my value-less time that I spend with them saves some other poor soul from being troubled.

I really do need to get out more :D

Always the risk of getting another call at 3am just to get their own back. But it's never happened - probably cos I'm not the only one who winds them up.;)

 

JB :)

 

Hey, I just got an email like that a couple of days ago. One of my Nigerian friends was asking my for a small transaction fee so he could transfer me my 5,000,000 :rolleyes:

[John Bull]

 

My absolute favorite prank that was pulled on a telemarketer, done by a comedian named Tom Mabe, was fortunately recorded and broadcast on a national talk show. It is available for all of us to enjoy. Give it a listen - you will be smiling the entire time!

 

http://www.hark.com/clips/qlztssnyzk-telemarketer-calls-murder-scene

 

 

Thanks Boogs, loved it. :)

 

:D:D:D:D

 

JB :)

[grand isle joe]

Hey, I just got an email like that a couple of days ago. One of my Nigerian friends was asking my for a small transaction fee so he could transfer me my 5,000,000 :rolleyes:

 

Wow....$5,000,000 bucks?.......they only offered me $3,000,000.......now I'm insulted and am never going to send them that fee......

[OCruisers]

The sad part of all these scams is that if they didn't work, they wouldn't still be here!

 

Sad that some people choose to prey upon the uninformed and (for all intensive purposes) steal from them!!! :mad:

 

Unfortunately, so sad and true. :(

 

LuLu

~~~~

[bus man]

I just hope that most people will say thank you but no thank you and then hang up.

 

Keith

 

I agree. As annoying as telemarketers are, I try to remember that they are human beings who are just trying to do their jobs, as distasteful as those jobs might be. So I will always say "no, thank you." If they persist (which they usually do), I'll say in a firmer tone, "excuse me, I said NO. Thank you." This almost always works, but if it doesn't, I'll then simply hang up.

[headhunterke]

Wow....$5,000,000 bucks?.......they only offered me $3,000,000.......now I'm insulted and am never going to send them that fee......

 

But maybe it is because the Nigerian guy is my best friend from the whole wide world, huh. He said it was a special offer for me :D

[triplett]

The Human Fund.

 

BaHahahahaha!!!!!!!!

[triplett]

Years ago after my exhusband and I divorced, I loved getting the telemarketing calls.......

May I speak with Edward?

HE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE!!!! (said in a wailing desperate tone)

It was amazing how quickly they apologized and said goodbye.

[lisiamc]

I agree. As annoying as telemarketers are, I try to remember that they are human beings who are just trying to do their jobs, as distasteful as those jobs might be. So I will always say "no, thank you." If they persist (which they usually do), I'll say in a firmer tone, "excuse me, I said NO. Thank you." This almost always works, but if it doesn't, I'll then simply hang up.

 

Since these are scammers we're speaking of here, I feel no obligation to be nice, kind, civil or polite. They are trying to take away my hard-earned money. I wouldn't be nice to burglars or pickpockets either. :)

[bus man]

Since these are scammers we're speaking of here, I feel no obligation to be nice, kind, civil or polite. They are trying to take away my hard-earned money. I wouldn't be nice to burglars or pickpockets either. :)

 

I agree with you; I feel no need to be nice to criminals either. But not all telemarketers are scammers. In any case, "just say no" works with either one.

[FawnRiver]

If I don't recognize the phone number, I just don't pick up. If they had a legitimate reason for calling, they'll leave a message and I'll return the call.

 

Unsurprisingly, I rarely have to return calls. :cool:

 

Once in a while, DH will pick up the phone and say something totally nonsensical, like "sorry, we're sold out" and hang up.

[jewopaho]

When you receive such a call, simply advise the telemarketer that your phone number is on the Do Not Call list, and request to speak with the individual in charge of the boiler room. You'll hear a click, and will likely not be bothered again ... at least by that company.

[CaroleSS]

We've recorded a message saying "if you want money, hang up now, otherwise leave a message"....works like a champ!!!:eek:

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

I always tell them that I never donate or purchase items over the phone. No exceptions. Of course I do buy if I make the call in the first place! :D