Spam phone calls.
I just got one about "payroll". Apparently I need to submit my timecard immediately after my last shift of the day, due to the holiday weekend.
They left a number and named the organization a couple of times. I wonder what the scam here is.
The most obvious is: you call them back and they ask for your banking information, social security number, etc.
What other scam am I missing?
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The one where they find out someone might call back if they call your number.
ReplyDeleteSome trick you into authorizing charges on your phone bill. Some phish for your account access info for anything they can justify. Some say you need to install a time-tracking app on your PC, and will talk you through downloading and rooting your own computer for them. Some are just there to probe for weakness - to see if the number is hot and the person on the other end responsive.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Weeks Sure, but how does that turn into profit?
ReplyDeleteThey can sell your number as a verified live destination.
ReplyDeleteOHHHHH, Christopher Weeks . What's the price on a live number nowadays?
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Baugh That all makes sense, too! The rooting sounds especially useful, as it may well tag a work computer. Then, boom, access to mainframes and servers and such.
Yeah, what Christopher said. They sell your number to other scammers who will come at you with more sophisticated techniques. First pass is simply "Is there a living being making mouth noises on the other end of the line?", and there's a market for that information alone.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense. There's a market for anything valuable, and human attention is valuable.
ReplyDeleteWas the call automated, or did they have a human talking to you? I wonder about the economics of these things when you have a person to pay. How long will they spend verifying? How many numbers will they verify in an hour? What are those verifications worth? Minus the pay for the caller?
ReplyDeleteAutomated. There was a discontinuity when I said hello, and I really should have hung up then. I guess I spent too much time on the job market, and got some bad habits of answering numbers I don't recognize.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know the numbers, but I get the idea they're not valuable enough to be worth my time gathering them. I'd guess something like $50 per thousand but I'm almost completely pulling that out of my ass. I assume people in the developing world are making most of those calls.
ReplyDeleteI get one about my "recent accident". Since I can't (and don't!) drive, it's easy to detect.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Alexander Newman . I get one about my car insurance all the effing time. No car.
ReplyDeleteMy brain damage means that I yell a lot on the phone, which has its uses.
ReplyDelete