The scammers are coming at me from all angles lately. I wonder if that means I’m finally becoming someone important. Surely they wouldn’t waste their time on a nobody, right? I finally hit the big time, ma!
Last night I got a call from “Penelec” (our local energy company) on my cell phone… a number they don’t even have on file. I didn’t answer it, but the robot on the other end told me in a voicemail that I had to call them to take care of an urgent matter. Calling them back must have slipped my mind because it never happened.
Today I got this email:
Urgent notice of eviction,
We have to inform you about the eviction
proceedings against
you and the decision of the bank to foreclose on your
property.
As a trespasser you need to move out until 25 March 2014
and
leave the property empty of your belongings and any trash.
Please contact our
office without delay to make arrangements for a move out.
If you do not do
this, you could be simply locked out of your home.Detailed bank
statement as well as our contact information can be found in the attachment to
this notice.
Real estate agency,
Lisa Tailor
I don’t know about you, but when someone doesn’t even bother to make up a fake business name I die a little inside. They signed it “Real estate agency” for Christ’s sake. At least they bothered with a real name, but c’mon, put some effort it into it, you lazy scumbag.
Technically I don’t own my house yet. Technically speaking, the bank owns my house until I pay it off (in 7 more years if all goes according to plan… which it rarely ever does.) A real estate agency has nothing to do with it.
Sorry Mr. (or Ms.) Scammer. I wasn’t stupid enough to download your attachment. Better luck with giving me a virus or stealing my account information (or both) next time around. Until then, go screw yourself. Then get a real job and become a useful member of society instead of a useless tick. You, sir (or madam), are a form of life lower than pond scum. You should really do something to change that.
February 26th, 2014 at 10:19 AM
I’d check with your bank anyway just to make sure
February 26th, 2014 at 2:38 PM
It’s pretty obvious that its a scam from the “From” and “Subject” fields of the email. No legit company would conduct business that way and it certainly isn’t something they’d do through an email.
February 26th, 2014 at 2:44 PM
No they wouldn’t. They rely on the unsuspecting people to do it
February 26th, 2014 at 10:37 AM
I agree with Al. Cover all the bases. That way you’ll be feel completely secure. Just when you think you’ve heard everything, these people come up with some other scam. Someone, actually from the bank, wanted me to give my telebanking card number over the phone. You never know who’s listening these days. I don’t know where she was coming from but I complained to the Assistant Manager. I forgot to ask her name. I wish they’d train their people better at that bank.
February 26th, 2014 at 2:40 PM
Yeah, I’d wouldn’t be comfortable giving that over the phone either.
February 26th, 2014 at 10:52 AM
Of course it’s a scam! I think you can rest pretty well even without checking… but it’s so annoying that these parasites exist in the first place!! Generally, so many of them come out of Nigeria… I have 3 different responses I like to sent, all suggesting that I have just inflicted some form of voodoo on them, or that I work for the government. With one that came from the Philippines, I actually had the guy traveling from Western Union office to WU office… to get the cash I was “anxiously” sending to help friend of mine, who were stuck there… with no wallet, or airline tickets, or… good thing I”m a that kind of friend. ;-)
February 26th, 2014 at 2:41 PM
hahaha. I really should try that some time.
February 26th, 2014 at 11:06 AM
Like seriously? :-)
February 26th, 2014 at 2:42 PM
I know, right? This is the first time I’ve seen one trying to evict me, so points for originality, but they fell short in their execution. Not that I would have fallen for it even if it was perfectly crafted, but that’s just lazy.
February 26th, 2014 at 11:09 AM
Yep, this means you’re famous. ;)
February 26th, 2014 at 2:44 PM
I knew it! When does the money start rolling in? I’ve heard famous people (those without drinking and drug problems anyway) are rich. I’d like to see proof.
February 26th, 2014 at 12:38 PM
Let’s not complain. So far, they’ve been pretty stupid and this has all the earmarks of a scam. However I dread when (God forbid) we all become a cashless society, with a (sic) transparent internet, making it easy for the crooks to prey on us-because they’ll have accurate information, which will be all over the web for everyone to see!
Of course the govt will always be two, three, four steps behind the crooks and react by clamping down on the innocent citizens, writing insane laws and putting law-abiders in jail on the merest pretext because they’re too ashamed to admit that they’re losing against the criminals…Wait-um, isn’t it already happening? God forbid. It is and it isn’t. We’re on the cusp.
Anyway, pthht, pttht, (spitting action) I write about this sort of thing all the time-in some form or another- precisely because I dread it, and I pray it NEVER happens.
February 26th, 2014 at 2:46 PM
You make a lot of good points. We’ve seen the future… and it is terrifying.
February 26th, 2014 at 12:49 PM
I’m so sorry. This sounds terrible.
https://www.awordofsubstance.wordpress.com
February 26th, 2014 at 3:35 PM
if you DO get evicted, I’ve got a lovely castle in the Swiss Alps that I could sell you for real cheap
yours truly
-another real estate agent…
February 27th, 2014 at 10:57 PM
Sweet! I’ve always wanted a castle! Maybe I can buy it real cheap even if I don’t get evicted!
February 26th, 2014 at 3:46 PM
Bah! Spammers and scammers always trying it on! But, Adam, have you noticed how they always manage to reveal themselves as such… they aren’t that clever, really!
February 27th, 2014 at 10:58 PM
I know. It’s kind of sad how unclever they are.
February 26th, 2014 at 10:05 PM
Scammers suck! If only they’d use their “smarts” for good.
February 27th, 2014 at 10:59 PM
That would require having “smarts” first. :)
February 27th, 2014 at 11:19 PM
True that!
February 27th, 2014 at 2:26 AM
I annoys me as well when scammers can’t even be bothered to make decent stuff up. I recently got a whole load of emails from both the “FBI” (sorry, you have no jurisdiction over me, Mr FBI) and the “UN”. Very tacky emails they were too.
We used to get a much better class of scammer “back in the day”. They’d attach the bank logo, links to the actual bank and so on. Very impressive.
I think they’ve lost their way. It’s very sad ;-)
February 27th, 2014 at 10:59 PM
So very said. We should host a telethon to raise some money for them or something.
February 28th, 2014 at 3:16 AM
Good idea, some English lessons, a bit of graphic design. Before long we’ll be falling for their scams just like in the olden days :-)
February 27th, 2014 at 10:59 AM
Oh, I detest this unscrupulous. A critique forum in which I participate actually got hit this week by a “person” on LinkedIn whose “name” is Authors Promotion. “She” even posted a spammy entry into our weekly challenge. So wrong.
February 27th, 2014 at 11:00 PM
Very wrong. Luckily it’s usually easy to see them for what they are.
March 3rd, 2014 at 2:49 PM
Wow, pitiful attempt, yes but what’s scarier is the number of people who might fall for this. Is there a way to report it?
March 4th, 2014 at 10:13 AM
No idea if there is a technical way to report it, but my wife did mention it to our bank when she was in there one day.