Beware the finders of lost friends

[pantannojack]

So I had my day in the "barrel" as the joke went. I fell victim to the $.99 offer to search a lost associate. Not surprisingly , no results. They then have charged me a further $35 for what I do not know. I have calmly posted thru channels the opt out requests. Education can be expensive. Any suggestions out there for clean break from the scammer business?

 

[alwslate]

If you paid with a credit card you might be able to get your money put back on your card and then your card provider could charge them with fraud.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Neighborhood wise guy was selling Smart Pills (rabbit turds).
One kid paid the Quarter and put it down!
He spit it out and yelled That tastes like ****!
Seller says - see! Your already getting smarter!

 

[Tom S.]

So I had my day in the "barrel" as the joke went. I fell victim to the $.99 offer to search a lost associate. Not surprisingly , no results. They then have charged me a further $35 for what I do not know. I have calmly posted thru channels the opt out requests. Education can be expensive. Any suggestions out there for clean break from the scammer business?

It will be painful.

First: Cancel all your credit cards and tell all three Credit Agencies to freeze your credit.

Second: Take your computer(s) to the range and add holes via a large caliber pistol. The more holes, the better.

Third: Deposit the remains in no less than 5 different trash containers, none located less than 1 mile from the others.

Fourth: Do the same thing for your all your phones.

Fifth: Change your mailing address to a PO Box, but NEVER go there to get your mail.

Sixth: Replace your current mailbox with a shredder.

Seventh: Change your name to *$&@1937MsS&!^&$ B. #*swkh&{}@fh Jr.

Eighth: Liquidate all your possessions, buy a trailer and something to pull it with, leave and never tell anyone where you are going. Never stay in one place longer than a week.

Or become a Monk.

 

[moosedog]

I can give you the out to the scammer and get your money back if you Paypal me $50. LOL

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a legitimate credit card with a $500 limit sacrificially for internet purchases. Once I use it 3 times or if used with a scammer, I call it in as lost giving the last authorized purchase. THe replacement arrives in a few days.

Ivan

 

[TX-Dennis]

At the very least I would report it as fraud to your card provider and request that the card be disabled and replaced with a new one. They should get your money back without any issues.

 

[DWalt]

During performance of lots of genealogy research, I long ago discovered those search websites that claim to find lost relatives for a fee are to be avoided. Nearly always, I have been able to find the information I was seeking for free somewhere.

 

[CalifEd]

At the very least I would report it as fraud to your card provider and request that the card be disabled and replaced with a new one. They should get your money back without any issues.

Yes, getting your money back is a good thing but getting a new card, and number, is a royal PITA, especially if you use that card to auto-pay bills and such.
The few times I have had to do this I had to log into my account but generally had forgotten my user name and, of course, my password.
Then I need to get a new PW (that I will forget) in order to enter my new card number.
Hanging is too good for a fraudster.

 

[Mr. Vito]

I learned a long time ago that when clicking on a link, such as after doing a Google search, where you do not find what you want on the first screen but where it tries to get you to go through page after page, it is not worth continuing for any reason. Just like the "Click bait" that tells you it will give you something you want to see or read but when you click it, it just tries to get you to keep clicking further and further into the site.

I used to use Facebook to find out what happened to folks I knew years, or even many decades ago. Sometimes by clicking on an old friend's profile, I could look at their "Friends" and find other old friends that I had lost touch with. But I no longer participate in Facebook for any reason. When I used to use Facebook for this purpose, I sadly often found that after searching for someone I came up with their obituary. After awhile I just got depressed and discovering how many of my old friends and aquaitances were already in the ground so I stopped that game.

 

[squidsix]

It will be painful.

First: Cancel all your credit cards and tell all three Credit Agencies to freeze your credit.

Second: Take your computer(s) to the range and add holes via a large caliber pistol. The more holes, the better.

Third: Deposit the remains in no less than 5 different trash containers, none located less than 1 mile from the others.

Fourth: Do the same thing for your all your phones.

Fifth: Change your mailing address to a PO Box, but NEVER go there to get your mail.

Sixth: Replace your current mailbox with a shredder.

Seventh: Change your name to *$&@1937MsS&!^&$ B. #*swkh&{}@fh Jr.

Eighth: Liquidate all your possessions, buy a trailer and something to pull it with, leave and never tell anyone where you are going. Never stay in one place longer than a week.

Or become a Monk.

Sound advice. Probably the only effective way to stop getting spam calls, junk email, and trash in the mailbox.

 

[taz666]

You'd better stop that card pronto. The $35 was a test to see if it would be saleable to another entity for some quick cash who will then vacuum it out.

 

[TX-Dennis]

Yes, getting your money back is a good thing but getting a new card, and number, is a royal PITA, especially if you use that card to auto-pay bills and such.
The few times I have had to do this I had to log into my account but generally had forgotten my user name and, of course, my password.
Then I need to get a new PW (that I will forget) in order to enter my new card number.
Hanging is too good for a fraudster.

Sounds like you need a password manager app. Either that or let your browser handle your passwords. I use Firefox. It can create and save very complex passwords for sites I use. I set an easy to remember master password, so I only have to remember one password, and firefox takes care of the rest.

 

[kennethg]

if you charged it and you call your bank you can challenge the charge. that worked for me (charge cancelled). totally painless. i watch my account online daily.

 

[SMSgt]

I have a legitimate credit card with a $500 limit sacrificially for internet purchases. Once I use it 3 times or if used with a scammer, I call it in as lost giving the last authorized purchase. THe replacement arrives in a few days.

Ivan

I'd be ordering a new one every day.

 

[llowry61]

Dispute the charge with your card company. Advise it is an unauthorized charge. They will charge it back to the merchant. If they get enough complaints, they will shut down the merchant account. Be honest with them that the dollar was authorized, however you did not agree to the monthly fee. I am making an assumption here that without opting out then you were auto signed up for the $35.00. Regardless dispute it. Keep pushing with the CC company till you get someone to reverse it. They deal with this all the time, and they know how these companies scam people.

 

[CalifEd]

Sounds like you need a password manager app. Either that or let your browser handle your passwords. I use Firefox. It can create and save very complex passwords for sites I use. I set an easy to remember master password, so I only have to remember one password, and firefox takes care of the rest.

All of those have issues.
I use to use RSA and SecurID, until they were hacked.

Now, I use a note pad on my desk and write them down and bury the note pad.
If someone can find anything on my desk, I'll hire them as a secretary.