Spam That Doesn’t Come in a Can

It seems like the spam texts and calls come and go in waves. In the last 5 days, I have been slammed with all kinds of spam on my phone. Scammers are working overtime lately.

Tonight, within a span of 2 two hours, I have received about 8 text messages from various Gmail accounts. It is obvious that it is a scam or something that will harm your phone. It literally comes from a Gmail address and all the text contains is a link for you to click that is just a bunch of characters…. here is a picture I found that is similar to the texts I got tonight:

Do they really think that you are going to click on that? I admit that this is the newest form of spam texts I have been getting. I believe I have blogged before about the random text messages I was getting before from numbers I had never seen before. These were easy to spot as they always were addressed to “Edna.” “Congratulations, Edna! You have won a new car! Click the link below to claim your prize!” “Edna, It is important that we speak to you regarding a legal matter. Please call _______ or click the link below before law enforcement is involved!” Those all came from phone numbers. The fact that these are coming from random Gmail accounts is just weird. As soon as I would flag the text and mark it as spam, another would show up in my messages. It was almost like blocking them led to more texts. Maybe I am wrong. The Edna texts would be 5-8 a day for a while.

The Robo calls are just as bad – and weird. Most won’t leave a message. I was getting calls from a number that started 666 and when I blocked that number a new one would follow, again with a 666 prefix. So if I blocked 666-1234, they next call would be from 666-1235, or 666-4321 or whatever. They never left a message. I was laying on the floor playing with Ella one day and the phone rang and she answered it. Someone asked for “Lynn” as Ella babbled. I just hung up on them. Again, is it just a random name that people are asking for or are they really trying to get a hold of Lynn. It has to be a scam, as I have had my phone number for over 20 years!

Most of the time, Verizon flags these calls as they ring…

Every one of those calls came up as “potential spam” and all seem to come from my area code.

The latest barrage of calls I have been getting has been the most annoying. They are actually leaving messages. 5 different voices all asking me to call back the same number – yet all the messages are a bit different. They are transcribed from the voice mails:

Caller 1: “I’m a real estate investor and I was given your number by your friend John (nice and generic name). He told me you were trying to sell your house. It is just what I am looking for. Please call me back when you get a second at 888-SPAM 4ME.”

Caller 2: “Hey! I know it’s been awhile since we talked, and I’m sorry. I have great news for you! I have someone interested in buying your house. They are willing to pay cash. Call me so we can work out the details – 888-SPAM 4ME.”

Caller 3: “Hey, buddy. I was able to get our buyer to agree to the price. We were able to get the extra $6000. I’m glad we’re going to be able to sell your house. Call me back – 888-SPAM 4ME.”

Caller 4: (The weirdest one of them all) “Uh, Hi there! I know that this is out of the blue, but I believe you’ve got a house that you’re interested in selling. Again, I’m sorry for the crazy call and I might even have the wrong number, but if you’re interested in selling that house please give me a call back at this telephone number 888-SPAM 4ME. Thanks so much.”

Caller 5: ” Hey there this is Jack. I’m giving you a call. I’m a local real estate investor looking to by some more houses in your area. If you’re at all interested in a no obligation cash offer or you know anyone interested in a cash offer on property they own, you can reach me at 888-SPAM 4ME.”

I feel like I am blocking numbers as fast as they are calling, but these calls continue. I’m on the Do Not Call list, but these scammers are relentless. It’s annoying!

Rant Over.