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Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

krebsonsecurity.com

181–190 of 226 posts

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#181
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banks should really just stop calling customers and taking them through security. If there's something urgent, the protocol should be that they call you, give you a ticket number, and tell you to call them back on the bank's standard number for customer service. Anything else just conditions people to expect incoming calls with security questions which will always result in scammers finding a way through.

This can also be scammed due to the timeout "feature" in telephone systems. Ie, the scammer calls, tells you to call the number on your card. You believe they hung up, but they are still on the line. When you pick up your phone again, you're still contected, and they're playing a dial tone. https://www.geekrant.org/2016/05/08/phone-scam-part-1/

How many people still use landline phones? I don't know anyone.

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#182

Most robo-callers feel like Phishing scams. I've been contemplating giving up my cellphone and just using a Calyx mobile data ( https://www.calyxinstitute.org ) and use Signal, email and Mumble only. Anyone else do something like this successfully?

I did it for 6 years when I lived in Germany. I had a data only sim card and a google voice US phone number.

Verdict: It's not doable if you want it to work 100%. And in the US I would say it's not doable at all because Android/dumbphone users are still using SMS instead of a messenger app like Whatsapp, so you have no way of communicating with them at all.

The biggest problem for me was online services that want to verify your account via your phone number. They don't understand not having a phone number. And about 20% of the time, they block VOIP phone numbers for verification purposes, so your google voice number won't work there either. Literally no way to move forward there other than ask a friend to let you borrow their number or use your burner phone or something.

You also can't sign up for Whatsapp without a phone number, but luckily it does work with google voice.

Google voice also doesnt let you set it up so your device gets incoming calls unless you forward them to a real phone number. So you can only make calls with it, not receive. Maybe some other VOIP solutions are better at this. The google voice app on iOS is pretty shitty.

Now that I'm back in the US, I had to get a phone number because messenger app adoption is very very low. iOS users are fine because iMessage is awesome, but for people on Android, there's just nothing. They still use SMS. Maybe you can get around this with VOIP, but I didn't want to hassle with it.

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#183
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

their potential-fraud-detection department was similarly bad. ("You used your debit card at an AM/PM in Washington State!!!!" Yes, I know, it is about 900 feet from my house; I go there regularly.) A year ago I had an awful experience with this. We were on vacation at Big Bend National Park, which is hours away from everything in southwest Texas. When trying to pay for breakfast, our card was denied. I tried to call…

Card fuckup is the only reason I have even a little cash on hand. Even the second hand store near me takes cards now. It is my policy if I am any distance from home to carry a spare car key, and enough cash to fill the tank and get home. Considering that we could eliminate fraud with a private key chip card, this is really, really sad.

Another reason to have some cash is so if you're mugged, the mugger won't be so disappointed they take it out on you.

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would add Imodium AD, analgesics, some power bars and jerky, condoms, tampons if you’re female or traveling with women, a compass, weatherproof matches, a small mirror, and a good knife.

Condoms? No emergency so dire as to miss a chance to get laid?

For keeping your matches in if it rains.

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would add Imodium AD, analgesics, some power bars and jerky, condoms, tampons if you’re female or traveling with women, a compass, weatherproof matches, a small mirror, and a good knife.

Condoms? No emergency so dire as to miss a chance to get laid?

Never underestimate the value of condoms for purposes other than intercourse. They’re highly portable, durable, can hold a lot of liquid, and are waterproof. You can use them to waterproof anything from a car’s spark plugs to some tinder or even food. They’re useful as part of dressing certain minor wounds too.

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those worried about a situation like this, I set up automated purchase alerts on my credit cards and withdrawal alerts on my bank accounts. I see it all in close-enough-to-real-time, and it's helped me catch fraud before the banks did at least twice in the past few years.

I do the same. At Chase you can set up push alerts for any transaction greater than $0.01 (it won't accept zero). It's nearly real-time. In any drive-thru I'll have the notification on my phone before the card is handed back to me.

Super cool, thanks for sharing this!

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#188

The problem here is the ability to spoof caller ID. This should not be possible. Regulations set up the phone system, regulations need to make this change. I don't care what excuse anyone has, don't care about your stupid PBX or any of that. Caller ID should be mandatory and reliable. Having said that, always assume someone calling you is a fraud. If your "bank" calls you, tell them you'll call back and don't call a…

[deleted]

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#189
post #85

The problem here is the ability to spoof caller ID. This should not be possible. Regulations set up the phone system, regulations need to make this change. I don't care what excuse anyone has, don't care about your stupid PBX or any of that. Caller ID should be mandatory and reliable. Having said that, always assume someone calling you is a fraud. If your "bank" calls you, tell them you'll call back and don't call a…

If we make a regulation that requires protocols to change so that the caller ID to be unspoofable, we might as well also require to make it impossible to spoof an IP address or a sender email address...

You mean like we are trying really hard to get everyone to use https and most people here would love some easy to use, widely adopted email signing? Yeah, that would be awesome!

Re: Voice Phishing Scams Are Getting More Clever

#190
The amount of spam calls is fucking insane, the fcc needs to seriously crack down. Start fining telecom companies a buck a call and I think the problem would go away. Hell make it 5 dollars for every call after the first ten thousand, I receive at least 5-10 day. If it is an obviously spoofed number make it 50 dollars. The telecoms have the capability to deal with it, they simply have no incentive to bother.

I've had a conversation with my cell carrier where I asked to block Texas and Florida, every area code in those states. Apparently that is not possible.

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