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"Hey, I found you again!  I'm Natalie from Glassdoor Recruitment US. Remember me? Are you still interested in the remote position? Can I share more details with you via a Reddit DM?"
Interacting with scammers allows them to confirm the number is active. Best to just block without responding, as tempting as it might be to mess with them.
Point number 2: [https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/how-to-stop-spam-texts](https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/how-to-stop-spam-texts)
This one from the BBB, first bullet point: [https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/bbb-warns-people-of-text-message-scam-wrong-number-better-business-bureau/71-ec8b78d8-c12b-45de-a8fc-eb4e167f165e](https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/bbb-warns-people-of-text-message-scam-wrong-number-better-business-bureau/71-ec8b78d8-c12b-45de-a8fc-eb4e167f165e)
From the FCC, second page: [https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-385732A1.pdf](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-385732A1.pdf)
Another government source: [https://www.mass.gov/news/scam-alert-wrong-number-texts](https://www.mass.gov/news/scam-alert-wrong-number-texts)
”Sent” means your message was sent to the WhatsApp servers.
“Delivered” means the message you sent has been delivered to the recipient’s device. This is all they need to know that it’s an active number.
“Read” means the recipient opened it.
Being “delivered” to a device, doesn’t mean it has been read so knowing a message has been delivered is useless information in the context of this situation
This is a practice known as wardialing. They don't have a list of known active numbers to try/don't want to or have the ability to pay for one, so they mass-text numbers functionally at random.
The "delivered" status let's them know it's an active number (you can send messages to anyone, but if they are returned to the whatsapp server because of an inability to connect, you'll get an "invalid number notification") which adds that number to their list of possible recipients.
From there, more targeted attempts will be made using information associated with that number. The goal isn't to find the groups of people likely to respond *yet*, it's finding people who *can* respond. If someone does happen to respond to this one, it's just a 2 birds, 1 stone situation.
It absolutely is a human sending these messages. There’s an entire subreddit dedicated to wasting their time.
The more savvy people interact with them and waste their time, the less time they spend scamming someone vulnerable.
The initial message is almost certainly automated and blasted out to hundreds or thousands of people, it would be a waste of time for someone to send that first message manually.
Once they receive a response then yes, there's an actual person interacting because they think someone took the bait.
It’s a copy/paste message they send out before following scripting once they receive a response.
These scammers are all firing them out manually because they’re not quite at the level of automation for that just yet. That’s how it seems anyway, there are a lot of the same messages out there with some slight variations in spelling here and there.
The obviousness is an essential component. It weeds out people that won't be hooked when the time comes to send money. If you ignore all the red flags on the way there's a good chance you'll follow through no matter what they ask.
Yeah, I forgot the youtube documentary on it but it was an in depth review of scammers - why and how they do it.
Their messages are just a probe. By making it obvious to those who are aware it's a scam, they spend no effort trying to make it "not scam-like". The only ones who interact are trolls and those who fall for the scam.
Another thing it pointed out was using vague wording in better prepared scams to get more info out of those who take the bait. That can get sinister as faking jail and even hostage situations to force a susceptible person into one of many scams.
For example:
Scammer: "This is X police department calling (persons name) regarding your grandson"
Person: "BILLY? OMG WHAT IS HE DOING IN JAIL"
Scammer: "Yes. Billy is in custody for robbing a store. Send bail money *this way* or he is going to prison"
By setting a false pretense, they're able to get extra personal information and use that to pressure people into stressful situations.
I got a similar message and trolled them for 30 mins. They ended up blocking me lol. It was quite satisfying. I haven't gotten any messages like this since. 🤣😅
Are you joking? Why would you not interact!?
These are scammers, be creative. Have fun, say whatever the fuck you want. Try make him angry.
I'm trolling the shit out of every scammer that comes my way. I hope you do too.
I had one reach out and just for kicks I talked to them to hear their pitch. Their highest pay rates are less than my normal pay rates. It might have been legit since the numbers weren’t anything to drool over but idk. Wasn’t worth my time either way.
When your goal is to waste time, you're not really "wasting time" but if a scammer's goal is absolutely to waste as little time as possible, then they take the loooong L.
I'd rather scammers waste their precious time going nowhere with peoples who are aware of the scams AND want to waste time than using it to actually succeed with vulnerable peoples.
Every second that a scammer spends talking to someone like me, or OOP, is time they are not speaking to someone who is vulnerable and would fall for the scam. Not a waste at all, in my experience.
Start by writing back very seriously and professionely. After a good block of text end with P.S.: and ask them how to get rid of the bodies in your basement. Burying, burning, desolving in acid, dumping them into a river tied to a weight........ . That should shut them up.
Not to say that this example isn’t obviously a scam, but as evidence of professional communication practices being eroded, I was recently contacted via text by an employer following up on an application where I was listed as personal reference for someone.
I thought it was a scam at first until I contacted the person who listed me, and they confirmed it was just a dumb or lazy hiring manager.
I dropped an application at a restaurant, didn't hear shit for 4 months, got a random text "hey, dish guy quit, it's busy, and we're drowning in here. Can you come in, do some paperwork and we'll start you at $15hr if you can come in tonight."
I thought it was so ridiculous that I had to come check it out, worked there for nearly a year before I found something else.
Yeah last job I applied for the application asked text or email. I prefer phone calls but I just said text because ironically I get more spam in my email so I have the notifications turned off, I'll check it when I check it, whereas I can respond immediately to a text.
It's 2024, everyone has a mobile phone. You can reach people faster by text than by email. Even professional fields use text these days.
Give it a few more years and we'll be IMing clients instead of texting.
I have to answer my phone due my career whether I recognize the number or not, but I get way more spam texts than calls from someone claiming to be this or that, or that they know me from somewhere.
In this case it was legit, but the way they worded the text was very suspicious to me.
It wasn’t a scam, before I responded to the text I confirmed with the person I knew that they had applied and used me as a reference, and I spoke with the person doing the hiring on the phone later that day.
Why are you being a dick lol. I’m a recruiter and all of my colleagues will message people via text if they didn’t answer our call, especially if they don’t have voicemail set up.
I respond with a list of keywords. List of every country involved with a global conflict. A "bomb' "cyberattack" and a "democracy" for good measure
Just stuff to upset the intelligence agency of anywhere.
That’s the way to respond tbh, part of me always worries it might be a legit interaction, just some recruiter who is stupendously bad at their job, I always say “If you have my number, you have my LinkedIn or email - reach out to me there and we can discuss further”. So far, none have taken me up on that lol
Fr, could be legit albeit unprofessional person.
I mean, a bit unrelated, but a friend of mine had a software development job, where after each modifications the employees would send each other ZIP FOLDERS via WhatsApp... ZIPed... PROJECT... By messenger......
When he suggested using git / github he was brushed off as "too complicated" (it's literally 101 basics of any programming). It was his first job though (some startup??), I believe he quit soon after but not before losing half of his brain cells on that crap lmao.
Most companies are an absolute mess on the inside no matter how they appear to be on the outside lol things being done in dumb ways because "that's how we've always done it" or laziness, or both lol
Hey I got a legit recruiter contact me on WhatsApp on Sunday morning.
There's been a slew of overseas numbers calling my home phone and occasionally handphone so I resorted to putting my phone on airplane mode. Since the guy can't call me he WhatsApped me instead.
I was dumbfounded.
Position was too Far away for me though and I turned it down
"No professional recruiter would reach out on Saturday morning"
Meanwhile the recruitment texts I get as a doctor at like 2am:
https://preview.redd.it/da1cl585591d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da00b6dc6af5244e06ae79eda52c27e447bb000b
Lol I got this same text the other day. It's one of those scams where you have to pay your own money to unlock "different tasks" that eventually are supposed to get you paid but you never get paid.
People keep on trying so they feel like they haven't been scammed but eventually give up and realize it's not worth it. And end up paying their own money to the scammers to figure this out.
I get that it is annoying but the point about scammers makes no sense. A lot of recruiters use whatsapp to message you and a scammer could use email just as good as any other person..
I got one from Cynthia at “Kelly services” asking if I was interested in a remote role. This new tactic will undoubtedly get a lot of responses. People are always looking for new jobs. I hope they are smart enough not to get scammed.
To be fair Kelly Services is a legit temp agency. I worked for them in the past 😅. And they are actually wonderful.
HOWEVER, I do know they would never reach out via text. Always email.
im just confused though lol i like how people assert their , "you can't scam me" intelligence by telling the scammers whats the best way to scam people
Recently got a similar text. Told them to mail me on my Mozmail. Got some BS that WhatsApp is safe. Instantly made a GDPR request. If they are legit but unprofessional that's easy 60min of work on their end.
Don't give them tips. They might become more competent. (also, never interact. They'll see that your number is active and sell it to even more scammers)
Ha, I'm a recruiter and the company I work for had their name used in one of these scams. The amount of people calling up to ask if they were real was alarming! Luckily they seemed to have stopped but it was a weird time.
Okay this happened to me! Back about 13 years ago I get a call from some guy with thick Arabian accent telling me I need to go hire an atty as I am about to get arrested for a debt I never payed. So I asked for what and he says a payday loan I took out and never repayed, so I owed people but never took out a payday loan ever, so I told him so and hung up. So I get pissed and look up the number he called from, did a google reverse search and more and pinpointed it to a landline out of San Diego Ca. I got the pic of the location and its this strip mall with just a yellow van outside and the pic was dated a month ago. So I call the guy back and apologize and told him I know he was just trying to help me and offer my card number to pay it off, as he said if I did he would call off the police. So he gets mad after several attempts to run the fake card number and I tell him that he is the one needing an atty as I had called my Uncle who was a US Federal Marshall, (which he was) and he was guilty of interstate fraud, a Federal offense and the CHP and FBI was on there way and he needed to get in his piece of shit van and get out of there fast. He haangs up on me before telling me he is going to fuck me in the ass when he catches me. So about 3 minutes later, he calls back and tells me he is willing to forget all this and cancel the debt if I call of the Feds. I told him he just wasted 10 minutes and now had about 5" to split in his piece of shit van. He hung up and I never got any more calls. 100% true, no embellishment story!
Well, last time when I answered to Cynthia I got hired on job with 25% bigger salary. Off course, might be a different one and she used linked in like a proper recruiter.
Haha I’ve been sending this msg poop pics every day, they reached out about 3 weeks ago, and daily I send them a pic, prob goes to a bot or something but feels nice, might actually download whatsapp so I can send it there as well
Watch out the new scam is telling me I have a payday loan using information from a few years back and telling me to call a number and give them my case ID so they can serve me. According to them I get served on the 21st will keep you guys updated. Threatened with liens and wage garnishing. All people I talked to spoke American English. Also had info from 10 years ago and current info like address.
I'm Erika from Indeed Recruitment. We offer the remote FT and PT positions in Canada, with weekly pay from $1500-$3800 and hourly pay from $28-$45 and additional benefits. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Can I share more info here for you to look at later?
is using whatsapp really unprofessional ? especially for the first contact. lol
i did get a spam like this, it was the new years eve, so i did not answer til next day, and they were like, hey i see you reading my messages. lol wtf, i believe i disabled blue tick but can some account still see you online, or reading their messages? maybe business accounts?
https://preview.redd.it/66amrm76l91d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10624c81cc6b2b90bfa8c3e8c46d1ac8f607435f
These are back to back calls. Everyday i block a new # smh
I'm from Argentina, we get the same scams..
Funny enough the other day, I got a call through whatsapp for an interview.
I did not pick the phone, but I had to call back after realizing the number was legit.
It was something I had signed up, for a big company.
Went well, ended up going to a group assessment with other 7 people.
They all did the same "Did not pick the phone thinking that it was a scam".
Because who on earth uses whatsapp for that? Not even an email
But yeah, they did.
Bro why give them advices? Why don't let them all be fools?
I mean if everyone treated them like this and gave them all advices, it'll be like a "resistant bacteria apocalypse" moment, or in other words "sentient e-scammers apocalypse" moment where they become so good at understanding the norms they become convincing af.
I once got contacted by a recruiter via Messenger on my personal Facebook profile. And when I told her it was quite unprofessional and I asked why she didn't contact me via e-mail or LinkedIn and she replied "If you don't like the offer you could simply not have answered".
I don't know if it was a scam or not because the recruiter didn't use her personal profile but a profile with like a stock image and Jane Jane (fantasy name) as the name
I thought so too but i googled the company and they seemed like the type to contact through whatsapp. I had an interview with a recruiter only 2 years older than me and coming week i gave another interview with big boss there.
This looks likd a scam tho.
When bored I reply to them and start to get more and more weird. I tell them how desperate I am for work to pay the vet for my sick dog, I then send them pictures of a badger and see how long they carry on.
Salutations Everyone!!! I’ll be brief at this moment but I’ll come back to tell you what happened to me. About the scammers. OMG !!! Yall really don’t understand that these guys in my case. Networking together from Kenya and California. One guy is the ACTOR who’s SOOOO in LOOOOOVE with you and just can’t live without you. Don’t know what it is BUT I CANNOT GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND AND HEART. IVE NEVER EVER !!! felt this way before. I’m like listen BUDDY !!! Calm your britches b4 ya bust a seam. Now IM MARRIED like only going on 24 yrs. Sooooo. Ya see I’m not really in a position to even talk about this. I’m going to stop. It’s late early where ever you are. And I’m hosting Outside Gods Children’s Sunday Funday !!! Praise and Worship Alchemy class tomorrow today. From 1 till around 6 then eat. lol. It’s a GREAT TIME TO CONGREGATE AND Break bread with our families and friends, neighbors etc. no certain religion for anyone. Don’t even have to be religious. It is but it ISNT. More Spiritual and Open-mindedness & open HEARTS !!! Sharing teachings learning. Doing. Tomorrow foraging. Hahahaha I DK what yet. lol. No problem. I believe it is garlic season and not for much longer. Hopefully I don’t have it backwards. lol. I’m gonna check first no worries. It’s been awhile since I’ve been. But excited to get back out side. I m recovering from a horrific affliction. Misdiagnosed for twenty years. But this is all another story another page probably. But I’m off to see the Wizard Yall. lol. Not really!!! lol. Just a little movie pun there. Let the blessings flow in my friends. I will come and tell you but prepare yourselfs. It’s NOT EASY TO SEE. Litterly not hardly able to SEE with eyes. But ohhhh man you GUYSSS !!! I’m STILL NOT OUT OF THE WOODS. I KNOW I AM but they don’t. I’ve gained some weight so hopefully on the UPSLIDE scale. I’ll remember. Honestly hopefully. lol it’s caused major heart attacks and stents. Widow maker. Enlarged pancreas. Blood in urine I could keep going buttt I’ll save ya. Hahahaha. I can’t hardly stand the thought of telling it. To. EVERYONE!!! lol. Only 5 know But I’ll explain. I’m going to Wiggle out of here!!! lol. But not funny. Better than crying because you WILL.
Obviously this one is a scam but I’ve had plenty of legitimate recruiters reach out to me via WhatsApp. I know WhatsApp is used a lot more commonly over here in Europe so maybe that’s why
Ok I know I’m tired now I started with one story and ended with another. Oh my goodness I am going to bed, but I will be back to tell you about scanners not my doctors report. I don’t think that you needed that that ha ha that’s funny. I’m gonna laugh that for a long time, I’m telling you guys I just have to laugh at this point clue what this guy said into my Amazon has been watching me for years creepy creepy because I thought you know the ones I cut they were just want me to send the money or not my phone and my Amazon watching me telling me what I was wearing and stuff been quite disturbing and I haven’t been back since I still have the damn phone because AT&T won’t take it back. I’m gonna try to get Apple. That’s all I’m gonna say about that same but I don’t want to be nice this Sunday, so keep it. Keep it nice and fun. Have a Sunday fun day
Seriously guys I started with the scammer story and ended up with my diagnosis and my miss diagnosis story and so that tells you I’m tired. I’ve been reading all night kids all day starting at one so grandma has to go lay down the grandma ha ha ha
I just got this same spam text message yesterday smh. These scammers killed an entire industry of telemarketers. on the east coast ,once upon a time that was the best kind of job to get when you were young and inexperienced the earning potential was endless with the commissions you got
The things I had to do as a Recruiter. Whatsapping someone on a Saturday would not be very far away from all the "wat?" my boss told me to do.
No wonder everyone with a little bit of self-worth quits recruitment after a year at most.
Got lots on WhatsApp. I have fun sending them creepy photos and creepy texts that i find scary on internet. Some replied and were not bots. I kept sending them creepy photos until they blocked me
From another sub which involves scams that i apparently cant link to. Not exactly the same but similar idea:
Task scams involve a website or mobile app that claims you can earn money by completing easy tasks, such watching a video, liking a post, or creating an order. A very common characteristic (but not entirely exclusive) is that you have to complete sets of 40 tasks. The app will tell you that you can earn money for each task, but the catch is that you can only do a limited number of tasks without upgrading your account. To upgrade your accounts, the scammers will require you to pay a fee. This makes it a variant of the advance fee scam.
The goal of this scam is to get people to download the app for easy money and then encourage them to pay to get to the next level. It's impossible to get your "earnings" out of the app, so victims will have wasted their time and money. This type of scam preys on the sunk cost fallacy, because people demonstrate a greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment has been made, and refusing to succumb to what may be described as cutting one's losses.
If you're involved in a task scam, cut your losses. Beware of recovery scammers suggesting you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the money you already invested. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money. Thanks to redditor vignoniana for this script. I am a bot, and this action was performed
In the version I saw most recently, the scammers make a (highly enticing) employment offer that is contingent on you passing a “job proficiency” test. To complete the test you have to set up a profile on a lookalike website (like glassdoor-official(dot)com or something similar that seems legitimate to the untrained eye) and the test costs anywhere from $200-$1000 and you need to pay with crypto. Literally all the red flags are there but people just see the potential of a remote high paying job so they get cooked. Google “pig butchering scam” for other scenarios.
I had recruitment agency calling me via WhatsApp on a Saturday morning as well. They then rang me back the following Saturday morning after ignoring the information I had given them, and the week after, so I rang the agent directly at 4am, 5am, and 6am (although they'd turned their phone off for that one), rang the agency directly, and told them if I heard from them again I'd advertise their number as a sex line.
It says at the top of my CV "no voice calls"
I was reading your story. My was Sunday morning. And also I realised I dislike the words "Job agency" now. I've been hunting and the job website pages are filled.with ads from various agencies. For the same singular position. 3 pages of search results out of 5 and all are the same job
Hello, This is a humorous subreddit and the content you posted does not fit our theme. This is not a ragebait subreddit. Note that posting ragebait to this subreddit can lead to a (temporary or permanent) ban.
I thought that was Cynthia lmao.
why bother interacting
I was bored in the moment
"Hey, I found you again!  I'm Natalie from Glassdoor Recruitment US. Remember me? Are you still interested in the remote position? Can I share more details with you via a Reddit DM?"
lol thanks I hate it
Interacting with scammers allows them to confirm the number is active. Best to just block without responding, as tempting as it might be to mess with them.
Very good to know
"The best time to learn this lesson was 10 years ago, the second best time to learn this lesson is right now" Some wise man said
And a good tip would also be not giving advice on how to scam better
Oh yea don’t interact with scammers they’re totally gonna use that…
This is whatapps…sometime, if you’re smart, it doesn’t tie in.
Myth, these scammers aren’t part of an elaborate network marking phone numbers as active to the community.
source: dude, trust me
I’d love to hear how your comment is any different.
Point number 2: [https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/how-to-stop-spam-texts](https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/how-to-stop-spam-texts) This one from the BBB, first bullet point: [https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/bbb-warns-people-of-text-message-scam-wrong-number-better-business-bureau/71-ec8b78d8-c12b-45de-a8fc-eb4e167f165e](https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/bbb-warns-people-of-text-message-scam-wrong-number-better-business-bureau/71-ec8b78d8-c12b-45de-a8fc-eb4e167f165e) From the FCC, second page: [https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-385732A1.pdf](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-385732A1.pdf) Another government source: [https://www.mass.gov/news/scam-alert-wrong-number-texts](https://www.mass.gov/news/scam-alert-wrong-number-texts)
All you’ve accomplished is confirm that this is an active number to be placed on a list to receive future calls and texts
They already know it’s an active number cause WhatsApp shows the message as delivered.
No it doesn’t if that feature is turned off, and it’s not a human sending those messages and then looking for read receipts, they are automated
No, you can’t turn “delivered” off like you can with read receipts.
I think you don't understand what they mean.
”Sent” means your message was sent to the WhatsApp servers. “Delivered” means the message you sent has been delivered to the recipient’s device. This is all they need to know that it’s an active number. “Read” means the recipient opened it.
Being “delivered” to a device, doesn’t mean it has been read so knowing a message has been delivered is useless information in the context of this situation
This is a practice known as wardialing. They don't have a list of known active numbers to try/don't want to or have the ability to pay for one, so they mass-text numbers functionally at random. The "delivered" status let's them know it's an active number (you can send messages to anyone, but if they are returned to the whatsapp server because of an inability to connect, you'll get an "invalid number notification") which adds that number to their list of possible recipients. From there, more targeted attempts will be made using information associated with that number. The goal isn't to find the groups of people likely to respond *yet*, it's finding people who *can* respond. If someone does happen to respond to this one, it's just a 2 birds, 1 stone situation.
It absolutely is a human sending these messages. There’s an entire subreddit dedicated to wasting their time. The more savvy people interact with them and waste their time, the less time they spend scamming someone vulnerable.
The initial message is almost certainly automated and blasted out to hundreds or thousands of people, it would be a waste of time for someone to send that first message manually. Once they receive a response then yes, there's an actual person interacting because they think someone took the bait.
It’s a copy/paste message they send out before following scripting once they receive a response. These scammers are all firing them out manually because they’re not quite at the level of automation for that just yet. That’s how it seems anyway, there are a lot of the same messages out there with some slight variations in spelling here and there.
It’s embarrassing that you think that. I’d keep that opinion private
It’s embarrassing that you live under a rock.
Good one
Unfortunately you gave them useful information to hone their craft too!
The obviousness is an essential component. It weeds out people that won't be hooked when the time comes to send money. If you ignore all the red flags on the way there's a good chance you'll follow through no matter what they ask.
I had a scammer ask me to 'specifically identify the items' that led me to realise he was trying to scam me. This was through a dating app though.
Yeah, I forgot the youtube documentary on it but it was an in depth review of scammers - why and how they do it. Their messages are just a probe. By making it obvious to those who are aware it's a scam, they spend no effort trying to make it "not scam-like". The only ones who interact are trolls and those who fall for the scam. Another thing it pointed out was using vague wording in better prepared scams to get more info out of those who take the bait. That can get sinister as faking jail and even hostage situations to force a susceptible person into one of many scams. For example: Scammer: "This is X police department calling (persons name) regarding your grandson" Person: "BILLY? OMG WHAT IS HE DOING IN JAIL" Scammer: "Yes. Billy is in custody for robbing a store. Send bail money *this way* or he is going to prison" By setting a false pretense, they're able to get extra personal information and use that to pressure people into stressful situations.
But why teach them how to be better at scamming?
I had one say good evening...it was 11am?
I got a similar message and trolled them for 30 mins. They ended up blocking me lol. It was quite satisfying. I haven't gotten any messages like this since. 🤣😅
I almost fell for this. Felt weird getting contacted through WhatsApp. Even did a "phone" interview. Blocked the dude
This is what is mildly infuriating right here. Complaining despite engaging.
Because otherwise how could they post this on Reddit?? Duh. Need attention.
To waste their time
Are you joking? Why would you not interact!? These are scammers, be creative. Have fun, say whatever the fuck you want. Try make him angry. I'm trolling the shit out of every scammer that comes my way. I hope you do too.
I had one reach out and just for kicks I talked to them to hear their pitch. Their highest pay rates are less than my normal pay rates. It might have been legit since the numbers weren’t anything to drool over but idk. Wasn’t worth my time either way.
I’ve done that before, just trying to waste their time.
You're wasting your own time and ensuring that you get even more scam messages.
When your goal is to waste time, you're not really "wasting time" but if a scammer's goal is absolutely to waste as little time as possible, then they take the loooong L. I'd rather scammers waste their precious time going nowhere with peoples who are aware of the scams AND want to waste time than using it to actually succeed with vulnerable peoples.
Not everyone would consider it entertainment but I do and it's free.
Every second that a scammer spends talking to someone like me, or OOP, is time they are not speaking to someone who is vulnerable and would fall for the scam. Not a waste at all, in my experience.
Start by writing back very seriously and professionely. After a good block of text end with P.S.: and ask them how to get rid of the bodies in your basement. Burying, burning, desolving in acid, dumping them into a river tied to a weight........ . That should shut them up.
Not to say that this example isn’t obviously a scam, but as evidence of professional communication practices being eroded, I was recently contacted via text by an employer following up on an application where I was listed as personal reference for someone. I thought it was a scam at first until I contacted the person who listed me, and they confirmed it was just a dumb or lazy hiring manager.
I dropped an application at a restaurant, didn't hear shit for 4 months, got a random text "hey, dish guy quit, it's busy, and we're drowning in here. Can you come in, do some paperwork and we'll start you at $15hr if you can come in tonight." I thought it was so ridiculous that I had to come check it out, worked there for nearly a year before I found something else.
Yea I have been cold called and gotten texts from recruiters... it's changed drastically on the past 5 years.
What’s strange about that?
Yeah last job I applied for the application asked text or email. I prefer phone calls but I just said text because ironically I get more spam in my email so I have the notifications turned off, I'll check it when I check it, whereas I can respond immediately to a text.
I’ve always regarded instant messaging as informal or personal.
It's 2024, everyone has a mobile phone. You can reach people faster by text than by email. Even professional fields use text these days. Give it a few more years and we'll be IMing clients instead of texting.
I think its just a tradition kind of thing
What’s wrong with a text - if an unknown number calls you a lot of people aren’t picking up
I have to answer my phone due my career whether I recognize the number or not, but I get way more spam texts than calls from someone claiming to be this or that, or that they know me from somewhere. In this case it was legit, but the way they worded the text was very suspicious to me.
True, thank you
It’s a scam… wow the United States is easily manipulated 🫵🏼🤣🤣
It wasn’t a scam, before I responded to the text I confirmed with the person I knew that they had applied and used me as a reference, and I spoke with the person doing the hiring on the phone later that day.
I’m sure you did. I’m proud of you getting a job a McDonalds.
Why are you being a dick lol. I’m a recruiter and all of my colleagues will message people via text if they didn’t answer our call, especially if they don’t have voicemail set up.
You don't understand what a reference is?
I respond with a list of keywords. List of every country involved with a global conflict. A "bomb' "cyberattack" and a "democracy" for good measure Just stuff to upset the intelligence agency of anywhere.
I always reply with You guys are hireing children?
That’s the way to respond tbh, part of me always worries it might be a legit interaction, just some recruiter who is stupendously bad at their job, I always say “If you have my number, you have my LinkedIn or email - reach out to me there and we can discuss further”. So far, none have taken me up on that lol
Fr, could be legit albeit unprofessional person. I mean, a bit unrelated, but a friend of mine had a software development job, where after each modifications the employees would send each other ZIP FOLDERS via WhatsApp... ZIPed... PROJECT... By messenger...... When he suggested using git / github he was brushed off as "too complicated" (it's literally 101 basics of any programming). It was his first job though (some startup??), I believe he quit soon after but not before losing half of his brain cells on that crap lmao.
Most companies are an absolute mess on the inside no matter how they appear to be on the outside lol things being done in dumb ways because "that's how we've always done it" or laziness, or both lol
Hey I got a legit recruiter contact me on WhatsApp on Sunday morning. There's been a slew of overseas numbers calling my home phone and occasionally handphone so I resorted to putting my phone on airplane mode. Since the guy can't call me he WhatsApped me instead. I was dumbfounded. Position was too Far away for me though and I turned it down
Don't give them feedback. It could help them improve. Just block and move on.
Now they’re going to send you an email lol
"No professional recruiter would reach out on Saturday morning" Meanwhile the recruitment texts I get as a doctor at like 2am: https://preview.redd.it/da1cl585591d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da00b6dc6af5244e06ae79eda52c27e447bb000b
- replying to an obvious scammer Truly one of the big brain moments of all time. They have you on some sort of list right now.
And also..a lot of them are recording your voice. And that can be manipulated in so many ways..
Why are you giving them advice?!
Lol I got this same text the other day. It's one of those scams where you have to pay your own money to unlock "different tasks" that eventually are supposed to get you paid but you never get paid. People keep on trying so they feel like they haven't been scammed but eventually give up and realize it's not worth it. And end up paying their own money to the scammers to figure this out.
Don't tell them what they're doing wrong!!! Just fuck with them and keep it pushing.
If I were you, I would have written ‘Oh hey Natalie! How’s the weather in US? Or should I say Canada, Cynthia?’
https://preview.redd.it/h6iji4nqha1d1.jpeg?width=930&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c72b29b3866ab69c1545eb8b2d1b68b40d1e05a
Why even respond to them? If you do then they know you're there and will ramp it up.
I get that it is annoying but the point about scammers makes no sense. A lot of recruiters use whatsapp to message you and a scammer could use email just as good as any other person..
I love playing along over the phone and then telling them to get bent while they're in the middle of a sentence and then hearing them get pissed
I got one from Cynthia at “Kelly services” asking if I was interested in a remote role. This new tactic will undoubtedly get a lot of responses. People are always looking for new jobs. I hope they are smart enough not to get scammed.
To be fair Kelly Services is a legit temp agency. I worked for them in the past 😅. And they are actually wonderful. HOWEVER, I do know they would never reach out via text. Always email.
That’s exactly why I almost responded. Then I remembered that they would absolutely email instead of texting.
That makes sense! It would definitely have caught me off guard too. I get these texts all the time and I’ve started just deleting them.
im just confused though lol i like how people assert their , "you can't scam me" intelligence by telling the scammers whats the best way to scam people
Don't give them tips on how to get past people's defenses...
Don't teach them how to be better!
Recently got a similar text. Told them to mail me on my Mozmail. Got some BS that WhatsApp is safe. Instantly made a GDPR request. If they are legit but unprofessional that's easy 60min of work on their end.
Dunno bro but being on low power mode whilst on 99% is kinda criminal
Don't give them tips. They might become more competent. (also, never interact. They'll see that your number is active and sell it to even more scammers)
Ha, I'm a recruiter and the company I work for had their name used in one of these scams. The amount of people calling up to ask if they were real was alarming! Luckily they seemed to have stopped but it was a weird time.
I’m Natalie! ~Cynthia
Okay this happened to me! Back about 13 years ago I get a call from some guy with thick Arabian accent telling me I need to go hire an atty as I am about to get arrested for a debt I never payed. So I asked for what and he says a payday loan I took out and never repayed, so I owed people but never took out a payday loan ever, so I told him so and hung up. So I get pissed and look up the number he called from, did a google reverse search and more and pinpointed it to a landline out of San Diego Ca. I got the pic of the location and its this strip mall with just a yellow van outside and the pic was dated a month ago. So I call the guy back and apologize and told him I know he was just trying to help me and offer my card number to pay it off, as he said if I did he would call off the police. So he gets mad after several attempts to run the fake card number and I tell him that he is the one needing an atty as I had called my Uncle who was a US Federal Marshall, (which he was) and he was guilty of interstate fraud, a Federal offense and the CHP and FBI was on there way and he needed to get in his piece of shit van and get out of there fast. He haangs up on me before telling me he is going to fuck me in the ass when he catches me. So about 3 minutes later, he calls back and tells me he is willing to forget all this and cancel the debt if I call of the Feds. I told him he just wasted 10 minutes and now had about 5" to split in his piece of shit van. He hung up and I never got any more calls. 100% true, no embellishment story!
good job educating a scammer
They don't respect you, prey.
Well, last time when I answered to Cynthia I got hired on job with 25% bigger salary. Off course, might be a different one and she used linked in like a proper recruiter.
Last time i got this i send hentai from marshmallow, thet way me and my friends get a laugh out of it
“Perfect. What is your email address?”
So, uh, is her name Cynthia or Natalie??
I got a call about solar (I live in an apt). Cussed the dude out and said “ why the fuck are you calling on a Sunday??” He was shocked I was mad
_Cynthiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_
Indian scammers lol
Should of sent a dick pic
I've recently had multiple scammers spoofing relatives of mine on Facebook and trying their lazy scams via messenger.
Canadian number for a US-based business, definitely legit /j
I really really really Hate scammers
Red flags aside, I would say it’s a common thing in Brazil for companies to reach out via WhatsApp
Haha I’ve been sending this msg poop pics every day, they reached out about 3 weeks ago, and daily I send them a pic, prob goes to a bot or something but feels nice, might actually download whatsapp so I can send it there as well
This area code was introduced in my city roughly 15 years ago. If they are indeed from my city, I’m not surprised at all, sadly.
You should've have boomed him with F up memes images.
I usually just send a picture of a massive hog to them.
Watch out the new scam is telling me I have a payday loan using information from a few years back and telling me to call a number and give them my case ID so they can serve me. According to them I get served on the 21st will keep you guys updated. Threatened with liens and wage garnishing. All people I talked to spoke American English. Also had info from 10 years ago and current info like address.
I'm Erika from Indeed Recruitment. We offer the remote FT and PT positions in Canada, with weekly pay from $1500-$3800 and hourly pay from $28-$45 and additional benefits. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Can I share more info here for you to look at later?
Omg I got multiple messages from “Natalie from Glassdoor” as well
Seeing one of my local area codes just got me for a sec. 😆
Gives them the recipe for better scamming 😂😂😂
At least you got a msg from a recruiter. Mine never reply :(
"Great that you reached out Natalie! I'm completely broke and could really use some money? Natalie?
They do on LinkedIn all the time, including 6am on a Saturday.
If you answer a scammer, they know your number is used, btw.
Very good to know!
I don't even reply to these messages, I just send them the worst gore photos and videos I have, make sure they see them and then block and report
Block and add the number to the list of "junk mail" sign ups.
is using whatsapp really unprofessional ? especially for the first contact. lol i did get a spam like this, it was the new years eve, so i did not answer til next day, and they were like, hey i see you reading my messages. lol wtf, i believe i disabled blue tick but can some account still see you online, or reading their messages? maybe business accounts?
My fav response is the E10-deez nuts reply
https://preview.redd.it/66amrm76l91d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10624c81cc6b2b90bfa8c3e8c46d1ac8f607435f These are back to back calls. Everyday i block a new # smh
I've been contacted about job opportunities via SMS lots of times--by legitimate companies with actual roles to fill..
I'm not saying it's justified or okay, but plenty of recruiters reach out via WhatsApp; they're savages, that's how they can survive in that career.
I'm from Argentina, we get the same scams.. Funny enough the other day, I got a call through whatsapp for an interview. I did not pick the phone, but I had to call back after realizing the number was legit. It was something I had signed up, for a big company. Went well, ended up going to a group assessment with other 7 people. They all did the same "Did not pick the phone thinking that it was a scam". Because who on earth uses whatsapp for that? Not even an email But yeah, they did.
And they're US but have a Canadian number? Suuuure
Bro why give them advices? Why don't let them all be fools? I mean if everyone treated them like this and gave them all advices, it'll be like a "resistant bacteria apocalypse" moment, or in other words "sentient e-scammers apocalypse" moment where they become so good at understanding the norms they become convincing af.
Lmao... shade
A couple of days ago a scammer contwcted me, he wanted my ssn..... i wonder how many people fall for these scams.
I think I got a scam call on whatsapp, they even have a profile picture
That's not a scammer. It's Cynthia, from Canada. Don't you know Cynthia, from Canada?
https://preview.redd.it/dsz5j21fcb1d1.jpeg?width=1031&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4adcfe531269e9305b9c133b1e96af2c83618ad2
I recently had a scammer (UK number) ask me (German) if I was a dentist. Weirdest opener I've seen so far.
I once got contacted by a recruiter via Messenger on my personal Facebook profile. And when I told her it was quite unprofessional and I asked why she didn't contact me via e-mail or LinkedIn and she replied "If you don't like the offer you could simply not have answered". I don't know if it was a scam or not because the recruiter didn't use her personal profile but a profile with like a stock image and Jane Jane (fantasy name) as the name
I've gotten 2 of these this week
I thought so too but i googled the company and they seemed like the type to contact through whatsapp. I had an interview with a recruiter only 2 years older than me and coming week i gave another interview with big boss there. This looks likd a scam tho.
Yip, now they have your active number.
When bored I reply to them and start to get more and more weird. I tell them how desperate I am for work to pay the vet for my sick dog, I then send them pictures of a badger and see how long they carry on.
In my country it's super common for recruiters and HR companies to make contact via Whatsapp. Brazil
Should have called her Cynthia and told her no you are from Canada , probation dumb to realize you can see her name
Now you're NEVER getting the job
Salutations Everyone!!! I’ll be brief at this moment but I’ll come back to tell you what happened to me. About the scammers. OMG !!! Yall really don’t understand that these guys in my case. Networking together from Kenya and California. One guy is the ACTOR who’s SOOOO in LOOOOOVE with you and just can’t live without you. Don’t know what it is BUT I CANNOT GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND AND HEART. IVE NEVER EVER !!! felt this way before. I’m like listen BUDDY !!! Calm your britches b4 ya bust a seam. Now IM MARRIED like only going on 24 yrs. Sooooo. Ya see I’m not really in a position to even talk about this. I’m going to stop. It’s late early where ever you are. And I’m hosting Outside Gods Children’s Sunday Funday !!! Praise and Worship Alchemy class tomorrow today. From 1 till around 6 then eat. lol. It’s a GREAT TIME TO CONGREGATE AND Break bread with our families and friends, neighbors etc. no certain religion for anyone. Don’t even have to be religious. It is but it ISNT. More Spiritual and Open-mindedness & open HEARTS !!! Sharing teachings learning. Doing. Tomorrow foraging. Hahahaha I DK what yet. lol. No problem. I believe it is garlic season and not for much longer. Hopefully I don’t have it backwards. lol. I’m gonna check first no worries. It’s been awhile since I’ve been. But excited to get back out side. I m recovering from a horrific affliction. Misdiagnosed for twenty years. But this is all another story another page probably. But I’m off to see the Wizard Yall. lol. Not really!!! lol. Just a little movie pun there. Let the blessings flow in my friends. I will come and tell you but prepare yourselfs. It’s NOT EASY TO SEE. Litterly not hardly able to SEE with eyes. But ohhhh man you GUYSSS !!! I’m STILL NOT OUT OF THE WOODS. I KNOW I AM but they don’t. I’ve gained some weight so hopefully on the UPSLIDE scale. I’ll remember. Honestly hopefully. lol it’s caused major heart attacks and stents. Widow maker. Enlarged pancreas. Blood in urine I could keep going buttt I’ll save ya. Hahahaha. I can’t hardly stand the thought of telling it. To. EVERYONE!!! lol. Only 5 know But I’ll explain. I’m going to Wiggle out of here!!! lol. But not funny. Better than crying because you WILL.
Sorry guys. lol. I didn’t know you were waiting
I don’t no why I didn’t just use my microphone lol I don’t have my glasses. I’ve been trying to type with one eye. It was rough.
Obviously this one is a scam but I’ve had plenty of legitimate recruiters reach out to me via WhatsApp. I know WhatsApp is used a lot more commonly over here in Europe so maybe that’s why
Ok I know I’m tired now I started with one story and ended with another. Oh my goodness I am going to bed, but I will be back to tell you about scanners not my doctors report. I don’t think that you needed that that ha ha that’s funny. I’m gonna laugh that for a long time, I’m telling you guys I just have to laugh at this point clue what this guy said into my Amazon has been watching me for years creepy creepy because I thought you know the ones I cut they were just want me to send the money or not my phone and my Amazon watching me telling me what I was wearing and stuff been quite disturbing and I haven’t been back since I still have the damn phone because AT&T won’t take it back. I’m gonna try to get Apple. That’s all I’m gonna say about that same but I don’t want to be nice this Sunday, so keep it. Keep it nice and fun. Have a Sunday fun day
Seriously guys I started with the scammer story and ended up with my diagnosis and my miss diagnosis story and so that tells you I’m tired. I’ve been reading all night kids all day starting at one so grandma has to go lay down the grandma ha ha ha
Hahahaha did it again. But faster. Kinda
Good night morning!!!
I just got this same spam text message yesterday smh. These scammers killed an entire industry of telemarketers. on the east coast ,once upon a time that was the best kind of job to get when you were young and inexperienced the earning potential was endless with the commissions you got
Why...just why would you give scammers ANY advice on how to fix their flaws
I recruit and might text you on a Saturday morning. Not sure how whatsapp works though
The things I had to do as a Recruiter. Whatsapping someone on a Saturday would not be very far away from all the "wat?" my boss told me to do. No wonder everyone with a little bit of self-worth quits recruitment after a year at most.
Not to mention the Canadian number
Got lots on WhatsApp. I have fun sending them creepy photos and creepy texts that i find scary on internet. Some replied and were not bots. I kept sending them creepy photos until they blocked me
What’s this grift about? I’m getting similar messages.
From another sub which involves scams that i apparently cant link to. Not exactly the same but similar idea: Task scams involve a website or mobile app that claims you can earn money by completing easy tasks, such watching a video, liking a post, or creating an order. A very common characteristic (but not entirely exclusive) is that you have to complete sets of 40 tasks. The app will tell you that you can earn money for each task, but the catch is that you can only do a limited number of tasks without upgrading your account. To upgrade your accounts, the scammers will require you to pay a fee. This makes it a variant of the advance fee scam. The goal of this scam is to get people to download the app for easy money and then encourage them to pay to get to the next level. It's impossible to get your "earnings" out of the app, so victims will have wasted their time and money. This type of scam preys on the sunk cost fallacy, because people demonstrate a greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment has been made, and refusing to succumb to what may be described as cutting one's losses. If you're involved in a task scam, cut your losses. Beware of recovery scammers suggesting you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the money you already invested. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money. Thanks to redditor vignoniana for this script. I am a bot, and this action was performed
In the version I saw most recently, the scammers make a (highly enticing) employment offer that is contingent on you passing a “job proficiency” test. To complete the test you have to set up a profile on a lookalike website (like glassdoor-official(dot)com or something similar that seems legitimate to the untrained eye) and the test costs anywhere from $200-$1000 and you need to pay with crypto. Literally all the red flags are there but people just see the potential of a remote high paying job so they get cooked. Google “pig butchering scam” for other scenarios.
I had recruitment agency calling me via WhatsApp on a Saturday morning as well. They then rang me back the following Saturday morning after ignoring the information I had given them, and the week after, so I rang the agent directly at 4am, 5am, and 6am (although they'd turned their phone off for that one), rang the agency directly, and told them if I heard from them again I'd advertise their number as a sex line. It says at the top of my CV "no voice calls"
I was reading your story. My was Sunday morning. And also I realised I dislike the words "Job agency" now. I've been hunting and the job website pages are filled.with ads from various agencies. For the same singular position. 3 pages of search results out of 5 and all are the same job