You know sometimes a relative calls you at 4 AM saying they need money. And you're not sure if it's them. But you don't want to do the wrong thing in that situation by not sending it by thinking it's fraud. Why not use a code word? Or better yet a countersign like they use in the military. And like they used in the Star Trek episode aired January 3, 1969 Whom Gods Destroy. A countersign is both the code word you give, and the code word you receive, when you are unsure of someone's identity. On Whom Gods Destroy the insane shape-shifter, Garth of Izar, wants to take over the Enterprise, and then the universe. But first Lt. Commander Scotty, who is manning the bridge at the time, has to make sure it's really the captain. So he asks “Queen to queen's level three?” Garth is confused at first. But then realizes it's a special prearranged code or countersign. The beauty of this idea, is that even if you know of this method, how could you still figure out the correct word or phrase? Because like Capt. Kirk later told Garth, there are an almost infinite number of chess countermoves. No one could do it by chance. And questions like that to gain access to your email account, like what grade school did you attend or what was you first pet, you might be able to look that up online. But not with an infinite number of possible answers. Then, to remember you could just write it down and put it in a safe place. Like a fireproof box with your other passwords.
I don't have relatives who call me at 4am in the morning asking for money, but if that happened I would know straight away whether it was genuine. Their ID would come up on my phone for a start and I would obviously recognise their voice. Even if none of that was applicable, I would just simply casually ask a question that they would not suspect was checking them out. Our daughter is a London police officer and when she hears of cases like this they completely baffle her. Even in murder cases where messages are sent from the murderer to convince someone that the victim is still alive, it must stand out a mile.
In the US, the criminals have found a way to make a different number come on the caller ID. They also can make things like "FBI" etc. come on the caller ID. I don't know how they do that. I could do a search on that. But I know there are stories in the news like that. They also say things like your bill needs to be paid and we're about to shut off your power. Send us a gift card now.The electric, water, gas, etc. companies say they would never call up someone like that. And they usually give you several chances to pay you overdue bill before they shut stuff off. Also, why would the electric, etc. company ask for a gift card? But like I said, the crooks know how to say things that will make you panic and not think things thru.
Today's society society seems to have turned people into idiots, who worship Google every night before they go to bed. What most people do not realise, is that the scammers who ask for gift cards are almost always in India.
If I had a family member call me at 4am asking for money, I'd tell em to F off and call back during the day. I'm sleeping. But nobody calls me asking for money because everyone knows I'm piss ass broke. But still, a code word is a wise idea. As for supposed businesses sending a text, email or phone call asking for money, I tell them to send an official letter in the mail and I'll sort it out. They should already have my billing address on file. If they ask me for the address or ask me to "confirm" it over the phone, if they don't read it out to me first, then they're full of shit. Most businesses I deal with specifically state that they do not call or send text messages asking for money and not to accept such requests. Otherwise, if they don't mail out bills, one can always go to their official Web site or app and check your account/billing to see what's actually true.
Besides caller ID's being easy to trick these days, in the last couple of years, there have been more situations where scammers can mimic someone's voice, usually AI Generated. The scammers trying to steal our voices — and how to protect yourself
I can see how the setup could work in certain cases, but it certainly would not work with us. Assuming that I did receive a call in the early hours, it would go to voicemail.I would then return the call, using the persons number stored in my phone. If somehow I did answer the call, I would know by how they addressed me and the tone of their voice whether it was genuine. Having got that far, if I did send them some money to get home, I would simply transfer it into their bank account allowing them to use the ATM I have all he details and due tohr work, Jane would use BAX. Far more likely, I would moan a bit, have a cup of tea and drive over to pick them up. All our immediate family members have families of their own, so Jane and I know where they are and what they are doing on an almost daily basis. None of them are going to spit from their family and arrive in Spain at 4am in the morning without us knowing. Assuming that it was something larger, such as the washing machine breaking breaking down (That one actually happened), I would simply wait until the morning, then order one from our suppliers and have it delivered to there home. Money would not even come into it. They certainly would not be calling at 4am, Jane is Irish. I suppose these scams can work, but only with people who have a lifestyle vastly different from ours.
That's a joke here. When the telephone industry got broken up and deregulated, caller ID got left wide open. Crooks often spoof caller ID...."Police Department" .. my brother got one of these calls where they threatened a warrant on him unless he paid bail on the phone.....and it said something like "XX county court office' or such on the phone. He did keep them going for a while just to see how far they would go.... Now, if they locked caller ID back up and made spoofing it a felony, that would sure prevent a lot of fraud - especially on the elderly. But there I go, talking crazy again.
Things are different in the UK and callers cannot enter anything except their number (which is automatic). If you called me, I can add text, so your next call would show as "Twogigahz" calling. I add this data to all family members and companies we deal with. Since the data is in my phone (not the sim) it is secure as well as useful. If an incoming call is being re-routed via a UK proxy, +44 will precede the number to warn me. A genuine call from you would only show your number along with your correct country code if you were outside the UK. We get +353 all the time, The country code for Ireland, so I know it is one of Jane's sisters or brothers. She still has 12 of them LOL
The caller ID text can be easily spoofed here, happens all the time and the especially target older people that still have land lines or voip. I used to tell my mother to not pick up the phone unless it was one of us calling - nobody else will call you except to sell you something or try to scam you. Cops don't call. IRS doesn't call... You aren't going to win something. Anyway.... Maybe our new Emperor can put another of his clown from his circus on it.
You can send money to a bank for them to pick up as cash. Use Ria system and set up to only release with ID.
