anyone ever have a private investigator try to scam you?

I got this email a couple of days ago, someone said they were sending me this phone for $277, I called the number and told them I didn't order it and not to ship it. the girl I talked to transferred me to this other guy who said he was a private investigator. he wanted to test my bank acct cause he thought maybe they'd take out the $277. he said he was going to put $18000 in my acct and he wanted me to take it out and send it back using a Bitcoin machine. that didn't work cause it wouldn't scan, so he wanted to try gift cards, for some reason that didn't work either. he had said something like he didn't want me to check my acct for 24 hrs, I decided to check it anyways and that's when I found out the money I withdrew was from my acct and he never deposited anything, he was trying to steal my money, I did report it to my bank, I hope I don't have to change my acct number, cause I get social security that way, I never gave him the number, just the name of the bank, he don't have my debit card number either, then this morning he tried to call me when I had already blocked him, I told him not to call again or I will send the police after him and its my money he wanted to take, not his. he hung up after that, I also reported him on the donotcall.gov list too, cause he was calling me when I had blocked him, probably using another phone, he also wasted a lot of my time with the bitcoin machine and being on the phone a lot when I wanted to do other stuff. since I've reported what he did to my bank is the police going to go after him, I gave them his number and name. was he really a private investigator or some crook? I'm keeping the cash with me cause then he cant get it out of my bank acct, also when I went to my bank one of the neighbors in the other bldg was there too at the same time I was, I heard he steals from people so it made me wonder if it could've been him changing his name? any ideas of why someone that claims they're a private investigator would act like this? will the bank or the phone place send the police after him? wondered if the police was going to contact me to ask me about it. any ideas of why someone would do this?

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twiigss · M

This person was a scammer and was trying to steal your money from you. Here's a few tips for the future and these are tips I follow:

If you get a phone call that you do not recognize the number, don't answer, let it go to voicemail. If the call is extremely important, the caller will leave a message.

This will almost prevent you from getting scammed. Email is another thing. If you are unsure about an email you receive saying payment denied, don't do anything in the email, call that company directly.

This happened to me, I called the company and the guy said, it sounds like you're being scammed sir, and when I looked back at the email it didn't even come from that company's official email address.

Any email that says you win, or package on it's way, send it to spam if you don't have a package coming.

These people will stop at nothing to get your money because it's the only thing they are after.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@twiigss I support that advice completely but not all of us have telephones that show the caller's number - I don't!

In that case I have one of two defences.

If the silent type (I think an automatic system for establishing whether it's worth a personal call) I let the call continue until it cuts out, wasting the gang's money.... albeit money stolen from others.

If from a person, I am not abusive in the usual way (swearing and the like), but I am firm and make it clear I know they are not "from the Windows Corporation" or whatever else is their story, and hang up before they can. Occasionally I tell them outright they are liars and criminals, then hang up before they have chance to do so first.
......

There is another attempt to be aware of: a message alleging a missed voice-call from some odd source. I do not know what would happen if you respond as the attacker intends, but such messages must be ignored.

Though they rather amuse me because I see them as e-posts on a PC, and you cannot make a voice-call to a computer! I still report, block and delete them.

twiigss · M

@ArishMell we don't have a landline phone anymore, just my cellphone, so I do understand that situation.

Only reason we got rid of landline to our house is all day long was spammers calling.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@twiigss I can understand that!

What I've noticed is the rate of spam calls seems to fluctuate, a bit randomly. So I receive several in a few weeks, then none for quite a while then it starts again.

Someone suggested to me this is due to the gangs circulating numbers they know are not going to be tricked, but eventually a new lot starts and so you get the calls again. It's possible I suppose, but we've no way of verifying this, of course.

I receive more spam e-mails than phone calls, though.