07/07/2026
Had two scam calls come through the shop yesterday. I was in a mood, so I had some fun with both of them.
Scam #1: “We’re calling from the fraud department of your bank.”
Notice what’s missing — they never say which bank. That’s the trick. The second victims hear “fraud,” panic sets in and they stop noticing details. A lot of people will actually fill in the blank themselves, sometimes swearing the scammer said “CommBank” when they never said any bank at all.
So I decided to mess with him. I started talking very softly, almost a whisper, then got quieter and quieter as the call went on. I could actually hear him crank up his volume trying to hear me. Right as he did — I let out my best impression of a screaming cockatoo, as loud as I could manage. Heard him swear and hang up on the spot.
#2 another scammed called and knew my name ..
Before anyone panics: your birthdate, address, phone number, and other basic details have been floating around online for over a decade thanks to various breaches. And if you’re reusing the same password everywhere, they’ve probably got that too. Knowing this, I wanted to see how much this guy actually had.
“Have you made any unregulated investments, like crypto?” Same trick as before — vague enough that a real victim fills in their own details and convinces themselves the scammer already knew.
Guy had an Eastern European accent, told me there was “a flag on my account.” Couldn’t tell me which account, how much, or anything beyond “someone tried to get into your account.” Classic — all pressure, zero specifics.
Once I was satisfied he did not have much I hung up and took notes and 15 minutes of his time. They both will be part of my next class on how to avoid scams for seniors !
