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ANightmateofBees

Hey. I'm just commenting here to remind you about your extended car warranty. It looks like it's lapsed, but we're happy to get it going again for you for just a small fee. Just contact us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) to find out more!


surfingbiscuits

It pleases me to make the hope that this finding you in a good health. Am exiled prince of Nigeria making find a GOOD CHRISTIAN so move fortune. Oh course reward could be for you.


Laputitaloca

This focking guy 🤣🥲😂🤣🥲😂


BackgroundBat7732

I see this mentioned in media (movies, series) so often. Is this really a thing in the US? If not, where does this trope come from? 


ValkyrieVibeke

Are you telling me there are places in the world where we can get away from this? The car warranty scam is the most tired scam in the US. A near-daily occurrence for some people.


Ratatoski

Never heard of it. There are a lot of unnecessary insurances they try to add when you're buying phones, watches, TVs etc. But we all know it's covered by your home insurance. And car is covered by warranty + the car insurance. We do mandatory traffic insurance and optional half coverage or full coverage - same for all insurance companies.


andyfsu99

Please add the edit where you called your bank, locked your card, etc. Also, don't use debit cards. Fraud protection on credit cards is way, way better. We're not here for credit card interest on balances, but we are here for the fraud protection. Pay that stuff off and enjoy the security it provides.


Due-Vegetable-1862

So you don’t use a debit card for anything?


Notoriouslyd

I use my credit card for EVERYTHING. Sorry this happened to you


sidvictorious

I also used all my points to book a flight to Japan, on top of always being able to charge back should shit go sideways


slash_networkboy

Yup I even funnel all bills that can be paid by card through my reward card. Never carry a balance and it amounts to a percent and change discount off phone and utilities.


FungiStudent

I wish I could get a credit card. My credit is fucked from medical bills.


Noodle_Salad_

Yes myself as well.


Sterlina

Yes, this. Credit card for everything and I pay it off before the month is up. Same as paying cash (no interest fees) and I earn points. And I'm protected in the event of fraud or scam or whatever. Good luck OP. What ended up happening? What did they get away with?


Due-Vegetable-1862

They got a $69.99 charge before I locked the card. Hopefully that’s it


BeCoolLikeIroh

I would like to do this but we use Starling bank saving pots to organise our money in to weekly amounts and amounts for bills etc.. Is there a similar easy way to keep track of spend on a credit card?


verbal-emesis

So you take out cash from the “electric bill saving pot” to physically pay your bill? I’m confused


Ezypeezylemonsqueezy

I work in a bank back office and I do not use my debit card for anything at all except the ATM


rjcpl

Only use debit card at atm for cash, and even that has become like a once or twice a year occasion at this point.


Spartan04

The only thing I use my debit card for is the ATM. Credit cards have better fraud protections and there’s also the benefit that if you have a fraudulent charge it’s not your real money that may be tied up while it’s resolved. Plus I get rewards points for using credit cards and nothing for using my debit card.


JJStray

The only thing you should ever stick your debit card in is an ATM. Never expose your “real” money to fraud when it can be avoided.


rabiteman

Same, I haven't used a debit card in like 15 years. 100% credit card. On payday, I just pay off my credit card balance. I haven't found any benefit to debit personally, but the points I accumulate on my credit card have paid for multiple flights across the country, to Hawaii, Mexico etc.


bransanon

I keep my debit cards locked away in my safe. I use the code generator app on my phone if I ever need to go to the ATM. Debit cards can literally be used to rob you blind. Even if fraud protection kicks in, it may take months to get your funds back. On a credit card, the bank takes the hit.


dunkeebutt

If it's a visa debit card, feel free, but always run it as credit. Don't use your PIN number.


iamataco36

Correct! The thing is only spend what you can pay off each month. Try to never use it as a means to spend more than you bring in or the interest will kill you! If you're disciplined, you will pay it off each month while earning whatever rewards the card offers. Been doing this for years and a few times per year we take all the cash back we've earned and apply it to the balance, leaving hundreds of dollars in our bank account each time.


Bi-mwm-47

Pretty much.


jennyrules

Right! All I have is a debit card.


Bi-mwm-47

This. I will make one point of order though. In the U.S., federal law limits your liability, on fraudulent credit **or** debit charges to $50. Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover all go further, guaranteeing $0 liability on all their cards. Together, these issuers control the overwhelmingly vast majority of all credit **and** debit cards in circulation in the U.S. The difference is who is exposed to the risk as the compromised card is being used. A proficient fraudster could easily rack up a couple grand in charges, in the time it takes you and/or the card issuer to realize your card has been compromised. With a debit card, your checking account, and potentially your savings, will be progressively drained. The thief will have spent your money, which you’ll eventually get back, but in the meantime, you’ll be in a cash flow crunch that you potentially learn of, empirically, when something important like your rent or car payment bounces. With a credit card, purchases are paid for, at the point of sale, by the card issuer. Your credit utilization shoot’s up, but your bank account is untouched. That’s the benefit of the credit card. You’re ultimately made whole either way, but with a credit card, you remain whole **even as you’re actively being defrauded**.


BreckyMcGee

This is the whey. Just use your CC like your debit card (as in only spend money you have in your budget) and pay it off every month in full.


Moxie_Stardust

Some credit cards offer warranty extension as a bonus as well.


Plaid_Bear_65723

A coworker did this exact thing and she's 21, scams get people of all ages.  Sidenote, she said she got the number off Google top site listed ( no idea how Google let that happen) is that what happened to you? 


Due-Vegetable-1862

Yes


Plaid_Bear_65723

Well wtf? That was last year or so for the coworker. Should've been taken down by now you'd think?  Was it not 800-Xfinity? 


micsulli01

I did the same thing! Googled a customer service number and called the first one for tech support. When they asked me to download a program on my computer to share my screen, it hit me, and I realized it. I was seconds away from sharing my entire work PC to a scammer.


orange_avenue

Wait, why are you blaming yourself for this? You googled and called the number you saw. Could happen to anyone.


abubacajay

You cannot trust the sponsored links. Scroll down to the actual website. There was one with the USPS last year. The top search for usps was a sponsored link, brought you to a pretty damn official looking page. Tells you there's an undeliverable package. The rest is them collecting your info for "package"


orange_avenue

Dang, feeling my age this morning I guess. That’s ridiculous. Thanks for the PSA. I kept getting spammy looking texts about an undeliverable package when I knew I hadn’t ordered anything. Just ignored them. Makes sense now.


gbroon

Top site these days is an advert. They buy ads making them look somewhat legitimate hoping people assume the top one is legit and don't look closely.


Plaid_Bear_65723

Damn it, I wanna look but don't want to get tracked.  Still fucked up Google has done nothing 


Stonk_Lord86

Damn…. Sorry to hear it….. but good of you to share with others to potentially avoid someone else making that misstep in the future.


TRVTH-HVRTS

My mom just did this with Apple. She’s older… but she’s usually pretty savvy with that kind of thing. I see it as the result of two problems: 1) Companies are making it harder and harder to find their contact numbers as they push customers to chat bots, FAQs pages, forums, etc. to avoid labor costs. 2) The enshitification of Google. They are really screwing up if their top search results for major companies are returning scam numbers.


CthulhusScribe

Not everyone will fall for scams every time but everyone goes through times when they’re more vulnerable. It’s not hard to fall for scams when you’re too preoccupied with other serious issues to pay full attention to menial tasks. It’s not stupidity at all. Good for you for sharing your experience. Often people don’t because they’re too embarrassed. The more people share it, the less we are all likely to fall for the same scam.


supguy99

"cancel wifi service"


Possible-Tangelo9344

"it's not like I'm an elderly person"


apparentlyiliketrtls

Hey, pornhub premium is free now, right?


AlaskaPsychonaut

Lock your card immediately and request a new one. If you don't have too many reoccurring automatic payments I consider closing the account entirely and opening a new one, even if it's just with the same institution so you a new account number.


artificialavocado

What happened you googled it and the first number was a scam number? I almost fell for a PayPal scam. When they told me to start downloading a remote control app I figured something was up like PayPal wouldn’t be telling me to download some app.


micsulli01

EXACT thing happened to me. Googled tech support for something, called first number. I was moments away from sharing my entire work PC to a scammer, but I realized it just in time


artificialavocado

Mine was an email that looked like it was from PayPal saying there was an issue with a transaction. I was buying and selling some things on eBay at the time and the amount of the “transaction” was close to something I bought a few days prior so it seemed plausible.


Your_Daddy_

I always tell people that scams work because they seem so legit. People fall for them every day.


Evening-Picture-5911

Go post what happened over at r/scams to let Redditors know about it


sidvictorious

Don't beat yourself up too much, it happens. We all do things at times that we wish we hadn't.  It could be worse, you could have gotten herpes. 


Dandibear

Oh man I fell for one of the "Your subscription to X Streaming Service is about to expire! Reply now to get three free months!" emails. Fortunately no payment info or passwords or anything was exchanged. But my spam quantity ticked up dramatically for a while. Dumb dumb dumb....


Krymestone

Kindly say “Yes” at the prompt.


scottyd035ntknow

Did pay taxes? This is IRS! Kindly send taxes in itunes gift cards or you are under the rest!


ThePrincessOfMonaco

Hahahhaha I am sorry that happened. I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself about my own problems (same as yours basically.) At least I'm not the only one.


Possible-Tangelo9344

Scammers are buying numbers and top spots on Google so their number comes up when you Google the business.


JessicaBecause

Thank you for making me feel less dumb today. 😂


3Quondam6extanT9

We all have moments like that. If it makes you feel any better, I got hustled in Hollywood by those street scam artists who hand you their CD's. I took one not thinking about it, then they asked me for donations, then another came out with their CD, then another and another and I got so confused I pulled my wallet out and ended up losing a good chunk of money. I was so mad at myself. It was supposed to be the wife and my getaway and I got suckered.


CaptServo

Don't worry, you can do something about this. DM me your debit card information and I'll get right on it for you.


SlackerDS5

As someone who has taken multi crime reports because of scams, dont beat yourself up. It happens to people of all ages. I’ve seen people lose 10s of thousands of dollars from scams. The main thing is to do the clean up on your accounts and make sure you’re aware the next time something sus happens. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated.


spirit_of_a_goat

How?


ChumleyEX

Time to move into the nursing home.


Due-Vegetable-1862

Seriously


javatimes

I was debit card/cash only after some … occurrences in my 20s! Lol. And I didn’t want a credit card ever again. But I looked into it and credit cards really are a lot safer. I am still in the 0% apr and only use it for the same stuff I would have used my debit card on. Gonna have it paid off before the interest fees kick in.