Chinese Criminals Made More Than $1 Billion From Those Annoying Texts (msn.com) 37
The U.S. is awash with scam text messages. Officials say it has become a billion-dollar, highly sophisticated business benefiting criminals in China. From a report: Your highway toll payment is now past due, one text warns. You have U.S. Postal Service fees to pay, another threatens. You owe the New York City Department of Finance for unpaid traffic violations. The texts are ploys to get unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. The gangs behind the scams take advantage of this information to buy iPhones, gift cards, clothing and cosmetics.
Criminal organizations operating out of China, which investigators blame for the toll and postage messages, have used them to make more than $1 billion over the last three years, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Behind the con, investigators say, is a black market connecting foreign criminal networks to server farms that blast scam texts to victims. The scammers use phishing websites to collect credit-card information. They then find gig workers in the U.S. who will max out the stolen cards for a small fee. Making the fraud possible: an ingenious trick allowing criminals to install stolen card numbers in Google and Apple Wallets in Asia, then share the cards with the people in the U.S. making purchases half a world away.
Criminal organizations operating out of China, which investigators blame for the toll and postage messages, have used them to make more than $1 billion over the last three years, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Behind the con, investigators say, is a black market connecting foreign criminal networks to server farms that blast scam texts to victims. The scammers use phishing websites to collect credit-card information. They then find gig workers in the U.S. who will max out the stolen cards for a small fee. Making the fraud possible: an ingenious trick allowing criminals to install stolen card numbers in Google and Apple Wallets in Asia, then share the cards with the people in the U.S. making purchases half a world away.
Let me guess... this would be considered fine... (Score:2, Troll)
Trump should blow up scammers (Score:2)
not random boats.
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Inside of China's borders? Good luck!
I mean "good luck" to any of us still breathing after after WW3.
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Before commenting on US politics, you should take some time to acquire more than a "very little understanding of" them: US 22nd Amendment [constitutioncenter.org].
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Before commenting on politics (Score:1)
Our highest courts have been compromised and are now a fully owned subsidiary of the Republican party. They will rubber stamp using whatever bullshit they need to come up with
Let me guess you probably think America was founded as a Christian Nation or some bullshit?
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About the Monroe Doctrine, we're all familiar with the Teddy Roosevelt part about policing the entire Western Hemisphere, but the original doctrine was that the Europeans should stay out of the Western Hemisphere (especially after the independence of Mexico and Brazil) and that in return the US would stay out of the rest of the world. Of course, that last part isn't remembered as much. US influence around the world today would be a violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
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But i would disagree with the premise that getting involved around the world by the US violates the Monroe Doctrine. Far from it, the Monroe Doctrine's specific intent was to keep the problems of Europe (and in today's terms Asia's problems too) out of the Western Hemisphere. The US' geopolitical strategy since the end of WW2 has always been to pit regional power
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Problem is, then he'd have to take out pretty much all of Congress!
Australia (Score:3, Informative)
In Australia this is a mostly solved problem.
Our phone companies track spammers and our phones say, spam caller.
Since that has happened, the volume of spam calls dropped off a cliff.
I see maybe one every 2 weeks.
But the again Australia stiles a good balance between corporate power and the people. ie
Universal 4 weeks holiday where you are paid 17% extra.
10 paid sick days.
11% on top of your salary goes to a superannuation fund you can choose.
The retail price you see is what you pay at the register.
Strong consumer rights for things like warranties.
Universal free healthcare + private healthcare if want it.
Mostly well maintained infrastructure.
Very low gun crime.
Kangaroos.
Metric!
We also have some of the most useless politicians in the world!!, would you Americans like some?
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We also have some of the most useless politicians in the world!!, would you Americans like some?
No thanks, we're full up on those too. The rest of the list sounds good though. Maybe not the kangaroos. I'd love to see one in person out in the wild, but from what I understand they are like the deer here: They seem to be attracted to car bumpers.
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In Australia this is a mostly solved problem.
Our phone companies track spammers and our phones say, spam caller.
I also get this with AT&T.
I wonder why the phone and messaging companies aren't more active in tagging and blocking spam calls and messages. Most of these calls and messages are obviously spam, especially when they are repeated in a mass campaign. Do the companies do nothing because (1) they don't know how, (2) they don't care, or (3) they profit somehow from the calls and messages?
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Metric!
You had me at Metric. It's not just the use of inches in the U.S. - it's the fact that all lumber is measured in ways that seem to be a prank on all non-professional carpenters. A 2x4? Nope. It's 1.5 x 3.5.
A 1x10? Nope. It's 3/4 x 9 3/4.
And don't get me started on the stupid use of fractions instead of decimals....it's almost worth it to pay someone to do the carpentry work instead...which I guess is probably the point.
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I don't really think you can trust everything they say to be a lie.
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How? (Score:2)
Your highway toll payment is now past due, one text warns. You have U.S. Postal Service fees to pay, another threatens. You owe the New York City Department of Finance for unpaid traffic violations.
My state DMV or the post office doesn't know my mobile phone number. How could this even work?
In the cases where some organization _demands_ a phone number, they get my landline. Which is for outgoing calls only. The phone doesn't even have a ringer.
Know how many of those I get? (Score:2)
Zero. Providers are required to block them here. And they do.
Re:Know how many of those I get? (Score:5, Insightful)
That sounds nice, but here in America we put our businesses first, second and third before we remotely care about the consumer. As such, I don't even answer my phone anymore unless the caller ID shows a real business. Sometimes it does and I'll answer. Vastly majority of incoming calls are just a number and I won't answer.
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Yep. My condolences. Unfettered capitalism turns everything to crap.
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P.S. We're not even people here. We're consumers. Sigh.
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My recent calls screen on my phone is 90+% "Spam Risk". If there was a way for me to automatically send those calls to voicemail I would.
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Trump Administration isn't helping (Score:2)
With all the random crazy things the Trump administration keeps implementing and the even crazier ways they often implement them and the haphazard ways they communicate them, then consistently change them as they haven't thought through what they are doing it is going to be it is going to be easier and easier for the scammers to scam people as increasingly nobody knows what is actually going on and what is legitimate and what is not.
Google and Apple Wallets (Score:2)
Being an old ('get off my lawn' vintage, except I don't have a lawn) timer, I don't have one of those 'wallets'. I can guess at what they are, and I think I've seen people using them to pay for things with their smart phones. But, does not having a wallet make me immune to this particular kind of thing?
finaly some truth (Score:2)
Chinese Criminals ...
American corporatism meets Chinese complaceny (Score:2)
For over a decade I have heard these lame stories by American phone companies, that it is completely impossible to block calls/messages with obvious fake displayed numbers. Hand wringing stories are being told about something, which every half-competent router admin considers a 101 level skill.
Then you have the Chinese government, which is very strict on perpetrators against their own people [spp.gov.cn]. They handed out 11 death sentences, 2 suspended death sentences and multiple life terms against one of their crime f
my texts (Score:2)
I recently deleted hundreds of scam texts. Every single one of them was from the Democratic Party.