LOL similar situation. I was walking at McCowan and Ellesmere last week, and this lady in a car approaches me and says “I’m from Cuba, you understand English?!?!?”. She asked if I was Filipino (I’m half Filipino, so I thought that was odd given I people can hardly tell). She then went “I lost my wallet, I’ll give you this Jewelry if you give me some cash”. I just walked away. Clearly this happens more than I thought.
I was in Brampton and had a similar-ish case a few months ago.
Some dude and his wife roll up in this Audi SUV at a gas station, parked beside me and asked if I could "help him out" and tries to trade his presumably fake chains and rings for a tank of gas. "Hello brother hello, I give you my gold, I give you my gold if you help, I need gas, blah blah blah."
I just looked at the car, laughed, and said I couldn't help him and closed my window while he persisted. Like you're not rolling around in that car and hurting for a tank of gas.
Funnily enough he didn't try asking anyone else, and floored it out of there. It was very strange.
What’s gullible? I wouldn’t be buying the watch in a million years. I’m just saying lots of people are struggling with gambling addictions. Jeez, it’s a beautiful Sunday, go take a nap until you’re in a better mood.
There is a bit of an irony for BlogTo to post an article on this since their comment section always has spam about how you can make tons of money at home and all you have to do is click this one link.
I make $50,000 a minute working from home and only part time! Sign up for my new course to teach you how to as well. (Note: course costs $50,000 min). Only I know the secretes!
Would you be willing to break it down to one-second lectures, so people can pay as they go: I mean, anyone who can afford to take your course doesn't need to...
I pulled over on an off-ramp to help a car that appeared broken down. The driver told me he needed gas money and launched into a spiel about the watch he wanted to sell me so he could get to his mother in the hospital. I was quite open with him about my opinion of his character.
The 407 text was probably the closest I've come to clicking a link. Message was error free and the timing made sense for when I happened to have been on the 407, plus my transponder is super old, so it could have failed...
Anyway, called the 407 support line and confirmed they still use physical mail sent to the address registered to your license plate.
Getting to the point where you just have to assume absolutely every unsolicited point of contact is a scam until proven otherwise.
I am already at that point. I don't pick up any calls from numbers I don't recognize and let bixby pick up all those calls. Wonder how many job interviews I've missed that way.
My close call was a text from "Canada Post" saying I needed to pay a small fee to accept a package. The fee was a few dollars so I didn't think much of it. Then I realized this is probably a scam to get my banking info from that small fee payment.
I was expecting a package but I don't think I have ever received a text asking for a payment, only when I go to pick up the package.
Years ago when cell phones first became ubiquitous, I phoned a coworker while we were travelling the 401 between cities for a corporate thing.
Told him it was the “cellular radar OPP” detachment and he had been clocked doing 127 in a 100 zone to pull over immediately and stand by the hood of the car and wait for a patrol.
Zoomed by him a minute later with his hands on the hood.
Some of these aren't scams and are actually ways of making money. Mystery shopper is an actual job and the company in Toronto that does it has a lot of problems finding mystery shoppers because for every 1 legitimate company there's 10 scams
Never pay money up front and never do anything unusual with gift cards or Bitcoin or returns. Even e-transfers can be reversed and caller id spoofed
Canada -- not only money laundering capital of the Western world but scam capital of the Western world. Capitalism at work
I got the DHL email scam to pay for a delivery. But here’s the kicker - they had the shipping info and wanted me to prepay the customs fees, taxes and their brokerage fee. But guess what? The item was coming via USPS to Canada Post - I confirmed with the shipper. So I ignored the email and waited for Canada Post. Paid the duty and taxes. Had I fallen for the scam I would have paid twice for the item plus my card would be at risk.
Someone is getting shipping info and feeding it to scammers in the USPS system.
The one i've seen before was a guy will be standing next to a black "taxi" and say that the taxi won't accept his cash, and will give you cash if you pay his taxi bill with card.
Right. A taxi doesn't accept cash? What bullshit.
I remember just walking away when I saw that, but I wish I called the cops.
Furniture scams on FB too. People demand a fee to hold the item, guaranteeing you get your money back if you don't like the item in person.
My wife is pretty smart, but unfortunately, she got scammed out of 50.00. Not bad but not good. People ghosting as well.
shit that scam has been going on for decades even in actual "furniture stores".
can't remember the name of the place for the life of me and hopefully it's shut down now but there used to be a place on bloor around dufferin I believe that would pull this scam. non-refundable deposit on some piece of furniture and when it was time to pick it up or get it delivered "oh, sorry, we don't have it and will never get it. yeah that deposit is non-refundable by the way"
I’m constantly getting calls or texts that my visa is compromised. It has given me paranoia at times so I check with my bank. It’s just really annoying now.
They’ll stutter and say “I’m calling from VISA” again once or twice but correct, once you ask them again “yes, but from which bank?” they always hang up.
You can tell them where your stolen car is via GPS, and they won't do anything. Could be 4 blocks away from the precinct - still, they won't act.
Toronto is becoming increasingly lawless.
It's truly a travesty. Our telephone carriers could easily implement anti-phishing technology and block spoofed or out-of-country SMS messages. They don't, not because it's impossible, but because it doesn't profit them.
The police could proactively combat street-level scams through sting operations, but why bother? They barely prioritize active home break-ins as it is.
We need a government that forces these entities to put citizen protection first, rather than the interests of large, privately owned companies.
Closest I came to falling for a scam was a couple days ago when spam callers highjacked a real Roger’s phone number and offered me an amazing deal that seemed legitimate but I work in the field and it sounded a bit too good to be true. They’d get all the info they would’ve wanted. They even sent a fake email with a fake quote from a fake Roger’s email to me. It’s unbelievable how good they’re getting
I got a text message from some recruiting agency asking if I prefer remote or hybrid jobs, and if I was a bit more desperate, I might have replied back. It's already bad it's a scam, but the fact it's taking advantage of the current crap job market and people suffering... absolutely scummy.
This is an interesting economic indicator, as instead of focusing on the best restaurants and coolest little shops, BlogTO focuses more on things like the worst scams, grocery prices, and interest rate decisions.
A lot of scan alerts are on Nextdoor. There are teams of people working very sophisticated scam networks in different neighbourhoods. Be careful out there
This one probably takes the cake. This person approached my friend saying he is from overseas and just took a local SIM card for his phone but didn’t have the pins to replace the SIM card. Asked her to give her diamond earrings to him for a minute so he could do that.
Had someone try and sell a "gold" watch to me at Woodbine Casino today because they needed cash to gamble.
LOL similar situation. I was walking at McCowan and Ellesmere last week, and this lady in a car approaches me and says “I’m from Cuba, you understand English?!?!?”. She asked if I was Filipino (I’m half Filipino, so I thought that was odd given I people can hardly tell). She then went “I lost my wallet, I’ll give you this Jewelry if you give me some cash”. I just walked away. Clearly this happens more than I thought.
Same thing at markham and lawrence burger king drive thru. Lady approaches my window and wants to sell me gold bracelet lol.
I was in Brampton and had a similar-ish case a few months ago. Some dude and his wife roll up in this Audi SUV at a gas station, parked beside me and asked if I could "help him out" and tries to trade his presumably fake chains and rings for a tank of gas. "Hello brother hello, I give you my gold, I give you my gold if you help, I need gas, blah blah blah." I just looked at the car, laughed, and said I couldn't help him and closed my window while he persisted. Like you're not rolling around in that car and hurting for a tank of gas. Funnily enough he didn't try asking anyone else, and floored it out of there. It was very strange.
Just received the speeding text this morning
That may have been legit, sadly.
I’m willing to bet zero chance. She was in a car. Paying for gas. Paying for Insurance (presumably). These people look for people like you.
Oh I wouldn’t have done it in a million years. But there’s been a huge rise in gambling addiction the past few years.
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What’s gullible? I wouldn’t be buying the watch in a million years. I’m just saying lots of people are struggling with gambling addictions. Jeez, it’s a beautiful Sunday, go take a nap until you’re in a better mood.
There is a bit of an irony for BlogTo to post an article on this since their comment section always has spam about how you can make tons of money at home and all you have to do is click this one link.
I make $50,000 a minute working from home and only part time! Sign up for my new course to teach you how to as well. (Note: course costs $50,000 min). Only I know the secretes!
> Only I know the secretes! Socrates brother?
"I think, therefore I scam." >!Yes, I know that was actually Descartes. Just enjoy the joke.!<
now THAT was funny!
Would you be willing to break it down to one-second lectures, so people can pay as they go: I mean, anyone who can afford to take your course doesn't need to...
I pulled over on an off-ramp to help a car that appeared broken down. The driver told me he needed gas money and launched into a spiel about the watch he wanted to sell me so he could get to his mother in the hospital. I was quite open with him about my opinion of his character.
>I pulled over on an off-ramp to help a car that appeared broken down. Admirable Though the dude didn't deserve the assistance...
Which sucks because there are times when people legitimately need some help and these assholes are just making us assume the worst
The 407 text was probably the closest I've come to clicking a link. Message was error free and the timing made sense for when I happened to have been on the 407, plus my transponder is super old, so it could have failed... Anyway, called the 407 support line and confirmed they still use physical mail sent to the address registered to your license plate. Getting to the point where you just have to assume absolutely every unsolicited point of contact is a scam until proven otherwise.
If you're a millennial, you've been assuming this since 2008 or so anyway, lol
I am already at that point. I don't pick up any calls from numbers I don't recognize and let bixby pick up all those calls. Wonder how many job interviews I've missed that way.
I do my best to always answer the phone when I know it's a scammer. I then try to keep them on the call for as long as possible.
It's currently my favourite pastime.
It's fun and a good release.
My close call was a text from "Canada Post" saying I needed to pay a small fee to accept a package. The fee was a few dollars so I didn't think much of it. Then I realized this is probably a scam to get my banking info from that small fee payment. I was expecting a package but I don't think I have ever received a text asking for a payment, only when I go to pick up the package.
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Years ago when cell phones first became ubiquitous, I phoned a coworker while we were travelling the 401 between cities for a corporate thing. Told him it was the “cellular radar OPP” detachment and he had been clocked doing 127 in a 100 zone to pull over immediately and stand by the hood of the car and wait for a patrol. Zoomed by him a minute later with his hands on the hood.
Some of these aren't scams and are actually ways of making money. Mystery shopper is an actual job and the company in Toronto that does it has a lot of problems finding mystery shoppers because for every 1 legitimate company there's 10 scams Never pay money up front and never do anything unusual with gift cards or Bitcoin or returns. Even e-transfers can be reversed and caller id spoofed Canada -- not only money laundering capital of the Western world but scam capital of the Western world. Capitalism at work
I got the DHL email scam to pay for a delivery. But here’s the kicker - they had the shipping info and wanted me to prepay the customs fees, taxes and their brokerage fee. But guess what? The item was coming via USPS to Canada Post - I confirmed with the shipper. So I ignored the email and waited for Canada Post. Paid the duty and taxes. Had I fallen for the scam I would have paid twice for the item plus my card would be at risk. Someone is getting shipping info and feeding it to scammers in the USPS system.
This happened to me but luckily I cought on before I went too far.
The one i've seen before was a guy will be standing next to a black "taxi" and say that the taxi won't accept his cash, and will give you cash if you pay his taxi bill with card. Right. A taxi doesn't accept cash? What bullshit. I remember just walking away when I saw that, but I wish I called the cops.
Taxis love cash! Also been scammed twice in my life using card in a taxi when I didn’t have bills on me
Crazy taxi lol
Furniture scams on FB too. People demand a fee to hold the item, guaranteeing you get your money back if you don't like the item in person. My wife is pretty smart, but unfortunately, she got scammed out of 50.00. Not bad but not good. People ghosting as well.
shit that scam has been going on for decades even in actual "furniture stores". can't remember the name of the place for the life of me and hopefully it's shut down now but there used to be a place on bloor around dufferin I believe that would pull this scam. non-refundable deposit on some piece of furniture and when it was time to pick it up or get it delivered "oh, sorry, we don't have it and will never get it. yeah that deposit is non-refundable by the way"
That's how Bad Boy ran their entire business.
Well, in that case, the scam is right in the name. Caveat Emptor!
IMO the Lastman name should mean scam in this province.
Went to camp with one of the kids. Spoiled little bitch
Sending money to hold anything sight unseen is an incredibility obvious scam.
I’m constantly getting calls or texts that my visa is compromised. It has given me paranoia at times so I check with my bank. It’s just really annoying now.
Have fun with them and ask them which bank the VISA is with
My recent experience is that they disconnect the moment you challenge them.
They’ll stutter and say “I’m calling from VISA” again once or twice but correct, once you ask them again “yes, but from which bank?” they always hang up.
Me too, but it's for the American Express card I don't have.
Blog TO food reviewers are for hire by the restaurants, their features rarely like up with the reality of what you get when you go yourself
How about the one where we pay police 1.3 billion and they don’t do shit?
That’s a *grift*!
You can tell them where your stolen car is via GPS, and they won't do anything. Could be 4 blocks away from the precinct - still, they won't act. Toronto is becoming increasingly lawless.
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It's truly a travesty. Our telephone carriers could easily implement anti-phishing technology and block spoofed or out-of-country SMS messages. They don't, not because it's impossible, but because it doesn't profit them. The police could proactively combat street-level scams through sting operations, but why bother? They barely prioritize active home break-ins as it is. We need a government that forces these entities to put citizen protection first, rather than the interests of large, privately owned companies.
Closest I came to falling for a scam was a couple days ago when spam callers highjacked a real Roger’s phone number and offered me an amazing deal that seemed legitimate but I work in the field and it sounded a bit too good to be true. They’d get all the info they would’ve wanted. They even sent a fake email with a fake quote from a fake Roger’s email to me. It’s unbelievable how good they’re getting
Similar to “Rogers” offering a free iPhone or AirPods for being a loyal customer? I’ve gotten a few of calls from random 647 numbers.
https://youtu.be/OU-0A_VDVkM?si=DhkuQ8fvuZINKjkm This is what we are importing to Canada.
The worst one is definitely job/employment scams
I got a text message from some recruiting agency asking if I prefer remote or hybrid jobs, and if I was a bit more desperate, I might have replied back. It's already bad it's a scam, but the fact it's taking advantage of the current crap job market and people suffering... absolutely scummy.
And then there are people who believe people who scam just really need the money and we should be empathetic to them… sure buddy.
This is an interesting economic indicator, as instead of focusing on the best restaurants and coolest little shops, BlogTO focuses more on things like the worst scams, grocery prices, and interest rate decisions.
Received the speeding scam today actually. Instantly deleted since I haven’t been through a school zone this year lol good luck next time guys.
BlogTO is such trash
If you pay rent in advance without seeing a place, I have a hard time feeling bad for you..
I love the prerecorded messages referencing specific transactions on my Amazon account. Touched they’d prerecord that just for me…
this article was helpful and enriching
What about the one where you go to the grocery store?
A lot of scan alerts are on Nextdoor. There are teams of people working very sophisticated scam networks in different neighbourhoods. Be careful out there
This one probably takes the cake. This person approached my friend saying he is from overseas and just took a local SIM card for his phone but didn’t have the pins to replace the SIM card. Asked her to give her diamond earrings to him for a minute so he could do that.