[Announcement] Phishing warning

[Tinwhistler]

WARNING

This is not a copy-paste warning (my friends know how I am about SNOPES..lol). This actually happened to me today.

I just got a phishing call from a "Jim Miller" at 813-255-5029 claiming to work for Pizza Hut financial. I ordered a pizza today, and the caller had that information. They supposedly called to tell me that I had been charged twice, and he needed my full card # to issue me a refund.

This is a bogus call. Somehow, these sub-geniuses have managed to get ahold of the surface level information Pizza Hut stores about orders, and then use that to try to leverage a card # from you for fraud. All of this stuff sounded fishy, so I told the guy I was in a meeting and to call me back in an hour.
The corporate office and the store manager confirmed this was a phishing call. The store manager also told me that Pizza Hut hasn't been the only ones hit.

If you've ordered some delivery off of the internet recently, and get a call from 813-255-5029 (perhaps from "Jim Miller") do not give them any card information. In fact, you should never give someone credit card information over the phone unless YOU called THEM and you know it's a legitimate transaction.
Feel free to share with all your friends...(but then, you should probably change the part about it not being a copy-paste warning. heh)

 

[PatrThom]

you should never give someone credit card information over the phone unless YOU called THEM and you know it's a legitimate transaction.

Sound advice for any phone transaction.

--Patrick

 

[Mathias]

Here's the rule for phone credit cards. If you didn't initiate the call, don't hand out numbers.

 

[WasabiPoptart]

WARNING

This is not a copy-paste warning (my friends know how I am about SNOPES..lol). This actually happened to me today.

I just got a phishing call from a "Jim Miller" at 813-255-5029 claiming to work for Pizza Hut financial. I ordered a pizza today, and the caller had that information. They supposedly called to tell me that I had been charged twice, and he needed my full card # to issue me a refund.

This is a bogus call. Somehow, these sub-geniuses have managed to get ahold of the surface level information Pizza Hut stores about orders, and then use that to try to leverage a card # from you for fraud. All of this stuff sounded fishy, so I told the guy I was in a meeting and to call me back in an hour.
The corporate office and the store manager confirmed this was a phishing call. The store manager also told me that Pizza Hut hasn't been the only ones hit.

If you've ordered some delivery off of the internet recently, and get a call from 813-255-5029 (perhaps from "Jim Miller") do not give them any card information. In fact, you should never give someone credit card information over the phone unless YOU called THEM and you know it's a legitimate transaction.
Feel free to share with all your friends...(but then, you should probably change the part about it not being a copy-paste warning. heh)

So I post what you wrote in its entirety on FB. I know a lot of people who order online, so I think it's good info even if it's just a reminder to be careful.

My cousin asks me if *I* called Pizza Hut. Wut? She thinks this happened to *me*, even after I wrote this happened to a friend of mine and included the part where you said you called them. /facepalm

 

[Tinwhistler]

lol

 

[strawman]

If you cheap out and buy little Caesars $5 hot n ready pizzas in person then you won't have this issue...

VICTIM BLAMING.

 

[PatrThom]

VICTIM BLAMING.

Hey now, that's not your schtick.

--Patrick

 

[strawman]

I appreciate the heads up, it never ceases to amaze me what cons people come up with and find a way to execute. The advice to never give out numbers to someone who calls you and insisting on calling a known number is very useful.

 

[PatrThom]

Be especially suspicious of anyone who tries to convince you of how urgent a situation might be.
Getting you to panic (or to be furious, or other strong emotion) is a psychological tactic that is designed to short-circuit the logical portion of your brain's ability to respond with skepticism.

--Patrick

 

[Tinwhistler]

If you cheap out and buy little Caesars $5 hot n ready pizzas in person then you won't have this issue...

VICTIM BLAMING.

If there was one near my office, I would. I like little caesars

 

[PatrThom]

They're the best at filling you up for only $5.
...but I prefer to get the $8 deep-dish square when I have the choice.

--Patrick

 

[DarkAudit]

Always be sure to check a secondary source for your email beyond your phone. Xfinity tags their messages for extra verification when you use their webmail page in a browser, but those tags don't come through over my phone's email. So a message about suspicious activity on my account seemed legit enough, since the work wifi appears as MI or OK depending on the day, and I've been in other towns using their wifi app this week. It wasn't until I got home and checked the webmail page that the phishing clues were obvious. AFAIK, iOS doesn't do mouseovers to check a link address before a click.

 

[PatrThom]

AFAIK, iOS doesn't do mouseovers to check a link address before a click.

If you hold your finger down on a link without letting go, it will pop up a window with a "go to link/cancel" selection that will show you as much of the link as will fit on the screen.

EDIT: Also handy for reading alt text/tooltips, such as the one you usually find on XKCD's comic.

--Patrick