This last week I’ve gotten several spam calls which I don’t answer and they leave a voicemail in Chinese or some other Asian language. It’s so annoying!
I used to have a coworker that was fluent in Chinese. When they listened to the voicemail it was usually telling me I had a package at the Embassy and to call a certain number to arrange for redelivery.
In the past 2 days I have got a call on my cell from Russia and the Netherlands. I didnt answer either, but why would they think people would answer? I don’t get it. Wouldn’t they be better off spoofing a US number?
A friend recently got scammed when trying to sign up for a good deal on ESPN. Luckily the credit card company sent text questioning validity of gift card purchase, while still on the phone. The scammer was trying to help sort through setup steps, asking for Amazon password.
Something similar today–I got an email offering me Paramount+ for $2/year. Saying I’ve been “selected” for this. Didn’t click on the link but I assume they try to harvest your credit card details.
I got an Airbnb email that looked phishy. We had a nice stay over Thanksgiving, then got a notice we were being investigated for holding wild parties. Yeah right, a small, alcohol free gathering of seniors!
3 Likes
Not a scam, but potentially a security risk. If you have an iPhone, disable this feature.
2 Likes
It probably can be a handy thing in some situations, but I disabled on my iphone. (Honestly it seems like Apple should have made that the default.)
1 Like
The “scam” is mostly the “hype” around it.
It’s about as much a security “risk” as your locked front door: When the doorbell rings, you can choose not to open the door in the first place, or choose not to invite someone in, once you see who had walked up.
But yes, for added security you could have a mason wall the door shut, and instead Rapunzel in and out. 
3 Likes
Thank you for bringing up the typo in my post.
Now corrected. It was supposed to read “NOT a scam”.
I hate when I have to change my settings every time an update happens. My husband almost shared his entire contact list with someone… he was not pleased that the iPhone even enabled this feature. And yes, the default was to freely share with anyone.
ETA: “bringing devices together’ and “anyone for 10 minutes” were the defaults. Why?
Apple issued yet another update recently. Thankfully the update did not mess up the settings.
1 Like
Just to clarify - the feature only activates if you first bring your phone together with the other person’s phone. (Since you’re doing this because you might want to exchange contact information in the first place, limiting it to “existing contacts” only would defeat the purpose.)
Then YOU still have to actually AGREE to that specific exchange on your phone - it’s not something “everyone” can do unnoticed/unintended just by simply/accidentally touching your phone.
1 Like
Yes to all of that… but here is a big “BUT”: when you are sitting at a dinner table, and the coworker happens to put their phone on the table next to yours… and not being aware that the feature is even enabled… some prompt appears on the screen… and you are busy with an important conversation…
Bottom line: those did not need to be default options.
6 Likes
Interesting! I was always wondering what those messages said. They’re so annoying!
Just the other day I got a bunch of emails (that didn’t go into my spam folder) saying CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve won an Apple Watch! There was another one saying I’d won a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Some of the other things I supposedly “won” were a Traeger smoker, Ipad, and a Craftsman tool chest. Needless to say I deleted all these emails, but it’s terrible to think that people fall for this!
Also, I’ve been getting a lot of emails that say my Prime account has been locked. I can tell it’s not from Amazon because the email it comes from is full of symbols and numbers and mumbo jumbo.
Yes! I’ve been getting some of those emails lately saying my Prime account has been locked or about to expire and they always spell Amazon wrong or spell it like AmaZoN. And sometimes the email is just mumbo jumbo like Cu$tomer8$ervice@Amzon.com
I’ve been getting a lot of these too! Especially in the last week…
I used to get those a lot, but I haven’t gotten any of them recently. Watch, now that I’ve mentioned it, I’ll probably start getting them again.
I get those all the time, they’re so annoying!
I got this email today, supposedly from PayPal: “Notification :If this following transaction was not by you Quickly reach us on +𝟏 (𝟖𝟖𝟖) 𝟔𝟗𝟓-𝟏𝟓𝟔𝟏 sent you an invoice for $567.00 USD” I’m tired of those.
Used to be that the number of friends on Facebook were a reassuring sign that you’re popular. Fortunately, I never had to join Facebook; I boost my self-esteem based on how many new people befriend me on Email – every day.
I recently received an email I actually opened, because I didn’t immediately suspect it being a scam/spam, but should have.
It was from my husband’s first name, which should have been a clue (not his email address), and it was about a gift idea for Christmas, which is something he does email me. It was for a cheap looking alarm clock that did not fit with the kind of gift my H would want, and then I realized it wasn’t actually from him.
At least I didn’t click on any links!
3 Likes
Can’t figure this one out…got a call from a Hawaii area code - I have a standing reservation for Feb, so I answered it. Guy on the other end was pleasant and said he had a missed call from my number. I asked his name which he provided easily, and the name of his company - not my folks. I asked what time the call came in, 5:30 am, which would be 7:30 my time. I double checked my phone, no outgoing calls. We laughed about it, but I did say it sounded like someone spoofed my number, but I can’t imagine why. Anyway, no harm done, nice guy.
1 Like