Re: Phone number leaked to India-based scammers
Originally Posted by
timbo3
So one important question remains;
How did he get my phone number?
Where I live, telephone numbers follow this format:
(area code - always between 01 and 08) (exchange code - four digits starting with a 6 or a 9) (four more digits)
If you know those rules, you can ring any landline telephone in the country, starting with 01 6100 0001 and ending with 08 9999 9999.
Some will be business numbers, some will be residential, many will be disconnected or invalid, you'll even find yourself dialing faxmachines, payphones and emergency telephones in lifts. But if you program a computer to dial those numbers, and connect a valid number to an operator, you can start your own outgoing call center.
And that's what scammers, telemarketers and legit market research companies do. However, most people get indignant that "they got my number from somewhere". I even spent about a minute trying to explain it to one woman who still couldn't understand how a company could dial a random number that just happens to be hers, and for the call to actually connect, without us "getting my number from somewhere".
I try to treat the cause, not the symptom. I avoid the terminal in instructions, unless it's easier or necessary. My instructions will work within the Ubuntu system, instead of breaking or subverting it. Those are the three guarantees to the helpee.
Bookmarks