🚀 go-pugleaf

(I reposted this from sci.electronics to in.general, and was asked to spread
it some more.  Take heed --- your *numbers* are your lifeblood... -bob,mon.)

____________________________________________________________________________

larryc@shell.portal.com (Larry WB Ching) <C077BC.GBn@unix.portal.com> :
| 
|  At about 6PM thursday evening, I got a phone call. The operator said that 
| he had a collect call to me from Charles Pooley in New York. The name was
| familiar, but I didn't remember exactly why. I said I would accept the call,
| but then the "operator" said the call couldn't get through because I had
| the call collect option blocked. He then said he could pass the call
| through if I gave him my calling card number. I said that I'd rather call 
| Mr. Pooley myself, and could the "operator" give me Mr. Pooley's number.
| There was a pause, then a phone number with a San Jose area code! It didn't
| occur to me until later that , if the call was from New York, why was
| the call-from number (408)!??!
| 
|  I remembered that Charles & I had been corresponding on a topic from 
| sci.electronics. I was lucky enough to have an old message from him lying 
| around, and emailed him a message about my mysterious phone call. 
| 
|  Charles Pooley replyed to me today - turns out the guy tried the same scam
| on him too! But this time, the bogus operator said the collect call was
| from me to Charles! Charles was also wary, and didn't give the crook his
| calling card number.
| 
|  So - WATCH OUT! How this con artist chose my name & Charles' to try is 
| beyond me. As far as public postings in sci.electronics, I don't think
| Charles and I had exchanged more than four public postings. Most of
| our correspondence has been via "private" email. 
| 
|  This has definitely raised my paranoia level. If, out of the millions of 
| public postings during 1992, someone should choose two correspondents
| who have exchange only a slight amount of messages.... I mean , why us?
| Or, is there a "boilerroom" operation going on, with a bunch of phony
| operators, armed with USENET listings - calling people with this con?
| 
|  OH! - I may have put my phone number in one of my public sci.electronics
| postings - that's probably how the scamsters make their selection. Makes
| sense...
| 
|  				CHILDREN BEWARE!!!
| 
| 		Larry "No, you don't need my stinkin' number!!!" Ching
| 			larryc@shell.portal.com