This project may be updated as more opportunities arise to mess with more scammers.
In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing and boredom setting in, I started messing around whenever I got scam calls and tried to record some of them. I also would call back some of the numbers and, after finding out what the call was for and who made the call, I may mess with them that way as well.
Initially, I made a video after receiving some mail from CitiBank in 2019 with a return envelope that was pre-paid. I had heard of folks doing this before, so I decided to fill the envelope with garbage and paper from the shredder as full as possible then sent it off. It is a prank where I will never see the payoff but the thought humors me! I did this a few times before I stopped receiving mail with those envelopes in it. The only one that still sends me a postage paid envelope is the college I attended seeking donations and I don't feel good about pulling this prank on the student who is likely working the mail room.
I had also received mail from Car Shield addressed to "Nachelle" Swanson. I had in the past received some robocalls but this was the first physical mail I had received and found the name to be pretty funny. In the letter there is a phone number and a customer ID code and the vehicle supposedly owned that was due for the extended warranty. Now at that time, I had only ever owned cars handed down by family or purchased used with cash so to be eligible for any extended warranty seemed especially ludicrous. I called a few different times. The first time I called I told them I didn't have a Mercedes Benz and they asked about a Mercury instead. I said I didn't have a car at all and wondered why they were contacting me. I was meant to be removed from their list at this point. The next time I called I did so expressing my excitement that they were offering me a car (Mercedes Benz according to the mail) and after explaining that they would not be giving me a car, they then stated I'd be removed from the list. I called again, this time as a religious person concerned for the soul of the person I spoke to...I lost character a bit on this one and so it's a bit of a flop. I called once again and used the scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off of trying to reverse the mileage but the car fell off the jacks and out the garage into a ravine. I was asked what I was driving now and when I told them I wasn't driving anything they once again assured me I'd be off their list. I received another letter shortly after but no car listed this time so I called again. I said I didn't know "Nachelle" and wondered why they are sending mail to my house addressed to Nachelle. Again, they said they'd take me off the list. The final call in this series of messing with Car Shield I acted as though I were an attorney representing the person who kept getting unsolicited mail from Car Shield and that I'd have to resort to legal action if they did not stop sending mail to "Nachelle." I was put on with a manager who did not seem too happy. It seemed to work though...I haven't gotten any Car Shield mail since! Most of those videos were done in 2019 as well.
https://youtu.be/yuXOq50wvSs
As has happened to others, I received calls claiming to be an enforcement officer of the Social Security Administration in regards to fraudulent activity using my Social Security number. It was a robocall and very obvious at that. The recording asked for a kindly call back but when I tried, the number had been disconnected.
https://youtu.be/6LGdTb9ze14
I had received several calls regarding my utility bill and a rebate. One of these in particular the person on the other end got rather aggressive with me telling me that if I didn't listen to what he had to say he would keep calling me "again and again and again." He hung up when I asked why I would listen to him when I know it's a scam.
https://youtu.be/zb9Zy7F2gps
https://youtu.be/yuXOq50wvSs
As has happened to others, I received calls claiming to be an enforcement officer of the Social Security Administration in regards to fraudulent activity using my Social Security number. It was a robocall and very obvious at that. The recording asked for a kindly call back but when I tried, the number had been disconnected.
https://youtu.be/6LGdTb9ze14
I had received several calls regarding my utility bill and a rebate. One of these in particular the person on the other end got rather aggressive with me telling me that if I didn't listen to what he had to say he would keep calling me "again and again and again." He hung up when I asked why I would listen to him when I know it's a scam.
https://youtu.be/zb9Zy7F2gps
I received some numbers from friends and this particular clip is from one of those numbers. Perhaps that friend owes a debt? I don't know. When they asked for my name and I made one up (they also had to ask for my last name) they said that the call was for someone else (not the name of my friend) and then argued with me after I said that they apparently have a wrong number. The argument they made was that I have the wrong number and that they talked to my wife on this line earlier today. I was using Google Hangouts (now Voice) at the time and hadn't even registered a number to it, ha!
Some of these calls come while I am in commute home or to work and this is one of them. It was "Senior Benefits" robocall in regards to life insurance. I answered as I sometimes do with a Mr. Rogers voice. They hung up when I answered their question about my age with "99 years old."
This was another call with regards to utilities. This time apologizing for an overage and if I spoke to a representative then I could get my rebate. One would think the representative would at least know what utility you are using but he did not. I acted angry that they keep calling and even used their "again and again and again" line before being hung up on.
This cold call with in regards to "TV Service" at $59.99. They asked me if I pay that much and when I said that I don't need cable and I don't watch television they hung up on me.
This was a robocall/cold call for "card member services" with a one time only low interest rate. When I asked who they were trying to reach, they hung up on me.
This robocall/cold call came from the "vehicle services department" about an extended warranty. Apparently Car Shield has competition. It hung up before the transfer to a human.
On this call I returned a cold call (either one I received or possibly Elphie or some other friends...I don't recall at this point) which happened to come from "Auto Warranty Services" but only gave the option to "press one to opt out" and would disconnect after. I tried other numbers but it never would connect me with a human.
I had several cold calls with messages from "Credit National Assist" which was basically the same message and definitely the same voice however the recording identified itself as different names each time and perhaps the credit amount was different. When I called any of the numbers back, I couldn't get through to anyone.
This was another Social Security fraudulent activity scam call. When I called the number back it claimed to be the Social Security Administration fraud prevention line. I don't believe that it was as it claimed.
I returned a call to another number that was a debt collections agency. This one allowed me to leave a message so I did so starting with a Mr. Rogers-esque "Hello, Neighbor" then proceeded to say how I didn't have debt, nor money, nor a place to live and that I'd like them to stop calling me.
I returned another cold call to a debt collections agency and this time was similar to the first time in Episode 10 but I acted as "Bill from Car Shield" trying to offer an extended warranty. The debt collections agent stated that they were trying to reach a Shantelle, Christina, or Angel. I said, "I don't know any of them, my name is Bill" and proceeded to explain I was calling to offer an extended warranty. I also claimed I don't think we at Car Shield have a debt to be collected, ha!
On this short clip, the number I tried to call from the list of cold calls I or others had received answered with a simple recording saying "Thanks for your call...goodbye."
When I exhausted my list of cold calls, I decided I wanted to mess with Car Shield some more. I found that the number they have listed gets you a recording due to a change in their number and the new number disconnects when using Google Voice.
I got a few cold calls regarding a Zantac class action lawsuit. I left a message which was meant to be returned within an hour. That didn't happen. I called it again using the character of Carl Shields saying all sorts of outlandish things about the "cancer" I was suffering from due to Zantac.
A couple times while having some downtime at work, I called Car Shield again (I could get through on the work phone where I couldn't using my unregistered number through Google Voice). On both of these calls I would ask to speak with Car Shields. The first agent sort of went with it and asked for a customer ID which I had consequently due to them sending mail to former clients at the shelter where I work (I returned those letters to sender with a note telling them to stop scamming people). When I gave the customer ID, the agent hung up on me. The other call, that agent tried to reason with me as I asked for Carl Shields explaining how she worked at Car Shield. I had told her my name was T. Rucker and that I worked for Truck Helmet and was trying to offer Carl Shields an extended warranty.
I called a number I had on a list of cold calls and it turned out to be a prayer line. I hit the option for prayer and was meant to receive a call back with spiritual guidance but I never received that call.
Due to a lot of these calls happening during the 2020 election cycle, it made sense that at least one would be from a campaign. I tried to leave a message asking about which campaign but it cut me off quick and supposedly sent my message.
In this clip, I decided to have a little fun with a number I found posted on Facebook for a guy who wanted to have a Trump rally in downtown Cincinnati. I called inquiring about the time and exact location. The first call went to voice mail and the second a woman answered who then hung up after I asked about the rally. The third time I played a recording of a "yeehaw" and "Proud To Be An American." While playing those, there was a voice on the other end making weird noises. I called one more time and ended up speaking with the individual who wanted to have the Trump rally. It was an interesting conversation and leaves me wondering a bit about him in the wake of that 2020 election and the aftermath.
https://youtu.be/W-LwZQ9OJk0
This final video (for now, at least) is a compilation of scam and spam emails and texts. I responded to the texts and got some responses too which were kind of funny.
This final video (for now, at least) is a compilation of scam and spam emails and texts. I responded to the texts and got some responses too which were kind of funny.
A good amount of these numbers were likely cloned from average citizens. Several times I ended up connected to people who were clueless as to why a car warranty or Social Security, or health insurance would have called me from their number. I didn't choose to include any of those videos.
I will include this one other bonus...I decided to prank call my friend Skot while he worked the phones one evening at J.P.U.S.A. and used a terrible impression of Hank Hill. I figured he may find it funny. At the end of the call, the sigh sounded so defeated before he hung up. It was sad, yet I also found it to be quite funny.
I will include this one other bonus...I decided to prank call my friend Skot while he worked the phones one evening at J.P.U.S.A. and used a terrible impression of Hank Hill. I figured he may find it funny. At the end of the call, the sigh sounded so defeated before he hung up. It was sad, yet I also found it to be quite funny.
The Intro was created using Soundtrack Pro on a Mac Mini with animations and titles created using Motion4 on a Macbook.
Filmed using an iPhone 8 and CrossTour CR900.
Edited using Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Pro X on a Mac Mini.
Filmed and edited by Joel A. Swanson
aTigerRAWkFilm.blogspot.com
