They wouldn’t get away with that in The Netherlands, since it’s illegal here to pay or be paid for organ donation.
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No, there was no previous call. I suppose they do some research - in my mother’s case, she’s very well-known as a TV celebrity, but I suppose not all the other elders they scammed so yeah, they must collect info somehow.
I also saw the intercom system where the names of the building inhabitants scratched with a sort of cross next to her name, and I immediately knew that she was marked for burglary. So I took a key and I scratched/crossed next to all the names. I was sorry for the vandalism but it was the only way.
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Lol you crossed all the names! Incredible 
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I’m so sorry that happened to your mother! So glad your daughter was nearby and was sensible enough to have her call you to verify. You raised your daughter well. 
These scammers are shameless!
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They can easily get some personal info based on what’s available in public, social media, and from other phishing tactics. My mother-in-law isn’t in any social media but she does use Kakaotalk to communicate with some of friends and other members of the senior center she belongs to, and she started getting spam group chat messages from this random “elderly Caucasian American male” looking for senior Korean Americans so he can practice his Korean.
Another thing is that even if the scammer reaches everyone, seniors are more vulnerable to fall for those scams as they tend to be more trusting and are not as well informed about this kind of cyber scams. Of course I am just generalizing and know that some seniors are very well informed.
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Through social media! I didn’t have this problem on Instagram or Google messenger hopefully. But I know people using Viber (a messenger app of Rakuten) and they do receive weird messages from strange unknown people.
I don’t know how Kakaotalk works, do they have a setting to allow only people approved by us?
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Another example is that everything is Public by default on Facebook, so unless if you change your privacy setting, everyone on FB, including strangers and scammers, can see everything you post, including pictures and all the info. So I’ve heard cases where people posting their vacation pictures on FB, only to come back and find their home vandalized as thieves can see that you are away on vacation.
Yes, you approve to add friends on Kakaotalk, and you can even block people. But just like any other messenger app, anyone who has your number or ID can send you a chat.
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Always check each item in your credit card statement/ bank statement for tiny amounts that may slip by.
Often fraudsters buy credit card numbers on the dark web in bulk and make a tiny charge to each one to test if it’s an active card. It’s usually a very small amount like less than a Pound/Euro/Dollar so as to not draw attention to itself like if they purchased something for hundreds that will stick out immediately. (that bit comes later)
I check every transaction on my statements meticulously and last month apparently I paid 70 pence for parking at car park in the north of England (hundreds of miles from where I actually lived) and that I did so through a car parking mobile app that you just enter the card number in (therefore didn’t have to have the physical card in hand for contactless payment for example) stupid really as the whole country was still in full lockdown and I wouldn’t have been driving hundreds of miles to that city, but hey, what’s the saying about no such thing as a smart criminal?!
I knew straight away what it was and contacted the credit card company and immediately cancelled the card and had a new one issued. The card company confirmed that they had a few recent cases of the exact same scam involving this particular app.
I’ve been drumming this into the wife to check her statements for years as she spends all my money that way! I will not leave any avenue of attack left open!
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yes and I didn’t realize it, when we put stuff on those media, we are an easy game!! they check us out, from s/s to the cards we use, they are very tricky, things that are even innocent-looking, we have to beware.
I am learning, don’t take stuff at face value!
Irmar I hope your mom is ok.
I am getting there, getting well informed that is. I know one thing I have changed my profile on Facebook! I know there are other things I have to watch out for.
as y’all know I am a genealogist nut, and a lot of these places for this offer such and so, now very wary of these things, same goes for the cooking thing links, free ebooks galore, what better way to get my info! the links are great, the cooking, sewing, crocheting, AND genealogy! I may have missed some, but a sucker for FREE stuff, so since we have done this, I have started to cancel; some of the things I am into.
oh another thing, phone numbers, this is just a fyi., make up a false phone # I have and its safe that way, birthdays, make one up, never never, put your s/s # on anything, and address, the same thing. no email or again create a made-up one
oh another like Ninja said, but also be sure you get your receipts, I see a lot of people just leave them or whatever, that has your info on it too!
so see,you guys has wised up this lady, again thanks to everyone, a bow to you as well
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Genealogy wise we have family trees on some of those ancestry sites. So when I have mothers maiden name secret questions, she has about 10 different names by now none of which her actual maiden name. 
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ten , wow! more than me!
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If the cashier asks us here whether we want the receipt and we say no, they just don’t print them out. On the other hand, if we do take it and we lose it somewhere, God knows who might find it …
Btw, try to only use websites of which the address starts with https instead of just http. The s stands for secure. Definately don’t fill in passwords on websites that are not secure. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the makers of the website are evil (they could actually have the best intentions), but it does mean that their system is not protected enough, so a third party could intercept your password.
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good idea ,yes I will do that!
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I believe in your preaching!
So much that today, I found 2 sums of money I didn’t remember I paid and I was about to click on block the card. Plus, I booked important things, I was like how am I going to do??
Then, a light bulb appeared and I recalled. My fish memory!
I have a question, how does your card system work where you are?
At each purchase, do you receive a mobile phone notification? Or is it only sent from a certain sum?
Do you have a code to enter? Do you have a delay before you see the operation on your bank statement?
In my country, it depends on the bank.
I don’t receive for each purchase a notification, only when I purchase at a foreign country or from a certain amount. They could notify by sms or robot calling at home to tap a code to validate the purchase.
In shops, we pay by taping a 4-digit code, no signature.
We can also pay with a contactless card max 50 euros (before Covid, it was 30 €).
Do you have tips to survey your bank statement efficiently and keep and organize the receipts well in everyday life?
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Ha Ha Checking every transaction also requires that you can figure out the out of the ordinary purchase you made during the statement period, usually going back to email confirmation around the date of transaction is a good reminder if it was an online purchase.
Also the online view of the statement recently for me have an i information next to the transaction that expands to tell a little more details that can help jog the fish memory, been really useful a couple of times where the statement line says an unknown company name is the parent company name for example.
Most transactions are regular ones, the usual supermarkets for groceries, the same coffee shop, the same regular shops for lunch. (all with the location/branch of the shops) etc so those can be skipped quite safely. Most are added to statements overnight when the bank or credit card company do overnight updates of the days activities.
The card system is the same Chip and PIN system for any amount over £30. Contactless / Wave pay for any amount under (£45 during lock down)
Slowly the card company and banks are integrating mobile apps so you can put a temporary block on the card or get notification of amounts, going over limits etc.
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Thanks for the detailed description!!
There are times I’m a shopaholic like your wife.
Bank titles for operations are sometimes written in an alien language, leaves you with letters and numbers, not even the title of the shop 
Or there’s a shop you recognize and you don’t remember that you bought something there that day or the day before. They seem like an ordinary purchase, but are among many other ordinary purchases.
Summer+sales is the period where it becomes difficult to follow all the operations!!
Mmm… what about using coins and bank notes?? Old school, safe school?
I wonder what to do imagine if we go on vacation, credit card stolen or phone stolen, no computer, how to check the bank statement while on holidays? Or sb using your card during your holidays in a foreign country?
Bring bank notes?
I think it’s a good exercice for memory to remember what we paid! I should check every day.
Recently, on 1 bank account, I also have the location and super colorful graphs of what type of purchase I did (restaurant, clothes…), really detailed. I really like it. But not all banks have this system… a pity!!
Is it safe to install the app on phone?
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A phone is too “mobile” an item to trust with crucial information, that’s why I have no banking info on my phone. I have it on my laptop but I seldom take it with me while travelling, it’s a very powerful one, a heavy desktop replacement. A phone can be easily stolen or dropped or forgotten somewhere. The only passwords I have stored on my phone are for Facebook, Youtube and Viki, which contain no sensitive info on me - and a thief wouldn’t care about them anyway. I know it’s a hassle to type stuff again and again, but I think it’s worth it.
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Make a paper list of phone numbers for card company for reporting lost/stolen card.
Phone company to cancel the sim if you use phone for 2 factor authentication. (where some service sends a code to your phone assuming YOU have your phone)
Friends or family phone numbers if like most people we don’t memorise peoples numbers anymore and rely on the contact list to remember for us.
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Yes, especially Android phones. I keep mine as clean as possible by having the minimum of apps like games. “free anti virus apps” etc because there are too many reports of researchers that find hundreds of apps have key logging, reads memory or have hidden malware in them that slip pass Googles checking system.
I also avoid using face login, it’s too easily fooled and bypassed. I much prefer fingerprint reader or good old strong passwords, not as convenient but a lot more secure. (can be quite fun too if you enable wipe phone after X incorrect tries!)
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About passwords, another scam on computers.
I don’t remember it well, what I remember is:
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someone typed something on their computer
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the keylogger saves up all entries we do on keyboard, can take screenshots and sends it to the hacker.
In the same type, webcams spying! What about phonecam spying?
Scam about compromising pictures or vids but they don’t have anything? Chantage?