Frequent readers of this blog know of my verbal jousting with the wrong number scammers: they introduce themselves, apologize for getting me by accident, and then pursue a closer friendship on WhatsApp. I enjoy messing with them through improv and sometimes they can’t handle it. Oh, no, looks like I got the wrong number forContinue reading “What Confusion?”
Tag Archives: scammer
Wrong Number (2)
And this one went on too long. I thought at first that  it might be a real person pretending to be this persona but the answers do seem a bit reactive and formulaic. And at that point I just hit the block button to wait for the next one.
Wrong Number (1)
I’ve written a lot about the wrong number texts—someone sends a message to a friend but has entered the number incorrectly. Oh, no, sorry, but can we be friends? I used to have fun improvising with them, but lately they’ve been taking a darker turn. And so have I. This week I’ve gotten about 12Continue reading “Wrong Number (1)”
Wrong Number & Mood Swings
Labor Day 2024 wasn’t a holiday for the wrong number callers. I think this was #5. And how they hate—literally!—when you point out that you know what they’re doing.
Take Your Job and…
I keep getting text messages from someones who ask if I am looking for work. These could be legitimate messages, though I have suspected they are not. The most recent exchange suggests: not. Yesterday this occurred: I thought that would be the end of it. Today this happens. Apparently “Jessica” doesn’t understand the difference betweenContinue reading “Take Your Job and…”
You’re a Character—Or Two
Another wrong number text message hit my phone this past weekend. “She” started on the offensive (there’s probably some chess gambit I could refer to here) but I hit back immediately. You have to admire them for only wanting to be friends. Anytime the conversation goes sexual, they deflect. I should probably be grateful forContinue reading “You’re a Character—Or Two”
And Just Then…
When I thought I might have a day off from the wrong number scammers, here comes this one. I was impressed that the opening gambit differed from previous ones; usually they tell me I’m some Asian woman and that they’re a friend of mine. Here “she “uses my name, but flips the script and saysContinue reading “And Just Then…”
Am I On Tinder??
A few years ago I googled myself and discovered I had a Wikipedia page that I had not created. But I’m pretty sure I’m not on Tinder, as this scammer suggests. Now, I do have to give “her” credit for not being a jewelry/fashion designer and dabbler in investments and cryptocurrency like so many ofContinue reading “Am I On Tinder??”
Stick to the Script!
My latest wrong number scammer put up a valiant attempt at sticking to the script, but ultimately failed in the key principle of improv: “Yes, and…” You see, in improv, you always take what the other person gives you and then build on that. You don’t go off on tangents, and you don’t contradict theContinue reading “Stick to the Script!”
Scammy Oysters
From Alice in Wonderland, in “The Walrus and the Carpenter” poem regarding the oysters: “And thick and fast they came at last, and more and more and more!” This describes my current week with the wrong number scammers, but one had a notable difference. Instead of following the playbook as usual, they went rogue andContinue reading “Scammy Oysters”
MUSOFYR 