Giving your personal phone number, dangerous?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 19 Dec 2013 Posts: 8

Hi,

Despite the fact they can bother you for a while. Do you guys give them your personal cellphone number? I like to play with cameroon pet scams. This would be a funny way to practice my english as well. I don´t have anything online with my cellphone number... so even if they google it, they won´t find anything.

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:53 pm

Is it traceable in any way to your real life?

If it's a contract phone then it's not a good idea - although the risks are minuscule of a scammer actually being able to obtain your details.

I have a PAYG phone that was bought with and only charged up using cash that I occasionally give out.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 19 Dec 2013 Posts: 8

B8er wrote:

Is it traceable in any way to your real life?

If it's a contract phone then it's not a good idea - although the risks are minuscule of a scammer actually being able to obtain your details.

I have a PAYG phone that was bought with and only charged up using cash that I occasionally give out.

Ok, thanks for your reply. And sorry for my ignorance, but do I pay anything by having them calling me? Know nothing about international phone calls. I would like to make them spend some money, with long calls.

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:39 pm

No, if you are receiving calls then there is no charge, although some PAYG phones you do have to top up or use occasionally to stop them cancelling your number.

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:15 pm

I have a pay as you go phone that I forward my Google Voice number to. That way I know who the phone call is coming from. You can punch in a code when dialing out, so the number seen to the lad is the Google Voice number. I think keeping your personal information as far away from lads is safest.

Google translate is almost as funny as some lad emails! Silly Google!

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:00 pm

OP, it isn't just the security issue, it is the hassle. Lads get up very early and will start calling before 0600 hrs and beyond 0001 hrs their local times. Those on vastly different time zones to yours will wake you up in the middle of the night. If it is your personal number, you won't always want/remember to turn it off during awkward periods.

Here's an example of what can happen: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219900

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:26 pm

I have a Skype number that I use for lads. And it's only used for baiting. No one else has the number (except for fellow baiters).

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:34 pm

Skype is the best option. Relatively cheap and you can switch it off when you don't want them to disturb you.

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:02 pm

^^Definitely. And I keep it turned off unless I •want* to talk to a lad. At one time I had it turned on (I have the desktop version), and it got annoying to have a half-dozen lads keep calling and trying to keep track of who was who.

I like to make them leave long, detailed voice mails in case I am not home Smile

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:22 pm

^ You can use Skype to spoof a mobile number on outgoing calls so you can get better rates for calling your lads. They still pay full whack for calling you.

Some lads (wash-wash lads especially) prefer to use Skype anyway so run up a baiting skype account... don't use your own.

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:45 pm

^^Really? I wasn't aware of that spoofing feature. Though I don't know if we should discuss it. Is it legal to do?

So far as Skype--like you said--always use a baiting skype account. In fact, it's the only Skype account I have. Set up entirely for baiting lads and talking with fellow baiters.

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:23 am

The Monsignor wrote:

OP, it isn't just the security issue, it is the hassle. Lads get up very early and will start calling before 0600 hrs and beyond 0001 hrs their local times. Those on vastly different time zones to yours will wake you up in the middle of the night. If it is your personal number, you won't always want/remember to turn it off during awkward periods.

I have a character who lives in California, but took a trip to South Africa to meet a lad. When he was in Mozambique, the lad called him. I was awakened around 2 in the morning and got very little sleep that night. When he got back home, the lad called him at what for me is a reasonable afternoon or evening time.

Not all lads seem to be well aware of time zones. R.S. emailed this same character at 1 in the morning California time and asked if he's ready to process a card. RS is supposedly in Macedonia, but actually in Nigeria, both of which are, in northern winter, nine hours east of California. Only someone who has stolen credit cards would need them to be processed immediately. RS called JBD, who was expecting a Slavic accent if it's RS, and the conversation consisted mostly of both of us saying "Hello?" repeatedly, RS saying his first, but not last, name and asking for JBD mispronouncing his name several different ways, and JBD not knowing who's calling.

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:19 am

@ doc
It's all good. It's a built in feature in Skype. No legal worries.

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:34 pm

^^^ Indeed it is. It isn't well-known though, as Dwatina has shown. My concern in posting this info here is that Lads may see it.

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:16 pm

I'll definitely have to check out that feature. I knew VoxOx had the spoof feature, but that only showed a different number.

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