Telephone Preference Service – A New Scam?

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Telephone Preference Service – A New Scam?

This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 17 January 2025 at 21:33 by Nigel Graham 2.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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17 January 2025 at 11:45 #777918
Chris Crew
Participant
@chriscrew66644
We received a call on the ‘landline’ (now VOIP but I kept the old number) this morning which was answered by my wife. The caller, who had the usual Asian accent, informed her that he was calling from the Telephone Preference Service. (I am sure almost everyone is aware that this is a legitimate FREE service that any anyone with a landline can join simply by dialling into an access number and confirming you are calling from the number to be included in the service to filter out unwanted marketing calls. You do not actually speak to anyone, it is all done via the phone keypad). After confirming our landline number my wife handed the call over to me. The caller then confirmed our number, that I was the bill payer and that I paid the bill by Direct Debit. He then went on, and this was the sneaky bit, to ask me to confirm details of my debit CARD, to which I retorted that if I pay my bill by DIRECT debit, it is not connected to my DEBIT card. Clearly, this was an attempt to confuse the two facilities by the use of the word DEBIT, because as soon as I stated that I do not give details of my cards to cold callers the line went dead. Obviously a ‘phishing’ expedition to obtain my debit card details – BE AWARE of this possibly new scam (new to me, anyway).
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17 January 2025 at 12:02 #777930
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
Probably not a new scam but a new round for it.

Like the dire e-post warnings in thick red font that my MacAfee subscription is ending. I don’t use MacAfee. Forward it to BT and the gov.uk services, block the peculiar sender’s name and equally peculiar domain, delete.

Or the ‘phone call yesterday – male, English caller – waffling about home insulation. He named some register as showing my house has “only” x amount of ceiling insulation in the loft.

When I insisted on knowing exactly what this register is and how my home is on it, he ended the call without another word.

“Tracy” has started again. I’ve no idea what “her” e-post tripe about certain photographs is really for, but very careful investigation of the address totally separately, led to a newspaper or magazine called The Mirror. Not the British one but apparently American. It’s obviously an attack of some sort (Report, block, block, DEL – the address is different every time) but hard to identify. Most likely the “photographs” link I carefully avoid, holds the malware; the newspaper link from investigating the address being a mask.

Oh aye – they are all still about.
17 January 2025 at 12:05 #777932
SillyOldDuffer
Moderator
@sillyoldduffer
Yup. It’s a scam. Legitimate businesses do not ring up out of the blue asking for account details.

By the way, don’t assume accents mean anything. All 6 or 7 scam calls I’ve had this year were in perfect British English. The giveaway is asking for financial details, control of your computer, or anything involving money.

Dave
17 January 2025 at 13:56 #777961
Chris Crew
Participant
@chriscrew66644
“By the way, don’t assume accents mean anything. All 6 or 7 scam calls I’ve had this year were in perfect British English.”

And don’t assume all perfect British English accents are human. I have had scam calls that sounded as such but there was just the slightest of a delay whilst the AI voice’s algorithm generated the answer or next question which was the give away, to me at least.
17 January 2025 at 17:14 #777991
bernard towers
Participant
@bernardtowers37738
If you dont know the number its a scam
17 January 2025 at 21:00 #778069
Paul Kemp
Participant
@paulkemp46892
I feel outcast! All these people reporting they get regular scam calls, our “landline” hardly ever rings with a legitimate call, scam calls unknown since taking the free call screening service, Might get one dodgy email on my personal account per year and have had a few of the failed delivery type texts on my mobile. My work email that is supposed to have all the gold standard filters and security seems to get a lot more attention!

Paul.
17 January 2025 at 21:33 #778082
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
Bernard –

Fine if your ‘phone displays the number! Mine doesn’t. I don’t think my portable ‘phone does either but I’ve never received criminal calls or messages on that, perhaps because it’s not linked to the Internet, and I use it infrequently and irregularly anyway.

Sometimes I like to bait the scammers.

Chris –

Oh, British or British-sounding crooks are not new. The oddest I had rang off immediately I said, “No, I’m Mr. not Mrs. Graham”, but he had a definite English accent. Some years back too, when AI was still only veterinary.

More recently we’ve had the rise of taped messages usually impeccably spoken with only a light accent by someone Geoff Theasby would recall formerly described as a “YL”. Those are easy to spot, by not responding to an interruption.
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