SCAM!

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

“I am the butler…” I like that!

I recently ejected one with, “No, Sorry, Mr. Gra-ham’s away at present. I’m his landlord looking after the property. May I take a message?”

‘

Conservatory-sellers are easy: “Sorry, I live in a third-floor flat.”

Any other building sales – you could try, “Sorry mate, this is a housing-association flat.”

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“I’m from the ‘Windows Corporation and your computer has reported it has been compromised.” and similar:

Me, “No you are not. No it hasn’t. Goodbye!” – ring off before the caller can.

I never swear at the callers but am sometimes blunt. I have told a few, “You are a liar! Goodbye”

….

Supposed surveys, or sales attempts based on them, such as for loft insulation: “What survey? Who has commissioned this survey? Which Government grants do you mean?” or similar attempts to identify the company behind it. The callers tend to be a bit more persistent, if genuinely are trying to sell something, but they do not like you asking the wrong questions, and soon end the call, often quite abruptly.

One sales pitch that was real, I think a doorstep or letter-box attempt, tried to have me buy that loft-insulation consisting of foam sprayed between the rafters. Advice I sought was to the effect that it is such a wrong thing to do that many lenders will not offer mortgages on such property (unless it is removed at seller’s expense, I suppose).

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The recorded introductions can sound convincing but simply talking over it soon reveals the truth, by not responding to the interruption as a live caller naturally would.

Live callers might not need monitoring to end the call quickly. If they are paid only by results it’s in their interest to terminate the call as soon they realise it will fail.

 

Though I managed to engage one lass in conversation to the point that not only did she fail to sell a ‘phone contract I was not going to buy anyway, but she rang me on two further occasions just for purely social chats! In fact I warned her to be careful not to be caught doing that.

The original caller had been a man and when he realised he was not selling me anything, he had replaced himself with this YL. “Oh aye?” thinks I, “The charm offensive, eh?”

[Michael Gilligan]

On Michael Gilligan Said:

I believe that the ‘silent’ call simply means that one of their other targets answered first … These systems are on auto-dial, with all the subtlety of a sawn-off-shotgun !

MichaelG.

Yes, an auto-dialer, working high-speed through a list, or just guessing numbers at random.

The people involved don’t dial anyone themselves.  They each have a computer screen that lights a button whenever the auto-dialer gets an answer, and if the operators clicks it, they are connected and the game starts.  If working from a list of known numbers, the computer might provide name, address, and other information that helps convince the mark the call is real.   This is why it’s important to not share personal information unnecessarily.

Quite likely the auto-dialer will easily outrun the human staff, resulting in pickups when no-one is available to talk to the mark.  If staff are already talking to a potential victim or are otherwise busy, the pick-up is ignored.   The system waits for a fairly long time before moving on in hope an operator becomes available, during which time the new mark hears nothing or perhaps ‘noises off’.   ‘Noises off’ are intended to make the mark hang-on a bit longer because they think a real correspondent is on the way.

Though this scam can be done manually with one phone and a paper list from a private home, it’s far more likely to be industrial.   There will be an office suite, with plenty of connectivity, and an auto-dialing computer system supporting dozens of staff.    Like as not it will front as a legitimate business, paying tax and wages, and only operating internationally.  Unlikely to target anyone in their home country, because that would attract local law-enforcement, whilst foreign police forces have little chance of tracing them or making charges stick.

Dave

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I’ve just received an email telling me that unless I log in, due to inactivity my Arduino account will be disabled all my sketches wiped and all posts anonymised (if there is such a word). This has to be a scam? I’m not aware of having an Arduino acct, and all my sketches are on local hard drive, backed up on memory stick

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