Telephone / Internet Scams

[Maurice Cox 1Participant @mauricecox1]

Some time ago I had a call from a very nice sounding gentleman with a pronounced foreign accent. The call went thus:- " Hello; Mr.Cox"? "Yes". "I work for Microsoft and I need to speak to you about your computer". "Oh…..you work for Microsoft?" "Yes". " My computer is an Apple. What has that got to do with Microsoft?" Long pause…….

"Mister Cox; you are a BAD man!!!"

I think he was the bad man.

Maurice

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

This morning my wife answered the phone to be greeted by someone, a male, who claimed to be a police officer. The conversation went along the lines of, 'Sorry to disturb you but are you xyz etc., which of course was correct, as any fool could find that data on the net if they wanted. He then went on to say that 'We have arrested some people in London and found in their possession a VISA credit card in your name'. My good lady being pretty streetwise asked, before entering into any conversation with aforementioned "officer", to identify which bank/building society the card had been issued by.

This proved too much for "said officer" who immediately hung up. What amazed me is that he didn't just reel off a high street bank as a wild shot; not the brightest con artiste out there evidently.

So be warned they may start to smarten up their act, but knowing my good lady they will meet a brick wall when it comes to her supplying any important data; still sharp at 70 plus.

Martin

[Martin Hamilton 1Participant @martinhamilton1]

Finally got fed up with the unwanted calls that seem to have increased recently, we went out last week & purchased a new set of 3 BT Premium phones for £80. These are the ones with 100% call blocker on, since installing them we haven't had a single unwanted call. You can go into the phones memory & it will show you the calls including the numbers of these unwanted numbers that it has stopped, recognised the usual suspect numbers that we usually get that have been stopped. Our old phones that we have had quite a number of years were due for an update really any way, this is the best £80 that we have spent in years. I now know what the sound of silence is like & very happy now.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Oddest I had went like this:

Me: "Hello?" (I never quote my name or number outright.)

Him: Is that Mrs. G…?" – the caller had a British accent.

Me: "No, Mr. G-"

Click!! I'd barely finished saying my name before the bloke rang off abruptly, without a further word. God knows what he was trying to sell, or whatever he'd intended.

'

I have received one of the false HMRC calls but failed to fall for it, which may be why I've received no more like it. I think if you reject enough, word gets round and they leave you alone for a while, until new gangs come along.

I have told a few of the "This the Windows Corporation and your computer's reported a fault" liars, liars by that word, my finger on the switch-hook ready to end the call faster then they could.

The "survey" types may be real, engaged by advertising-agencies, and I demand to know who wants the information. That question alone usually floors the caller, who probably does not know anyway but seems unable to grasp the point of my question. They tend to hang up quite quickly.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I got a crime update from my local force telling me there were substantial amounts of forged £20 notes in circulation in my area at present. I thought we had seen the end of such fraud.

Had to rig up a UV lamp to check our notes.

Good old fashioned crime at it's best.

Mick

[the artfull-codgerParticipant @theartfull-codger]

Just had a call from an oriental "gentleman" had my name, usual start "how are you today sir? it seems the warranty on my washing machine is running out & I need to extend it really? sez I & what make is it , indesit sez he , ours is a hotpoint sez I so you're talking b******s aah so would you like to extend it then? err I don't believe in warranties sez I , phone promptly cut off by him,The best it it's a second hand one we got from my wifes late Auntie & the one before that was second hand from my wifes Brother.

[MadMikeParticipant @madmike]

Like many others I have received these scam calls over the years. However, having tried most of the discussion tools mentioned here, i thought that as they had probably heard them all before I would try a new one.

Again like others I merely respond "hello" for any incoming call. Then allow them to have their initial introduction and at a key moment before they finish, I demand to know how they got my number and why are they calling it. They try to ignore the question so I then very loudly ask again but continue with……." This is an ex-directory number and is a Security Services phone line, so tell me how and why you called as I have put a trace on this line. Your own security services have been notified……at which point they instantly hang up.

A bit of fun, but interestingly the frequency of these calls has diminished noticeably to the point of almost disappearing altogether.

My daughters ploy is to stop them in their tracks and tell them that she is just a squatter.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

It's been some years now I had a ex directory number and was with BT I canceled BT in favour of another provider all most medianly nuisance calls started and I still maintain to this day that my number was passed on !

H

[Anonymous]

These calls seem to go in cycles. Haven't had any for ages, but just recently I've had a couple about the "government" insulation scheme. The guy told me I didn't need to worry, so I told him I wasn't worried in the slightest – then he put the 'phone down.

Also had a couple from "BT" today about the internet. First guy got really niggly when I put the 'phone down on him. After he rang back and I told him there weren't any lights on the router he asked if I was a scammer! Told him I wasn't stupid enough to be a scammer which got him even madder. On the second one I told the lady the router was in a different building and then put the 'phone down while she held. After a while I disconnected the call. They rang back and I put the 'phone next to the speaker while watching a Youtube video to see if they'd notice.

Andrew

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

About the only really good thing I can say about our internet / telephone provider is we get zero nuisance calls. The first time any number calls us it automatically diverts to the screening process where the caller needs to record their name and purpose, it then calls us and asks to accept or reject, if rejected the number is permanantly blocked. It's a bit of a pain for genuine callers to hold while the process goes through but once accepted they can call freely. Since we signed up for this a couple of years back we have had absolutely zero scam or nuisance calls.

in fact it has made life a bit boring as I used to try and see how long I could lead them on and how much they got wound up when they twigged!

Paul.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

We are with BT for internet and landline, O2 for my mobile 'phone, whilst herself is with EE.

We get a small number of spam calls on the landline, few enough to be ignorable, none on our mobile 'phones, and occasional spam emails, again few enough to be ignorable.

Years ago, I used to get a large number of spam emails: using Thunderbird, I simply set suitable message filters, and at the moment I have two set, one of which is for what looks like a genuine mistake somewhere in Argyll County Council.

We used to get a large number of spam calls, so as our cordless 'phones included the facility of incoming call barring, I set it up to bar up to 30 calls. Today we have 4 set, and I cannot remember the last time the system barred a call (it usually shows the caller with a red x against it.

I did, on one occasion try to lead them on, but lost interest, and now we simply say "Not interested" and clear the call if a human voice. Otherwise we just hangup.

Peter G. Shaw

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

This morning's offering (it bore today's date):

hclmanagement@logic.bm

Dear Sir,

Kindly see our purchase order
And do the needful

Anna Scott

Sales Rep

Sinopec
Address: Suur-niikaa 216 10122 lace>Tallinn, Estonialace>.

Purchase_order

"Purchase_order" was the link, deleted and re-typed here to break.

There is a genuine, Hong Kong -registered company called "Sinotec", a partner in a consortium apparently operating a commercial port in Estonia. So it's hard to know who is trying to defraud whom; but anyway:

– Block Sender,

– Block Domain,

– Foward to "report [at] phishing.gov.uk".

– Delete!

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

My landline provider provides the same facility described by Paul, and the number of nuisance calls has noticeably declined. Once in a while one gets through and my response is generally to say "Did I request this call?" Followed by "You know it's illegal!". And then I put the 'phone down.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I had a second e-post slightly similar to that above, though with different names, sipposedly about some quote or other. I tried to report that too but the system spotted its inherent virus and blocked the forwarding. So I just deleted it.

The virus might have been in the attached "quote" but I could not see how to remove that safely so I could forward the post itself, with its address information.

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

It may help when changing supplier, if you also change the number, but could get a different group of scammers! I found that it works very well for a considerable time. Probably the next organisation with your details, who leak thousands of people s data, likely to give out your new number, starting the aggro again.

[File HandleParticipant @filehandle]

We haven't had any since we bought a phone that blocks them.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

This has to be the daftest yet:

Telephone recording "Hello, this is a free message, press1 to hear it"

At which point I hung up

pgk

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I thought that daft too – then thought again.

Recordings that give a lengthy pre-amble about Microsoft, credit-cards etc. are more likely to be spotted as false.

That one is so short and to the point about a "free message" of unstated subject, that I think it was designed that way to trip people up.

It might not be daft at all, and far more dangerous than it seems – the gangs are not stupid but cold and very calculating; and they know catching only a fraction of those called is worth their while.

This might be a new tactic intended immediately to cast their net wider by a ruse likely to take more victims off-guard .

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

You're right about it being more dangerous – they called back after a few mins and the whole message goes on to say press 1 to hear or press 9 to cancel also again you won't be charged for the call. Again i hung up and a few moments later they rang back yet again – I let it ring until their system gave up and no further calls.
But I can see a lot of folk pressing 9…

pgk

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Here is a more unusual scam I just tumbled to:

My wife listed a recliner chair on FaceBook marketplace this afternoon for £150 as we are getting a new one on Friday. We sell a lot of our heavier items on FB with no problems.

After about half an hour we get a Messenger call from a guy wanting it. Says he will come tomorrow with the cash.

Few minutes later comes back and says he has to work so will send a GLS courier with the cash to pick it up.

Asks for our email address which she gives him. No big deal.

We then get an email from “GLS’ full of crappy spelling with a dodgy looking gmail address saying they will be here tomorrow with the cash to pick up the item but we have to pay for “insurance” which we will get back on top of the £150.

Told them item was now sold and to go scam someone else!

Could easily see how a person might go for this if not on the look out.

Cheers Martin (PS, ANYONE WANT A CHAIR?)

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Crappy spelling these days means nothing, apparently it is not important even after 11 plus years of full time education.

Tony

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

Just got in to find quite a sneaky one waiting – two emails allegedly from the account of a sole-trader with whom I used to occasionally do business, telling me that a third party host called 'Sendgb' has a new quotation for me 'that he can't attach in Outlook' and I need to 'click the link below' to download it, if I fail to act now, the document will be deleted in 1 week.. ..the old 'act NOW! or risk jeopardy' ploy..

Viewing the message, I could see that the page layout was that of 'Sendgb' and not a genuine email from me old mate Mr. ********, whom I know has been not working due to illness in any case.

One I hadn't seen before, the 'Sendgb' style / formatting was convincingly modern-day-commercial and glossy-looking.. ..don't click the link..

 

 

 

 

Edited By DiogenesII on 10/11/2021 20:34:46

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Tony –

I think you are right there about our language not being taught in our own country; but remember that the dodgy e-post or web-site might be from a non-English speaking land. In which case the "crappy spelling" is probably genuine ignorance by someone whose native language is neither British English nor the American version (and accent) that many abroad are taught.

[Anonymous]

You are not allowed to complain about crappy spelling these days. You have to allow that the person is autistic in the range 0 – 100 %

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I think you mean dyslexic

[Author]

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