Scam calls.

[Woody girl]

Just had an amazingly inefficient Bank scam call, tho it seemed plausible.
I don't shop on amazon, but was told 2 unusual transactions had been made on my card with amazon for 150, and 120 pounds.
Well, that would have been unusual for me.
Suspicious factors.
1, indian accent.
2 Couldn't get my name right and asked me to spell it. I spelt it wrong, he was happy with that.
3 Ditto birthdate. I agrred to an incorrect birthdate which he was happy with.
He should have had that info on screen .

So I asked him which bank he was calling from.
Silence,
then what? and phone goes dead.
Had it progressed I'd have given him 3 fictional banks to choose from.
Real banks, but those I do not have an account with.
It works a treat.
I know my local bank has no Indian employees. The call would have come from my local bank.
.. I'm teaching you to suck eggs, I know,... but this tactic worked a treat.
I did ring my bank, and it was confirmed no such activity.
The thing is, if your card is not protected in a scan proof wallet, there is now a gadget that looks like a phone that can scan your bag or wallet in your back pocket just by walking past you. You wouldn't look twice at them as it's so normal to have a phone in your hand.
Anyway, just passing on that tidbit of info, from my bank, and my tactics to smoke out a scammer.

 

[Philip Sheldrake]

My wife had a similar call last week. I took the call as she was in the shower. Indian male, very heavily accented, phone said he was calling from a UK town, he said he was calling from elsewhere in UK. He was happy to talk to me, didn't ask for any ID details, said he would send an email but didn't. A scam caller, certainly, probably trained (?) with WG's caller. Given the money these people may make, you have to wonder why the callers are so unconvincing.

 

[Toddy]

I'm being phoned daily by someone at a call centre. A lady with an Indian accent but very British names....Pamela, Margaret, Emily.....a warning about someone trying to access my bank account.

I tell her I'm very deaf, that she needs to speak more clearly, slightly slower, and to give more information.
Cue frantic garble and I respond, "I'm sorry, I can't hear you", and I hang up and use the Block Number function on my phone.
They just try another number. I still can't hear them

 

[Nice65]

My iPhone silences all Unknown Callers and sends them straight to voice mail while listing them in Recents and alerting me that a call was missed. Anyone like a GP, physio etc is likely to leave a message, anyone else doesn’t cause me to pick up the phone and have these ridiculous conversations with call centres.

 

[Wildgoose]

I get a few a week generally, the latest were:

1- my 3 mobile sim has now expired (I’m not on 3) and they need to send me a new one urgently or I’ll lose all my contacts and photos

2- text message - I owe a parking fine, and if I don’t pay using the link provided my licence will be revoked

3- there is a warrant out for my arrest and I must follow the callers instructions immediately (likely to be to pay a fee in iTunes or bitcoin) to prevent my immediate imprisonment.

If I’m bored I’ll engage for a while, else I give them some short but sure advice.

 

[Kepis]

My iPhone silences all Unknown Callers and sends them straight to voice mail while listing them in Recents and alerting me that a call was missed. Anyone like a GP, physio etc is likely to leave a message, anyone else doesn’t cause me to pick up the phone and have these ridiculous conversations with call centres.

Much the same here on my Android, it comes up as either "spam call" or "suspected spam", if it says either i just hit decline and block the number, although i do have to be a bit careful as i declined a suspected spam call the other week and before i could block the number it called back, turned out it was my Physio lol, i've always figured that with all these supposed calls from banks and the like, if they cant get through on the phone they will write to me. The one that i get the most at the moment is from "my local energy advisor", had one call last week and they were in Belfast (allegedly), considering im in Sussex, not really that local, i just hang up and block the number.

 

[Toddy]

I mostly use the landline. I do have an iphone thing, but honestly, the landline has an amplifier function on it that helps with my hearing. The mobile's usually off and I can never remember the number to give to anyone

 

[Pattree]

I can get three or four scams a day on the land line. The EE function flags up possible scams on the land line screen and I leave them. While I don’t answer them I’ve still interruptedwhat I was doing when it rang.

 

[Paul_B]

Just had an amazingly inefficient Bank scam call, tho it seemed plausible.
I don't shop on amazon, but was told 2 unusual transactions had been made on my card with amazon for 150, and 120 pounds.
Well, that would have been unusual for me.
Suspicious factors.
1, indian accent.
2 Couldn't get my name right and asked me to spell it. I spelt it wrong, he was happy with that.
3 Ditto birthdate. I agrred to an incorrect birthdate which he was happy with.
He should have had that info on screen .

So I asked him which bank he was calling from.
Silence,
then what? and phone goes dead.
Had it progressed I'd have given him 3 fictional banks to choose from.
Real banks, but those I do not have an account with.
It works a treat.
I know my local bank has no Indian employees. The call would have come from my local bank.
.. I'm teaching you to suck eggs, I know,... but this tactic worked a treat.
I did ring my bank, and it was confirmed no such activity.
The thing is, if your card is not protected in a scan proof wallet, there is now a gadget that looks like a phone that can scan your bag or wallet in your back pocket just by walking past you. You wouldn't look twice at them as it's so normal to have a phone in your hand.
Anyway, just passing on that tidbit of info, from my bank, and my tactics to smoke out a scammer.

Everyone gets my name wrong so that is not a good way of spotting them for me. However,that does not stop them asking for Mr or Mrs XYXYXYXYXYXYXY. I usually hanging up as they get halfway through my name. I am not married so any Mrs in there you don't have any business with me. I do however get to hear the first half of my surname so I know they have got that wrong as a hangup button works.

I used to let them start and be friendly about saying I am not interested, but now it is hangup from the first moment they get something wrong. If it is a genuine call they will email me or call again with the right information or the humility to ask how to pronounce my surname and not guess at my marital status.

BTW I have had genuine dealings with an Indian call centre for my energy provider in my last place. They try the whole ask about the weather to develop a relationship. One time this Indian woman took my meter reading which was way under the one they got to after about 2 years of guessing based on a three bedroom house that only had one occupant. Anyway, she looked at the discrepancy and how much they owed me and told me to retake the reading, told me how to do it like I have never done it before. Then when I gave her the same reading and assured her that was right. Then she got all snotty and told me to call back when I had learnt how to read a meter properly then hung up!! So personally it is not rascism or anything when I hang up on an Indian accent on the other side of the phone line, it is just that I have had nothing but hassle and offensive attitude from genuine Indian call centres let along the spammers!! I hear the accent and they are gone just as quick as I can do it.

Another Indian call centre/sales call/spammer I listened and then politely said I was not interested. Waited for him to acknowledge it but he he just got aggressive and accusing me of being obnoxious and having a bad attitude. Al I said was that I was not interested in getting more insulation installed in my house at this moment in time. OK I said "sorry but I am not interested!". After he got all aggro I just said "Ok mate!" and hung up. Then I got over an hour of this guy calling me back to scream down the phone line. I unhooked my telphone line after the first 10 or 15 minutes. Then replugged in at the half hour and he called again with the aggro again. So I unplugged and replugged again until he stopped calling. The last call I got was on the hour after the first one. That has got to be a crime. At the very least as a telesales caller what did he expect to achieve? No way is he going to get a sale this way and he was just wasting his time that could have conned I mean sold to someone else. So sure I have no hard feelings with call centres even telesales or people of Indian descent or from India. I do have a connection between bad actors from telesales and call centres and they have pretty much all been from India call centres. I do have an issue when those three factors come together.

PS have you ever fallen for scam websites? I saw a post on reddit where I guy thought he had bought a £550 bike for £53 delivered from Costco when the web site link address had nothing to do with costco as in a totally different addres and one that appears on anti scam searches on google. To me the address and the company logo used / claimed does not match is a big red flag. The biggest is the item is selling for way too cheap as in half or tenth of the price when it has never ever been that cheap at any time in the past.

It just makes me think that sometimes everyone can get fooled or kind of subconciously wants to believe more than commons sense would dictate. I do not think I am immune to scams but seeing or hearing about people getting caught out in ways I think is way too obviouis makes me think that we are all capable of having that bad day when our commonsense and spidey scammer sixth sense just leaves us. I know a very capable, knowledgable and senior executive in my large company who got caught out in a scam that went on 3 weeks before they got a lot of his money. He told us that it was just so clever and believable the way they acted. The social engineering side of scammers can be very compelling. So IMHO do not ever think that you cannot get caught out. It will happen one day so work out what you should do as soon as you realise and prepare for the right action to take if / when it happens.

I bet the preppers will like that advice but it is good for all. Things like your bank contact numbers of their scam / security numbers, your details and keep copies of your accounts taken regularly. Keep a secure, home file of your bank accounts and note regular ins and outs. Take a snapshot every so often. Have all contact numbers of your nearest branch through to security numbers. CArd numbers too. This might be scammers dream information but you are probably safer with a hard copy in a file stored safely and hidden in your house than an online or computer record I once heard a cyber security expert on a reputable TV show say. So I follow the analogue method.

 

[Kepis]

One of the funniest ones we ever had was with some blokes who were cold calling trying to get work for laying driveways, our drive needed a bit of attention so they knocked the door, after about 15-20 minutes of chitchat it got round to money, they wanted half the money once the hardcore had been laid and the balance on completion of the job, now it was pretty obvious the hardcore would be laid and then we would never see them again, so we continued chatting and i asked them how much they would do the job for cash, i got the reply we can offer a 20% discount for cash - pretty remarkable discount percentage i thought, it was then i told them that i worked for the VAT man (I dont btw), you've never seen a couple of blokes turn white so quickly and try to leave so fast, he tried to grab all of the paperwork and business cards on his way off the property, but i had it firmly in my hand, they literally ran to their van and disappeared quicker than a rabbit in a magicians hat, strangely we never saw or heard from them again.

I later checked their company details on Companies House and it was a genuine company that had gone bust five years previous, so they were either clever in the fact they used a genuine company with a company number and hoped nobody checked, or it was their company that went under and they were trying it on, either way, they were gone and probably with a bit of a shock to the system.

 

[dean4442]

I had a phone call claiming that the bailiffs were on the way over due to a debt I owed for a rental in Norfolk (I'm nowhere near there!) They seemed really surprised when I told them to come on round as I'm home at the moment and look forward to a chat with them!
Strangely nobody came

 

[Paul_B]

One of the funniest ones we ever had was with some blokes who were cold calling trying to get work for laying driveways, our drive needed a bit of attention so they knocked the door, after about 15-20 minutes of chitchat it got round to money, they wanted half the money once the hardcore had been laid and the balance on completion of the job, now it was pretty obvious the hardcore would be laid and then we would never see them again, so we continued chatting and i asked them how much they would do the job for cash, i got the reply we can offer a 20% discount for cash - pretty remarkable discount percentage i thought, it was then i told them that i worked for the VAT man (I dont btw), you've never seen a couple of blokes turn white so quickly and try to leave so fast, he tried to grab all of the paperwork and business cards on his way off the property, but i had it firmly in my hand, they literally ran to their van and disappeared quicker than a rabbit in a magicians hat, strangely we never saw or heard from them again.

I later checked their company details on Companies House and it was a genuine company that had gone bust five years previous, so they were either clever in the fact they used a genuine company with a company number and hoped nobody checked, or it was their company that went under and they were trying it on, either way, they were gone and probably with a bit of a shock to the system.

I had a friend who was an MD of a company and a really nice guy. I knew him from a club I was in. We were all in the Sports centre bar having a soft drink, honest!! Among our lot there was a copper but it was the new guy at the other end of the long table we were at that was the problem. The MD was in full flight in a "discussion" about tax efficiency shall we say. He was full of these little tax dodges that were if not on the edge of legal then they were on the wrong side of taax law.

Anyway, the guy suddenly stopped in full flow when he saw the new guy on the opposite end of the table look up and right across to him. It obviously troubled him and after a break mid sentence and a pause, he spoke across the full length of the table and asked what the new guy did for a living. Well the guy,obviously with a knowing smirk told us all what he did. It completely changed the direction of the conversation. Can you guess what he said?

Yep he told us all he was a tax inspector who goes into companies and audits them for tax evasion . Basically worked in investigsations. He was also a nice guy and told them all that he doesn't wee in his own backyard. Bassically they all operate away from where they live so there is less risk of investigating someone they know. Also if someone they knew was doing something iffy they had an unwritten rule that they turn a blind eye and do not share the information with their colleagues who works that area. That was what he said and nothing contrradicted that. However the MD who was always into the money making or saving dodges that may or may not be completely honest never talked about money again!!!

It was completely funny watching the face on the MD guy working out that thee other was interested in listening acorss the length of the table, that there could be a reason to worry then the white face when he found out how the other guy earnt his money. Another guy who had been an active part of the conversation when a bit pale too.

It was also funny how talking about illegal acts in front of the copper (might have been more than one there) wass not an issue, but talking tax illegality in front of the tax man was a big problem and never done again in his presence!! It made me think that people expected coppers to turn a blind eye to friends which I find an interesting idea. Do they not think copppers are law abiding themselves but tax inspectors are 100% honest and upright??

 

[Silverclaws2]

I can get three or four scams a day on the land line. The EE function flags up possible scams on the land line screen and I leave them. While I don’t answer them I’ve still interruptedwhat I was doing when it rang.

I use TPS and I don't get any scam calls on the landline and I tend to ignore the cell phone

Telephone Preference Service

 

[Pattree]

I use TPS and I don't get any scam calls on the landline and I tend to ignore the cell phone

Telephone Preference Service

Really.
We have it as well but that depends upon the caller complying with the list. I get off shore callers who ignore the scheme.

 

[Toddy]

I use TPS and I don't get any scam calls on the landline and I tend to ignore the cell phone

Telephone Preference Service

I have that but as @Pattree said, it relies on the companies being compliant, and.....I don't think South Asia is all in agreement.

 

[Stew]

Just had an amazingly inefficient Bank scam call, tho it seemed plausible.
I don't shop on amazon, but was told 2 unusual transactions had been made on my card with amazon for 150, and 120 pounds.
Well, that would have been unusual for me.
Suspicious factors.
1, indian accent.
2 Couldn't get my name right and asked me to spell it. I spelt it wrong, he was happy with that.
3 Ditto birthdate. I agrred to an incorrect birthdate which he was happy with.
He should have had that info on screen .

So I asked him which bank he was calling from.
Silence,
then what? and phone goes dead.
Had it progressed I'd have given him 3 fictional banks to choose from.
Real banks, but those I do not have an account with.
It works a treat.
I know my local bank has no Indian employees. The call would have come from my local bank.
.. I'm teaching you to suck eggs, I know,... but this tactic worked a treat.
I did ring my bank, and it was confirmed no such activity.
The thing is, if your card is not protected in a scan proof wallet, there is now a gadget that looks like a phone that can scan your bag or wallet in your back pocket just by walking past you. You wouldn't look twice at them as it's so normal to have a phone in your hand.
Anyway, just passing on that tidbit of info, from my bank, and my tactics to smoke out a scammer.

Best not to engage these days. There are suggestions of the answers you give are being harvested by AI for cloning.

 

[Paul_B]

TPS is next to useless. Not helped by companies acting as UK origins for overseas operation. So the overseas connect into these Lomdon based companies who effectively give them a "clean" Uk number (landline). So the TPS has not got them on their records. You report the number they get a whole new one the next day so thee TPS does not have them on their books. That is just one way around the blocking capabilities of TPS. There are others I believe. So do not rely on that for anything.

 

[Woody girl]

Got a call today that I " mustn't ignore" from immigration about my immigration status, with a choice of languages, so picked Chinese and sang them the ying tong song.
For some reason a load of irate nonsense came back and then they hung up.
Can't imagine why.
(Wicked giggle)
Oh, btw, I was born in England, to English parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents...etc

 

[TLM]

My brother used to answer "police station" to unknown numbers, apparently quite effective.

 

[demographic]

I use TPS and I don't get any scam calls on the landline and I tend to ignore the cell phone

Telephone Preference Service

I'm signed upto that and still get the very odd occasion when one tries their luck.
As soon as they start their spiel I just ask "Have you ever heard of the Telephone Preference Service? Because if you had you'd know its actually illegal to coldcall me"
I think there's only been one time when the caller tried to continue the call after that point. And I asked them to never contact me again.

I don't give out my number to all and sundry mind, nor do I give out my e-mail addy to shops when they ask for it "For an e-mail receipt'.

So I have to fire my printer up to print a receipt out? Naaa, I don't think so pal"