A scam phone calls and emails discussion.

[Xenophon PCDGS]

That used to be the case for landlines - the calling party could hold the line open - but was changed a few years back. Now if either party puts the receiver down the call is cleared after a few (I want to say three?) seconds.

Thanks for that confirmation.

 

[snail]

Microsoft will never email you about your OneDrive storage. You may ell get s popup in the taskbar telling you your storage is almost full, if using a Windows device, but that's about it.

I've had emails after clearing out multiple (hundreds) of files reminding me that will be in the recycle bin for 30 days.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

So now I have a weird position of needing to make data protection complaints to two different companies, though mainly the recruitment agency, but I don't actually want to do it until I've had my second interview because I don't want to burn a bridge as they say.

I would suggest that the company for which you are being interviewed should be made aware of how dangerously incompetent their recruitment agency is. Yes, a complaint needs to be made - but I would think in co-operation with the company which is using the agency.

How are companies this incompetent?!

Lots of them, especially third party back office subcontracting companies and, err... recruitment agencies.

 

[styles]

I would suggest that the company for which you are being interviewed should be made aware of how dangerously incompetent their recruitment agency is. Yes, a complaint needs to be made - but I would think in co-operation with the company which is using the agency.

Yes, assuming I get the gig, I'll be mentioning it for sure. I'm holding off for now in case somebody takes it personally and the gig falls through.

I wonder if my bank will take the communication they've received into consideration when our remortgage comes up and they start to question the sustainability of my self-employment

 

[Trackman]

Had my first 'Mum my phone is broke, please save this temporary number and text me please' text today.
I feel like playing along, but I wont.

 

[swt_passenger]

Had my first 'Mum my phone is broke, please save this temporary number and text me please' text today.
I feel like playing along, but I wont.

I’d like to reply to one of them along the lines of ‘haven’t you forgotten mum died in Aug 2000’?

 

[Gloster]

Had my first 'Mum my phone is broke, please save this temporary number and text me please' text today.
I feel like playing along, but I wont.

You could answer: ‘I’m Dad. If you don’t know the difference by now I think we need to sit down and have a talk.’

 

[Trackman]

I’d like to reply to one of them along the lines of ‘haven’t you forgotten mum died in Aug 2000’?

You could answer: ‘I’m Dad. If you don’t know the difference by now I think we need to sit down and have a talk.’

You know what I've replied.
I'll see what happens.

 

[Jon_jpwh]

You know what I've replied.
I'll see what happens.

I've always been wary of replying to any such texts in case it opens the floodgates and results in lots more being received.

 

[Trackman]

I've always been wary of replying to any such texts in case it opens the floodgates and results in lots more being received.

Here's the update, the texts have stopped now, think they knew I was on to them.

Here is the crux of the scam:

Let me explain as my phone phone broke i cant access my online banking and i have a debt of £1,884 to pay for if i send you the details off where to pay can you make the payment on my behalf as i dont want this to ruin my credit ill pay you back in two days please mum if you cant pay the full amount let me know what you can pay please mum x

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

One of my neighbours, a retired headmistress in her 80s, took a call on her landline from a woman caller announcing she was "the energy consultant for the area", to which my neighbour replied "If you are, then I'm the Queen of Sheba" and hung up. She put a block on the number that called her.

 

[styles]

I've always been wary of replying to any such texts in case it opens the floodgates and results in lots more being received.

Yeah, there was a video by a comedian called James Veitch where he replied to spam emails. It was very funny, but he did advise the audience that if they're to do this they really need to open a second mailbox otherwise their phone would relentlessly ping with emails about buying gold.

And

While I like the idea of winding scammers up and wasting their time, it is also quite a costly thing to do if I consider my own time to be worth money. Keeping one scammer on the line for half an hour is probably going to have no real impact on things, especially since they'll likely use that half hour to make half a dozen phone calls to people who don't fall for the scam anyway as most people don't.

If I was going to get involved I'd probably volunteer my time at a scam victims charity or scam prevention campaign. And I'd get a second mobile number for that volunteering!

 

[londonbridge]

Twice in the last five weeks or so I’ve had calls from different numbers where they have left a voicemail in which a robotic sounding female voice just says “Add my number on WhatsApp”. Deleted and blocked the numbers, anyone else had this or know anything as to what scam it is or where the calls are from?

 

[DannyMich2018]

Twice in the last five weeks or so I’ve had calls from different numbers where they have left a voicemail in which a robotic sounding female voice just says “Add my number on WhatsApp”. Deleted and blocked the numbers, anyone else had this or know anything as to what scam it is or where the calls are from?

Yes I had this some time ago. Knew it was dodgy so deleted it.

 

[John Webb]

Last couple of months (Sept/Oct) have been interesting re unwanted calls. In September there were 16 calls on the landline*, 8 of which were known 'energy' scams of some sort. There were also 7 calls on the mobile about my 'Diesel Emissions Claim'
In October only 8 calls on the landline* but 8 on the mobile. I assume the latter were probably as for September, but I tried not speaking when answering and found that most of the calls were disconnected after about 10 seconds of silence on my part.
*None of these calls got through to me as I've 'Call Guardian' in the landline phone.

 

[Trackman]

but I tried not speaking when answering and found that most of the calls were disconnected after about 10 seconds of silence on my part.

This is the trick to use, if it's important they will announce themselves first.

 

[Bevan Price]

One of my neighbours, a retired headmistress in her 80s, took a call on her landline from a woman caller announcing she was "the energy consultant for the area", to which my neighbour replied "If you are, then I'm the Queen of Sheba" and hung up. She put a block on the number that called her.

I had another such call this morning. Told the woman "to take her scam somewhere else" and hung up.

 

[Leyland Bus]

I've had 2 text messages in the last 2 days telling me I need to pay my parking PCN charge. Link attached to the message ends .vip/pay. Both messages had different addresses with same ending

 

[MotCO]

I've had 2 text messages in the last 2 days telling me I need to pay my parking PCN charge. Link attached to the message ends .vip/pay. Both messages had different addresses with same ending

We must both have parked at the same place! My link had gov. at the start (to make it look official?), and ended .bond/pay. I wonder how they managed to link my car to my mobile number???

 

[pdeaves]

Two days running I have had a call from a genuine human (as opposed to recorded voice) purporting to be from some insurance company about my minor car accident. I've never had that one before. Both hung up before I finished enquiring if that was the accident where I killed myself. Both came up as (different) London phone numbers.

 

[Leyland Bus]

We must both have parked at the same place! My link had gov. at the start (to make it look official?), and ended .bond/pay. I wonder how they managed to link my car to my mobile number???

That was my first thought! Must be cheaper than sending letters these days

 

[McRhu]

I think the moral is... trust nobody. If somebody tries to shake your hand then assume they have a 25000 volt electric shock buzzer concealed in their palm. If your mother comes round to offer you a jar of pickle or some-such, assume it is an imposter in a rubber face mask and that your real mother is bound and gagged in a cellar with a bare electric light bulb swinging from the ceiling, etc. We live in uncertain times and even now your web cam may be transmitting your every move to the lizard people who will clone you at the drop of a hat.

 

[3141]

We've recently had two scams. One is a series of emails addressed to my wife from "the HR department" about this month's salary payment, or a salary increase. Just click on the button below.

The second was a phone call I received from a company called LAX, or possibly ELAX, based in Edinburgh. When I asked who they were he said they dealt in investment in fine art. I said that at the age of 86 I didn't want to invest in something that would be a long-term project and wasn't quickly realisable. The caller assured me they had art works that could be sold in just two days. I gave further reasons why I was not interested, but he carried on regardless. Finally I pointed out that I'd at least twice told him I wasn't interested, but he was programmed to ignore what I said and to continue with his sales script. I said we could both save our time by terminating the conversation. He got the message and we both said Goodbye.

In our previous house we received a great many scam calls. Here, with a new landline number, we've had very few. But I fear that someone may have sold our details to the scamworld.

 

[Steddenm]

Apparently Ireland mobiles are currently reviving a swathe of scam calls from UK +44 7×××× mobile numbers. My irish mobile has had at least four in the past few days. For numbers I don't recognise I use the AI auto answer feature on my Galaxy and they always hang up.

 

[styles]

Two days running I have had a call from a genuine human (as opposed to recorded voice) purporting to be from some insurance company about my minor car accident. I've never had that one before. Both hung up before I finished enquiring if that was the accident where I killed myself. Both came up as (different) London phone numbers.

I used to get those years ago. Back then I used to play along a bit. "Oh I must have amnesia from the crash.", etc. Then I realised I was wasting my own time as well as theirs.

 

[Halwynd]

We've recently had two scams. One is a series of emails addressed to my wife from "the HR department" about this month's salary payment, or a salary increase. Just click on the button below.

The second was a phone call I received from a company called LAX, or possibly ELAX, based in Edinburgh. When I asked who they were he said they dealt in investment in fine art. I said that at the age of 86 I didn't want to invest in something that would be a long-term project and wasn't quickly realisable. The caller assured me they had art works that could be sold in just two days. I gave further reasons why I was not interested, but he carried on regardless. Finally I pointed out that I'd at least twice told him I wasn't interested, but he was programmed to ignore what I said and to continue with his sales script. I said we could both save our time by terminating the conversation. He got the message and we both said Goodbye.

In our previous house we received a great many scam calls. Here, with a new landline number, we've had very few. But I fear that someone may have sold our details to the scamworld.

Be careful about giving out ANY personal information. Most of these calls are just looking for someone to bite, but some scammers look to target and profile people, and every fragment of data helps them.

Best advice is as soon as you detect a scam, or even an unsolicited sales call, just put the phone down.

 

[zero]

Be careful about giving out ANY personal information. Most of these calls are just looking for someone to bite, but some scammers look to target and profile people, and every fragment of data helps them.

Best advice is as soon as you detect a scam, or even an unsolicited sales call, just put the phone down.

Yes, and sometimes they want to record your voiceprint, which could be used to create fake videos to scam your acquaintances. Some services (such as the Australian Tax Office) use voice as biometric authentication, so even talking nonsense could be dangerous.

 

[_toommm_]

I had one today from 'Three' claiming my sim card would expire in three days (ironically), and they'd need to send me a new one. I played along, said my name was Jeff Bezos and gave my email as such.

They eventually tried to access my actual email address which was a bit of a shock as they didn't get it from me. Luckily I have 2FA on so I got notifications to say so and didn't accept them, but it was a little bit scary!

 

[styles]

I had one today from 'Three' claiming my sim card would expire in three days (ironically), and they'd need to send me a new one. I played along, said my name was Jeff Bezos and gave my email as such.

They eventually tried to access my actual email address which was a bit of a shock as they didn't get it from me. Luckily I have 2FA on so I got notifications to say so and didn't accept them, but it was a little bit scary!

Often they'll have enough pieces of information to make an attack likely, e.g. name, address and phone number so they can sound convincing, or phone number and email so they can try a password reset, etc.

The ones where they call up, don't know your name or any personal details beyond a phone number, and try and phish all the information out of you are surely less successful.

 

[snail]

Two days running I have had a call from a genuine human (as opposed to recorded voice) purporting to be from some insurance company about my minor car accident. I've never had that one before. Both hung up before I finished enquiring if that was the accident where I killed myself. Both came up as (different) London phone numbers.

I usually ask them which accident because I have so many (based on the number of scam calls)!