I have had several such calls recently from "bank security" - they never say which bank - always about a £99 item from Amazon, and a higher value (variable £) from Zoom or elsewhere. I always cut the call.
That's an interestingly specific scam, given that 99% of people who they call won't have taken a rail journey even close to the one they're describing and so I expect would immediately be suspicious.
At the same time, many people are so used to the incompetence of companies (not just train companies) that they might think the company is legit and have made an error and opportunistically feel they can fleece them for a few hundred quid. Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if they caught a few people with this.
And I suspect the other 1% will be entirely aware that travelling from Newquay to Brighton by changing in Gloucester and Stalybrige makes absolutely no sense.
Yes, I think that must be it.
I don't feel any sympathy for anyone like that getting caught be such an obvious scam.
I do. It's often vulnerable people who fall for such scams and they don't deserve it.
I see where you're coming from, but unless we're talking about people with cognitive issues then falling victim to this kind of scam fundamentally requires dishonesty on the part of the mark.
My mother in law has been scammed twice by someone pretending to be HMRC about a tax refund the first time, and DVLA saying her car tax is overdue the second time. She's not someone that you would naturally see as vulnerable or naive or anything. I think some people just go into autopilot a bit too easy sometimes.
My mum has thankfully still got all her mental faculties, lives alone, manages her own money, etc.
That's probably a good idea to suggest to my parents. They're also both of reasonably sound mind, but Dad is starting to have some issues, and while he's generally very good at saying "No thanks", that might help take the pressure out of any situations where he might be scammed.
Next thing a RINGO scammer will want to do is to take a photograph of only you
The above quote is from last November, after that it went quiet but I’ve started receiving the calls again, one yesterday lunchtime and one this morning. Anyone have any further information on these calls?
I've had something similar this week.
I wonder if its primed on more than one number to make you think it must be urgent that they ring straight back?
It might even be arranged to come from a non-identical number to circumvent the number the phone holder may have blocked, or to avoid alerts about repeat callers.
Network operators still seem unable or unwilling to filter out calls claiming to be from phone numbers that don't exist.
