Phone scam

[John Gowers]

My wife almost got caught out in a phone scam.
What the scammers do is phone you and tell you that you are due an upgrade. They said they were from Carphone warehouse where my wife got her O2 phone.
She was due an upgrade so thought it was all kosher. She gave them her bank details, stupid thing to do as O2 already have these details.

The scammers then set up a new account with O2 but for a far more expensive phone. Once you receive the phone the scammers call and say there was a mistake and could you send the phone back to an address they give you. You send the phone to them and they piss off with it and you are left with a bill for a brand-new high quality phone that you never wanted.


We called O2 direct and go it sorted also called the Police to inform them. Oh and my wife had cancelled her bank card.

The scam if it works gives the scammers a brand new phone and the scammed pays for it.

[Lancsman]

Neat trick, just trust no one on the phone, easier said than done though. Glad you got it sorted.

[Dartskipper]

It makes you wonder if those scammers ever worked for O2 if they knew some details of your wife's contract John.

Sainsbury's are having issues with their Nectar card apparently, card holders are finding that their points are being used in places they have never been. More "inside knowledge" perhaps?

There's a lot of scamming going on since the original lock down started.

Roy.

[Varley]

I had an attempted one this morning - from BT about illegal internet activity. Stupid really as BT don't operate here. I regret I was not rude enough for him to call again.

[John Gowers]

They said they were from the Carphone warehouse and were working from home so maybe got the info from there. To carry out the scam all they need to know is your phone number and phone provider. The phone number could be a random number and they just keep trying until they get one where the user is with O2, maybe.

I have also had the TV licence scam you get get an email then directed to the TV licencing web site or a carbon copy of it and they need your bank details. The give away was the web site address which looked very amateur.

[Makko]

One of the best sites to remind you is HSBC - even at the ATM, the default screen is to advise people of scams. Santander also have adverts anti-scam on the telly while you are waiting your turn.

Let's face it, if they are asking for something, it is usually a scam! Take care!

Rgds.
Dave

[Malcolm G]

UK cellphone numbers (and pagers) are specific to the service provider applicable when the number was first issued.
The leading numbers - 07*** are 'routing' numbers similar to area codes on landlines.
If you have a full cellphone number then you can easily look up the provider, but it does not work if someone has changed provider and retained their number.

[Varley]

They called again this morning (CLI 020 8491 7723 - can't be connected).

I took advantage of the repeat to correct my omission of yesterday and he got the full racist, sexist, criminalist mouthfull. CLIs broadcast to which legitimate return calls cannot be made are against ITU regulations. It would go some way towards prevention of nuisance to block or check before connection. My view is that a PSTN Service provider is complicit in completing such circuits to the called subscriber.

[John Gowers]

A few years ago I got a BT sentry phone for my land line it only allows calls that I have previously allowed or are in my contacts. If not it automatically goes to voice mail this appears to have stopped all nuisance calls. On my mobile phone I only answer if it shows one on my contacts. if not I bin it.

[Varley]

John, Why should the subscriber pay to avoid what his service provider should not do in the first place?

[John Gowers]

Dave its just a radio answer phone, has a base phone with two slave phones, and has the filter function it was not any dearer than another similar phone got it years ago there is no subscription, its the software in the phone that filters the calls.. I got the name wrong it is Guardian not Sentry. Think it was about £60 for the three phones, I thought it good value. But I do agree there are far two many spam/scam phone calls made nowadays which the service provider should be stopping coming through.

[martin]

Originally Posted by Varley

They called again this morning (CLI 020 8491 7723 - can't be connected).

I took advantage of the repeat to correct my omission of yesterday and he got the full racist, sexist, criminalist mouthfull. CLIs broadcast to which legitimate return calls cannot be made are against ITU regulations. It would go some way towards prevention of nuisance to block or check before connection. My view is that a PSTN Service provider is complicit in completing such circuits to the called subscriber.

What's a CLI broadcast? Thanks.

[lakercapt]

Have had several calls from the Visa centre to tell me there have been several transactions on my card and to speak to a representative press 1 if you did not authorize these.
Did so and strung the person along. Please give me the card number was the next question.
Gave them a number that was not in any way correct. Had them going for a while before I let them know I do not have a Visa card but an American Express card which I don't so will see what happens now !!

[rogd]

Get stuffed or go f*ck spiders is generally a good response.

[Varley]

CLI - Caller Line Identity. The code sent that allows you to see who is calling before you answer.

ITU (as I remember and abbreviate) allows anonymity with respect to the receiving subscriber but not to the PSTN. Numbers which are true or to which legitimate return call can be made (ie to same organisation as the caller but on another of their lines) are permitted but not ones that are misleading or fictitious.

[Phillthechill]

----apparently from Amazon telling me £900 would be taken from my bank account.

All I had to do to stop this 'with-drawel' was key-in a Code the voice gave me.

Unfortunately I couldn't tell the 'caller' 'to 'go f**k yourself', as I would have done if the 'caller' had been live. Phil

[Malcolm G]

The recorded messages are no fun - no one on the other end to wind up.
My last one was for a traansaction on my veezar caard.
Well it gave me a good laugh, but I don't think that was their intention.

[Varley]

#14. Why spiders? I find prescribing autoerotic colonic penetration is good for letting off steam. It is usually obvious that the caller is from parts East of here and so damnations encompassing the dermatological palette, off-horizontal orientation of the opthalmological long-axis and incomplete parenthood quite good for baiting the hook.

They are still difficult to catch but I have managed to be rude enough once for them to call again to accuse me of being very wrongly parented. Long distance from China must put quite cost on this sort of criminal there to go phishing.

[Farmer John]

I did tell one gentleman that I had had carnal knowledge of his sister, he completely lost it. Funny standards really.

[Phillthechill]

Phone rang and, as it was an 020 number, I answered it.

An 'Oriental' female told me my computer had been badly 'invaded' but, as a Microsoft subsidiary, she would fix it.

All I had to do was key-in the directions she would give me.

I told her "to go forth and multiply". Phil

[Skerries]

It must be age...... keep being asked over the phone if I have made any funeral arrangements. Is this some kind of psychic medium trying to tell me something..... don't think so!
Politely floored the last young (possibly) lady when she asked me if I had made any funeral arrangements. I asked her what arrangements she had made...... no response and she hung up. Result!

[FG86]

During my police days I particularly enjoyed fraud enquiries, one case involved a load of uk wide boys selling Rare earth metals to investors, it was particularly satisfying interviewing them, as their story fell apart and they realised that we had all the computer and phone records to prove their greed and deceptions. For once we manged to get many hundreds of thousands of pounds back for the victims. Interestingly all the victims were established city investors who had their details stolen by a broker who left an investment company taking the client list. All the victims were taken in by patter and fancy brochures and unfortunately in the cold light of day, were offered a deal that seemed too good to be true. Re phone scams, I generally chat and string them along for as long as possible, a good line to throw them is " do you have any children? They must be so proud of their dad stealing money from vulnerable people" this usually ends the call !!

[Engine Serang]

In your day you could take a suspect into the cells and give them a bloody good thumping but nowadays scum and dross apparently have "Rights" and must be treated with respect. Is it not better that 100 thugs be given a good hiding than 1 citizen be scammed, intimidated or abused. Its about time the pendulum started swinging to the right, I'm fed up to the back teeth of the liberal bleeding heart brigade.

[Varley]

Come, come E-S. They are not all rogues or hail one with 'hey, mate' (perhaps that is a privilege reserved for the Sergeantcy). 'If'. If one is certain they are thugs and the hiding is a properly delivered sentence then who could argue but Skerries got some money back - that is, indeed, style. But perhaps with E-S I would have liked them to lose a hand or, better, the ability to breed. Do the camel appreciating tribes take a hand for this sort of theft I wonder. Not all that is Sharia is bad (it would have to be a debit card of course).

(Banks guaranteeing the return of certain scammed amounts is merely marketing - the scammers still get to keep the ill gotten gains).

Twice this week I have been asked for card details over the telephone . I refuse and do my best to explain that to do so puts the receiver in the frame should any fraud associated with my card occur. I hope they do not think that I am impugning their honesty but I count this sort of transaction as elementary stupidity - when I 'did' Facebook I was daily horrified by the number of people posting (sometimes full) details of found cards. Might as well post a sign in M&S window "Here I am, if you've been defrauded interim it could be me". This I class as more advanced stupidity.

[Rod Matheson]

I had one the other morning from 'BT'.....very Asian sounding male called Jason!.........said they had noticed my internet was very slow, and that I could upgrade, for £300....I strung him along for about 10 minutes, then told him that A, I dont have internet...B, I worked for BT....and that he was a money grabbing scamming b*stard...click, the phone went dead.