R2OK!

FleetingEileenM · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 5789 Location: Hampshire

I have heard about a local acquaintance who has been caught out by con men and has lost a great deal of money. I and I'm sure most of you know of the trick whereby the con man who has phoned you asks you to ring your bank, so you put the phone down and dial your bank's number but the con man has not put his receiver down and pretends to be your bank answering you.

There are some evil people around, as we all know, but these men are so plausible.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2863013/The-call-police-convincing-middle-class-intelligent-woman-handed-10-000-20-000-Rolex-strangers-victim-oh-plausible-con.html

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I have an account with Santander and currently people are receiving e mails requesting them to click on a link in order to verify their account in order not to have their on line accounts suspended

I received one last Sunday which in itself made me suspicious as why would any UK based bank be sending out customer e mails on a non working day

Sure enough when I checked I was told it was a scam so people please take note

Most of these scamming scum bags are based abroad - one of the great evils of this internet age Sad

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becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6851

Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

I've had numerous calls from 'Microsoft' in an Indian accent saying I have a problem so could I log on. Either I keep them waiting for several minutes until they hang up, or I simply tell them to ***k off.

And as for the numerous accidents I've had in the past two years....and the PPI miss selling...

Colin · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 916

FleetingEileenM · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 5789 Location: Hampshire

I wonder if money is ever retrieved in these circumstances? In the case about which I heard, one of the con men was caught.

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I have to confess that I was actually the victim of a large financial scam back in the late eighties which resulted in the loss of around £40000

However being a lawyer I was lucky enough to be selected by the prosecuting authorities back in those days to be the main prosecution witness and I spent almost ten weeks permanently living in a hotel in Southampton during which time I actually received more in expenses than the amount I had actually lost Smile

Of course part of that was for loss of earnings and had I not been there I would have been working and earning money but my office ran quite happily in my absence - most of my former staff would probably think it ran better Laughing

and so I came out of it quite well but thousands of others weren't so fortunate but at least we got the perpetrators of the scam put behind bars for a very decent stretch Smile

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nod · Joined: 24 Dec 2006 Posts: 3558

I always assume my bank will NEVER ring me and assume anyone else that does ring who I dont know is suspicious and tell them nothing, and if its WITHHELD, INTERNATIONAL or a number I dont know then DON'T ANSWER Very Happy

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

I'm the same Nod, our problem is that my elderly Dad's number is withheld so we always have to listen as I've told him always just to say his name as we don't answer unless we know the number or it looks like a 'proper one'.

We don't want to bar international calls as we have friends in Texas although their number does show up now and we take the time difference before wondering if it is them.

We get sometimes 6 a day and I'm getting to the stage that I feel like ripping the phone out of the wall, or even changing our phone number....... Rolling Eyes

H
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unclebuck · Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 278 Location: Warwickshire

It's becoming a huge problem.
Shame we have a government that doesn't want to upset their friends in the telecoms industry by requiring them to address it.

You might want to take a look at a device called Truecall or CPR.

Also, you can get a 'call screening' device that acts like an answering machine and asks the caller to press 5 if they are genuinely known to you (or whatever message you want to put on it). Only then does the device ring your home phones for you to answer.

http://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/phones-3/cpr-call-blocker-vs-truecall-call-blocker/

essexlady · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 348 Location: Essex

I have a relative who uses this service, unclebuck, but I don't understand how it works. What stops a caller pressing "5" regardless of whether or not they have been invited to call? Is there a screening once "5" is pressed?

nod · Joined: 24 Dec 2006 Posts: 3558

You can also get a device called CALLBLOCKER which you program to stop calls.

I agree with Helen its annoying if you have friends / relatives with WITHHELD / INTERNATIONAL. Rolling Eyes

I assume they will leave a message if important or ring our mobiles.

Colin · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 916

We only have our landline because of the broadband connection now, otherwise I'd junk it altogether. All family & friends phone calls are made between mobiles and/or Skype & Facetime these days. We're almost at a stage where the only incoming calls on the landline are spammers' calls.

unclebuck · Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 278 Location: Warwickshire

Minx · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:43 pm Post subject:

For several months now we've been plagued by calls from a company (or companies) that variously calls itself Renewable Energy, the Energy Care Initiative, Green Energy blah blah and is variously selling solar panels, new boilers, double glazing blah blah. They always start off by saying they're calling about a 'Government Initiative' so some people might actually think they're talking to government officials.

We're on the TPS, so we shouldn't be getting them, but when I get into an argument with them (as I frequently do) they tell me they were given my number by my energy supplier/must have ticked a box somewhere to get marketing info/have indicated that I'm interested in such products. One even told me that they bought a contact list with our number on it! I've contacted Ofcom on at least three occasion, but if you can't supply a contact number for the nuisance caller they're not interested.

I've even tried to get the company's contact details but they're very cagey and usually ring off when I persist, so they know they're breaking the law.

What really tees me off is that we're abroad a lot, and when we call home to pick up any messages on the answerphone we find the message box is stuffed end to end with the same or similar recorded messages, and people we do need to hear from haven't been able to contact us.

This week my husband answered the door to a man from one of these companies so they're obviously changing tactics now. The caller was fortunate it was my husband who went to the door ... Evil or Very Mad

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Minx

To err is human, to forgive - canine.

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

For a couple of weeks I kept hanging up on calls from companies saying they were calling on behalf of O2 and wanted to discuss my O2 contract blah blah blah

Must have been the eighth such call, when the chap spoke softly and explained better why he was calling, that the penny dropped and this really WAS a genuine call to get my O2 contract renewed Very Happy

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John W

Colin · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 916

nod · Joined: 24 Dec 2006 Posts: 3558

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6851

Colin · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 916

The trouble is that even if they're ignoring the fact that the database they've been told to use has a TPS flag against the entry they'll just ignore it if the call is originating from outside the UK.

TPS is an agreement made by the telemarketing operators, the Direct Marketing Association, BT and the regulator and as far as I know isn't legally binding even in the UK. Where there are legal constraints they come under the control of the Communications Act 2003 (re: nuisance calls) and the Data Protection Act 1998 (use of personal data), so even if a UK-based company is using offshore call centres to make calls they can still be prosecuted if calls are being made on their behalf that the recipient deems to be a nuisance or if they're availing themselves of personal contact data without the appropriate permissions.

When I get spam calls the first thing I ask them is the name of the company or organisation on whose behalf they're making the call using my info. If they can't give me a convincing answer then I either tell them to get stuffed or I play lengthy, time-wasting games with them.

Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

The current edition of Private Eye has a very good article (on page 36) on TPS which backs up Colin's comments above.

nod · Joined: 24 Dec 2006 Posts: 3558

unclebuck · Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 278 Location: Warwickshire

Much news today, much of it mis-reported, about the Government's actions to prevent nuisance cold-calls.......
Closer inspection reveals, that whilst much carefully spun noise is being generated about the steps needed to prevent these calls, the action being taken has been crafted with equal care to have almost no real effect.
Most nuisance calls originate overseas, in order to avoid UK regulations, and those that don't originate overseas soon will!

The Government was asked to force the telecoms companies to provide their customers with the means to block these calls - the technology is readily available already, but generally not deployed by them due to the potential loss of revenue.

Ah, the power of lobbying.