Just a heads up re yet another scam telephone call 🙄. Many of you may have had this or a similar call but for those of you who haven’t please be aware ! I just received a call from a lady speaking very poor English , she didn’t say which company she was calling from ( first red flag ) but said that my boiler maintenance plan ( I do have one) was being reduced in price for twelve months - I decide to carry on listening. The new reduced cost will cover call outs to boiler repairs and radiators ( 2nd red flag because I’m only covered for the boiler ) She then reads out my address and postcode and asks me to confirm - I do , they already have that info 🤷🏻♀️ but then asks for my date of birth at which point I tell her that she needs to contact me by post if she needs any of my personal details and end the call . This to me is obviously an identity scam , with enough info they can access all manner of accounts etc . Starting the conversation by offering reductions on services you already have is a good ploy to get you hooked so please be careful- if in doubt ask them to contact you by post
Identity Scam : Just a heads up re yet... - Lung Conditions C...
Identity Scam
Thanks for the heads up. Despicable people 😖
Thats dreadful Val, thanks for letting us know. Xxx❤️
Thanks for the warning. xxx
I had very similar. Hello SIR? I am calling about your boiler, First of all can YOU CONFIRM YOUR NAME?? ANDis your address Blah Blah BLAH.... Yes
Great all I nee now is your bank details at which point I said you already have that The she said well I have to confirm these details , YOU already have them.
She was persistent.. and so was I,,,,Eventually the phone call went dead I think she was exasperated talking to an old HUSTLER, OR is that Rustler 😆
Thank you for the warning👍. Cruel people!🙁 xxx
Hi All, A word of warning, if you have a telephone call and the caller asks you to confirm any personal information it means they do not have that info and are fishing, I, either ask them to tell me what they have or give completely made up information, and wait for the reply,
i quite accidentally when my partner died i transferred the account to my name and somewhere along the way i became ex directory .
I i have left this b ecause i do not get scam calls
BUT unfortunately i do have hackers living on my router who lived next door and repeatly tried all the local calls on tp link and found access to mine . cannot get rid of them . there are two characters one week i have a very polite considerate one who lets me use the connection whemn asked the other is not a nice persson and repeated ly denied me access and interfered with how i recievred things . the s econd on went on holiday back to wherever he came from for three weeks at christmas as i had no problems then until he returned
they even set up a network with my computer on network of its own . that week they used 10 gb and i used 523 mb . then i was piut on parental control . the screen actually said this but no one believes me as i didnt get aphoto of it. all true . Not imagining it . have one friend who believes it but the phone is through the router too and can be heard . they know who has come to help and who is safe to ignore . those who help are blocked on my mobile too my food shopper , my cleaner and onr friend who worked for age concern and did a blue badge application for me
wow that sounds bad ! Can your broadband or landline provider not do something about it ? Failing that I’d go to the police , I really wouldn’t feel safe On the plus side it’s good that you don’t get scam calls , I’ve been x directory for forty years plus and also have Call Protect which supposedly sends bogus calls straight to voicemail but and I still get them occasionally. The trouble is these scammers and hackers are so sophisticated these days they manage to bypass all the restrictions 🤷🏻♀️ Do try to get your problem sorted out it sounds very worrying xx
If they are on your router speak with your provider about getting a new router with a different password, if they dont want to do this then I would change my provider. I would also get a professional to clear them off your computer and put safeguards in, you cannot live with this, if nothing else please contact the fraud helpline x
Best way ! I usually put the phone down within seconds but I posted about this one because I thought it was quite clever , although being the most suspicious person on the planet I was on high alert right from the start 😂
I don't answer my phone if it is not a number I have registered. I let it go to voice mail. If it is legit they will leave a message if not they don't bother. Then when they can't reach me they send snail mail. We had our number removed from the phone book too. I also asked Google Street view not to display my property. So noone can Google my address and see my property. It is a bit of a fiasco but it has been worth it. xx 🙄
Thank you so much for your post- my hubby who does understand these things is currently overseas and I don't have a clue about internet etc.I tend not to answer the land line even though we are ex directory....
I get these often. Usually saying my TV or ,washing machine cover is expiring and to renew. When I ask them what make my washing machine is always get wrong answer. Same as you always someone with poor English accent. It's funny as they hang up when I tell them wrong answer lol. I NEVER give any personal details over the phone to anyone. When I see the programme on TV and these people have handed over thousands of pounds to someone they have met on dating site. Men and women who are usually old believing these young beautiful looking young girls are interested in marrying them, always from foreign Countries. I really have no sympathy xxSheila 👍💕
I agree Sheila I’ve seen those programs and think it beggars believe how stupid these people are but my daughter says they must be very lonely ( and I must admit most of the older women have lost their husbands ) I’ve never been that lonely and can’t imagine ever falling for those scams but I suppose some people cope better than others 🤷🏻♀️
I really am baffled why,anyone would keep sending money over years. Never met person .they have stolen photos off social media so dont even look like that.I know people are lonely but I still have no sympathy. Why they believe all the ridiculous stories they are told to get cash These people have families but never tell them so must know it isnt normal.😱😱 xxSheila 👍💕
When I get one of these calls, I exaggerate my old ladyness and say, ‘Sorry dear, I won’t remember what you say so let me get a pen and pencil.’ Then I go away, leaving them waiting until they get fed up and hang up.
It’s a bit childish, but very satisfying 😆
I am also perpetually pestered with scam phone calls. I have a friend who always answers them by saying ‘ Young man I would like to know whether you have let Jesus Christ into your life’. For some reason they tend to ring off!
These are common features of almost all cold scam calls: “We can save you money on your xxxxx bill”.
But from the word Go you know they’re dishonest because, of course, there is no way a cold caller can know what your bill is. No need to entertain them any further; stop the call and save time.
I have a whistle by my phone now x
thanks. Scam calls are really worrying! They can be so sophisticated. We had one recently about someone accessing our internet. I listened but they hung up when I said I didn’t have a mobile. There are so many cold callers ringing about smart meters too. We keep saying we don’t want one and our energy providers say we’re on an opted out list, but they keep coming. It worries me for frail and isolated people who are just glad the phone rings. So easy to give out too much information especially about vulnerabilities, living alone etc.
This was my worry , I’m a carer but my husband who is so poorly could be confused and taken in. I’ve removed the phone from his room but my heart goes out to anyone in his position living alone 🥲
same here. My extrovert hubby, not tech savvy either, is lonely through ill health and is excited talking to anyone and will chat away before thinking if it’s a scam call..
I do have fun with those ‘have you had an accident calls’ tho and go on and on making up fake ever more extraordinary accidents suffered until they catch on I’m taking the p*ss..😁
My daughters father in law had one when they asked the question he said in a raised voice “ Have I had an accident ?? Have I had an accident!! I’m sat here encased in plaster , skydiving and chute failed to open ! ! “ Apparently he managed to keep them in conversation for quite awhile 🤣
thank you best answer is you have got my email address forward all that on please if I want to waste their time when they say next thing I need to do I say next thing I need to do is phone the fraud squad that gets rid of them xx
I've had many of those over the years but know that my appliances are so old that no genuine warranty firms would touch them.
I got a whistle when i got a scam phone call i blew hard they never phoned me again. lol
It's shocking isn't it x
It’s terrible number of scam calls we get. I usually ring off when certain not a genuine call, within first few words. I’m now getting fewer calls, so hope my technic is working. Best luck, Jean x
I can’t ignore calls because those from the hospital, district nurses , respiratory team etc show on the caller display as unknown number and nurses will sometimes ring from their mobiles 🤷🏻♀️ Also I’ve had calls showing the local dialling code that have been scams , apparently they can now clone dialling codes 🥴😡
Hello Catsgirl. 😃 Chom is well thank you currently chewing on a treat!! I can only hope Chom will live as long and be as healthy as your Baby. 😍
Many thanks for this. I went to an Age UK event on scams this week, which underlined the importance of never giving out your date of birth or any details they ask for. Asking for postal contact is a brilliant ploy on your part.
My late Mum was brilliant with unsolicited phone calls. They often started with "How are you today?". Mum always responded with "Thank you. I'm so glad you asked me that." She proceeded to go into great detail with every aspect of her health from head to toe. They couldn't wait to get off the phone!
For those of us with less time and patience, best thing is to simply hang up.
Really?!? I've been told 12 ish. 😔
I answer them always:"My husband is better with those things than myself. I will ask him to ring you back. But I don't know yet when this is gonna be, because he has just been arrested for killing a scammer"
😄