👮 Scam phone calls and texts

[smurfomatic]

Just had yet another one wanting to review my life insurance. They were floored when I told them my current premium was £500/month as I'd just married a beautiful young woman (I can't believe she agreed to marry an old duffer like me!) and that she had told me that it was very important that we make sure that the other will be provided for should we pass on.

 

You'll need good life insurance, with all those adventure holidays you have planned - off piste skiing, kayaking down white water rivers, bungee jumping...

[elsiegee40]

Just had a text from a number I don’t recognise with a link that I am sure as heck not going to open! Weird spam!

[6Foot2]

Just had a text from a number I don’t recognise with a link that I am sure as heck not going to open! Weird spam!

[ATTACH]68354[/ATTACH]

 

In case anyone is curious, I used a URL expander which gave me a thumbnail preview of the website without risking going to the website myself.

 

 

[Davit2005]

I don't often get scam calls but I had one claiming to be from PC World Currys the other day. Call did not last long.

[elsiegee40]

Today’s scam phone call was allegedly from Amazon. A recorded voice saying that they had detected abnormal use of my credit card and to press 1 to get it sorted out. I didn’t.

 

And an iMessage about a savings account. Sadly, I don’t have US$1.5 million in savings… and still don’t. Reported as junk

[Davit2005]

Call claiming to be from o2 yesterday offering 30% off bill, a well known scam.

 

Said "No thanks goodbye" but he then went on to say this is very important to which I said "I said goodbye" and hung up. Call showed from Wales area but an ip phone provider by the looks of it and were a number of reports yesterday from same number for different scams.

[LeMarchand]

I'm beginning to think I'm under-insured, judging by the "savings" I'm told I could make. The last number apparently also belongs to EE and Virgin: https://who-calls.me.uk/phone/01745284026

[Sonic007]

Getting a lot of WhatsApp messages along the lines of "Hi Jenny, This is Naomi. Please pick me up at 5pm from the train station".

 

You then reply (or shouldn't, I just like to see where it goes!) saying wrong number and they say "you seem nice" and start chatting about random things whilst dropping hints that they are going shopping as they've made millions on whatever crypto bank is the latest trend. They then try to get you interested and into opening accounts, making deposits etc.

 

I assume it will be a bot doing most of the messages.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Sonic007

[Rob_D]

Getting a lot of WhatsApp messages along the lines of "Hi Jenny, This is Naomi. Please pick me up at 5pm from the train station".

You then reply (or shouldn't, I just like to see where it goes!) saying wrong number and they say "you seem nice" and start chatting about random things whilst dropping hints that they are going shopping as they've made millions on whatever crypto bank is the latest trend. They then try to get you interested and into opening accounts, making deposits etc.

I assume it will be a bot doing most of the messages.

 

I wonder what happens if you show up at local station at 5?

[Sonic007]

I wonder what happens if you show up at local station at 5?

 

 

Probably kidnapped and your family blackmailed for 5000 Bit Coins.

[LeMarchand]

Had one earlier in the week from "EE" spoofing the number of a Turkish Restaurant in Ilford. If I'd had time I would have kept trying to order a kebab etc. "No mate, I don't need a new phone, I want a large doner with..."

[Garacesh]

Had one earlier in the week from "EE" spoofing the number of a Turkish Restaurant in Ilford. If I'd had time I would have kept trying to order a kebab etc. "No mate, I don't need a new phone, I want a large doner with..."

 

I had one from "T-Mobile", spoofing 0141 643 9716, which is a post office travel money number.

Seems they're ramping it up before CLI spoofing is killed off?

[LeMarchand]

I had one from "T-Mobile", spoofing 0141 643 9716, which is a post office travel money number.

Seems they're ramping it up before CLI spoofing is killed off?

 

They must be. Had an Italian Restaurant today that I didn't have time to answer.

[6Foot2]

I just had a call from 020 30385816.

 

Caller: Good afternoon, hope you are well. This is O2, your provider...

Me. I'm fine, but you are not my provider. Bye.

Caller: ... (Although they were replying, they went unheard because I hung up)

 

Number reported and blocked.

 

Edit: Just had another call from "O2" [020 80581670]

 

Caller: Good afternoon, how are you?

Me: I'm fine...

Caller: Well, we are calling you today because you are a loyal O2 customer, and we want to offer you a discount on your monthly bill.

Me: If I'm a loyal customer of yours, what's my name?

Caller: ... (click!)

 

Number reported and blocked.

 

Looking at the STD, I guess you might say that they were actually calling from O2...

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by 6Foot2

[mikeprice]

I just had a call from 020 30385816.

 

Caller: Good afternoon, hope you are well. This is O2, your provider...

Me. I'm fine, but you are not my provider. Bye.

Caller: ... (Although they were replying, they went unheard because I hung up)

 

Number reported and blocked.

 

Edit: Just had another call from "O2" [020 80581670]

 

Caller: Good afternoon, how are you?

Me: I'm fine...

Caller: Well, we are calling you today because you are a loyal O2 customer, and we want to offer you a discount on your monthly bill.

Me: If I'm a loyal customer of yours, what's my name?

Caller: ... (click!)

 

Number reported and blocked.

 

Looking at the STD, I guess you might say that they were actually calling from O2...

 

 

 

All that just to justify a really bad jokes!!!!!

[6Foot2]

All that just to justify a really bad jokes!!!!!

 

Just to clear that up: This did happen. The bad joke was tagged on the end.

 

[mikeprice]

Article from the BBC shows just how far some scam "companies" will go

 

never seen it this bad in the UK - but I'm sure there have been individual cases leading to similar results

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66964510

[MartinT]

never seen it this bad in the UK - but I'm sure there have been individual cases leading to similar results

 

It's also worth watching Jim Browning on YouTube, who exposes scams mostly coming from India.

 

https://www.youtube.com/@JimBrowning

[6Foot2]

I just had a call from 020 30385816.

 

Caller: Good afternoon, hope you are well. This is O2, your provider...

Me. I'm fine, but you are not my provider. Bye.

Caller: ... (Although they were replying, they went unheard because I hung up)

 

Number reported and blocked.

 

Edit: Just had another call from "O2" [020 80581670]

 

Caller: Good afternoon, how are you?

Me: I'm fine...

Caller: Well, we are calling you today because you are a loyal O2 customer, and we want to offer you a discount on your monthly bill.

Me: If I'm a loyal customer of yours, what's my name?

Caller: ... (click!)

 

Number reported and blocked...

 

Just had another call from "O2"

 

The number this time: 028 21301904.

 

The patter:

 

Caller: Hello sir. As a valued customer of O2 who pays their bills on time, we would like to offer you a discount on your monthly bill.

 

I asked (again) if they knew my name, the line went quiet, and then it went dead.

 

Number reported and blocked.

[mikeprice]

I presume this was an attempted scam but I have not seen it before

 

I got a text message yesterday which just said "Hello"

 

possibly just looking for active numbers - but worth mentioning just in case

[6Foot2]

Another call from "O2" just now.

 

This time they said that they were losing customers and because of this they were willing to offer me a discount on my bill.

 

They sent a text message to my phone: "Here is your code. Please enter the code to continue registering your O2 account. If you did not authorise [sic]this, please contact O2."

 

When I asked them to confirm my name, they "searched their system" and replied with "Your name is just wasting my time." The line then went dead.

 

Edit: The number was: 01992 665825. Number reported and blocked.

 

Also: Sent a text message to 85095 [Telephone Preference Service] The text message was: "TPS" and my E-Mail address.

 

The Telephone Preference Service replied with the following information:

 

Thank you for registering your number with the TPS, if you would like more information or want to register other phone numbers please go to Telephone Preference Service

Edited October 19, 2023 by 6Foot2

[LeMarchand]

Mine are always "EE" (not who I'm with). The last one was willing to knock my "unlimited everything" tarriff down from the £5 I claimed it was to £2.75.

[Oaktech]

I've had a few personal injury claims calls recently.

 

The thing that's weirding me out is they are stating a specific injury on a specific date, about 3 years ago, that I did go to A&E for. It was however an incident that was completely self inflicted, nobody else was affected, present or responsible... And no I wasn't inebriated!

 

It was just a minor eye injury related to gardening, it's not like it's anything particularly personal or sensitive - but I'm a bit concerned where they have got that information from? I didn't mention it on social media.

[LeMarchand]

I've had a few personal injury claims calls recently.

 

The thing that's weirding me out is they are stating a specific injury on a specific date, about 3 years ago, that I did go to A&E for. It was however an incident that was completely self inflicted, nobody else was affected, present or responsible... And no I wasn't inebriated!

 

It was just a minor eye injury related to gardening, it's not like it's anything particularly personal or sensitive - but I'm a bit concerned where they have got that information from? I didn't mention it on social media.

 

I'm pretty sure that it's fairly easily explainable, but doing so would take us on to topics that may not be discussed.

[6Foot2]

I've had a few personal injury claims calls recently.

 

The thing that's weirding me out is they are stating a specific injury on a specific date, about 3 years ago, that I did go to A&E for. It was however an incident that was completely self inflicted, nobody else was affected, present or responsible... And no I wasn't inebriated!

 

It was just a minor eye injury related to gardening, it's not like it's anything particularly personal or sensitive - but I'm a bit concerned where they have got that information from? I didn't mention it on social media.

 

The personal injury ambulance chasers who were calling me after I was rear-ended were very insistent, even though I expressed no interest whatsoever because I wasn't injured and nor were my passengers.

 

We did pursue cases in the end, hoping that the calls would end. However, even after all five cases were settled to the satisfaction of all parties, calls kept coming for years afterward.

 

What a rotten system.