👮 Scam phone calls and texts

[David44]

@Davit2005

 

What is wrong with the effs in that text message?

I assume some kind of encoding issue but why would it only happen with effs?

Do your other text messages show the same issue?

[sigma]

Constant daily phone calls here (home) from fake BT. 

[Ditto]

I meet effing problems almost everyday 🙃

[Davit2005]

28 minutes ago, David44 said:

@Davit2005

 

What is wrong with the effs in that text message?

I assume some kind of encoding issue but why would it only happen with effs?

Do your other text messages show the same issue?

I noticed that too. Nope all other messages fine, lol

 

[6Foot2]

This just popped up on 5Foot2's phone:

 

 

Interesting, as she doesn't have McAfee installed.

[sigma]

"Michael"  booked his skiing holday to Tignes for Feb, and gave my mobile number as his contact no.

 

For a week I was getting seemingly constant texts from CrystalSki and Tui urgng me to download the app.

Telling me what my booking reference was,

Telling me the flight was delayed

Telling me where to go when I got to Chambery.

Inviting me to Drinks and other holday rep events,

The lifts were closed for a coule of days becayse of avalanch risk.

A text phishing to handle my delayed flight claim.

The return flight was also delayed

Another phishing text about claiming for the delayed flight.

etc etc

 

It was impossible to contact the tour operator, and when I did manage, the texts continued.

 

[6Foot2]

I have been called three times today with the news that my "sim card will be blocked in two days"

 

I have been trying to make the call last as long as possible without giving out any details.

 

The last caller got a bit shirty, saying, "You're wasting my time!" before cutting me off when she realised she wasn't getting anywhere.

 

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to say, "You called me!"

[mikes]

yeah I must admit I like trying to do that as well, make them think they have a bite then something goes wrong.  Some say it's not a good thing to do if it makes them aware that my number is live, but hopefully it might make them put me on an "unreliable" list as I don't really get that many scam calls any more.

 

Few years ago I had a call from one of the Cialis scammers and had low battery at the time, I played interested but said my battery was low I need to charge it.  My phone died on the call so I plugged it in to charge and went out.  Came back 2 hours later to over 20 missed calls.  The guy was ringing me every 15 mins or so, and tried 30+ times for a few days later.  I regret not answering later and stringing him along more but if he was that desperate they can't be getting that many bites?

 

Had the usual WhatsApp pig butcher  from a pretty young asian girl very interested in my life and what I like to cook etc. Almost certain these are bots now. 

 

But recently I am getting random mobile phone or landline calls, from random numbers (e.g. O2 mobile number) that don't show up on a search. Or the odd random landline.  So I presume they can be spoofed as I answered one to get an automated message in Chinese. 

 

And a year ago I answered one to hear a live British woman (not a bot) asking me about my recent accident. I said I hadn't had one (hadn't had an accident in a long time) and she sounded a bit confused and annoyed and hung up. But this definitely sounded like a legit British employee otherwise they have very advanced accent changers.

 

That McAfee one is quite scary on the surface, I guess you wouldn't really think - why a scammer would need access to hear what I'm saying to get access to my bank account, unless I'm saying my login details out loud - but the thought of being wiretapped and having someone listening in on you does bring up something viscerally frightening in you, I can see it being very effective

[enjay]

On 18/07/2026 at 14:01, mikes said:

yeah I must admit I like trying to do that as well, make them think they have a bite then something goes wrong.  Some say it's not a good thing to do if it makes them aware that my number is live, but hopefully it might make them put me on an "unreliable" list as I don't really get that many scam calls any more.

 

The longer you keep them on the phone, the more of your voice you give them so they can synthesise it and make deep fake calls and videos which sound convincingly like you - https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk

[6Foot2]

I have changed the settings on my phone. It will now block those calls it nominates as "Supsected Spam"

 

I got a call today from 07391 58940. It was "Daniel" from "O2"

 

Because I have now changed my approach to these calls, as soon as I heard that "Daniel" was from "O2" that gave me the info I needed to hang up.

 

The new setting on my phone blocked three calls to me today, all arriving in the same minute from different numbers (at 11:44)

 

Those numbers:

 

0161 949 1277

0118 417 3057

0121 529 7754