👮 Scam phone calls and texts

[6Foot2]

5Foot2 missed a call on her phone this morning and the caller left a message. Call from: 0203 4781233

 

'American' computer generated voice:

 

This is the local courthouse. Call us back on 0203 4781233 that's 0203 4781233.

 

Call ends.

 

Hmm. Doesn't SOUND local...

 

[Andrew_C]

Isn't it about time the phone companies did some "due diligence" when issuing phone lines / numbers?

[Davit2005]

Isn't it about time the phone companies did some "due diligence" when issuing phone lines / numbers?

 

I heard there was talk of something but for the life of me cannot remember what. That and the actual authorities in certain countries taking action which seems to be a sticking point.

[Davit2005]

Huh.

 

I'm guessing those are capital I's?

 

The tracking number never worked, I've tried iterations of the link on an isolated VM with a seperate 4G internet connection with i 's but cannot seem to get the link apart from the official page

 

 

Dubious, I don't think I am expecting anything.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Davit2005

[6Foot2]

Mrs mikeprice had a phone call earlier

apparently THE NCA are wanting to talk to her because her NI number has been used for suspicious purposes

 

OK - so far so just another one of those calls - press 1 to talk to etc etc etc

 

but she says that when she tried to hang up it wouldn't let her

 

I have never seen that before - anyone else heard of it????

 

Just had this call this morning.

 

5Foot2 had a good laugh at the thought of my national insurance number being found in 'suspicious circumstances'

 

[Garacesh]

Illegal use of my NI number again! Oh no! This is time-sensitive and if I didn't press 1 to speak to somebody, I would be arrested and have my assets seized!

 

This time, from a mobile number though. 07868 026760

I'm not mega clued up on VOIP services, but that's the first time I've seen it come from a mobile number. Could be 'legit', they've actually bought sim cards, I guess it doesn't really matter in the long run though.

[LeMarchand]

Must be the new thing, I had the same call from "HMRC" from two different mobile numbers within a couple of hours yesterday. Reported both to them.

[Garacesh]

I mean, you know it's bad when Ofcom themselves are telling the public to straight-up not trust Caller ID.

Allegedly they're working on a fix for number spoofing, though that won't help all that much as most scam calls aren't spoofed, they're just easily-disposable rented numbers.

Personally I've only ever seen HMRC's number get spoofed (though I hear about it happening for banks, too), all the other calls have been generic number. Most of them aren't even withheld.

[LeMarchand]

Just had another! 3 for your block lists (not sure if it makes any difference): 07775 121356, 07878 888180, 07728 857387.

[Garacesh]

Just had another! 3 for your block lists (not sure if it makes any difference): 07775 121356, 07878 888180, 07728 857387.

 

Huh, I was about to say "It looks like they've bought out a block of 07868 026xxx, as I just got another from 07868 026325" but I guess not

Going hard on this today, aren't they? Geez..

[paulkerton]

There is a lot of number spoofing going on

I keep getting calls from numbers that are near identical to mine. They don't have those numbers, they are spoofing similar numbers to try and covince you to answer a number that is "local" to you.

 

Because whilst these scammers are clever in some ways, they're also massive idiots in other ways.

[mikeprice]

Had one a few days ago which was very close to my own number

 

 

so 'clearly' a real mobile

 

except that - if you have a system that can spoof numbers - why not just take the number you are ringing and make it similar to the one you pretend to ring from

 

 

kinda an obvious way forward

 

 

and why in the name of $deity the phone companies to be allowed to do this is a mystery

 

I mean - it is not like it is a new concept!!!

[Garacesh]

and why in the name of $deity the phone companies to be allowed to do this is a mystery

 

They're not technically 'allowed' iirc, it's just a flaw with the system.

Allegedly (see bbc new link I posted above) there's a plan to stamp it out, but I can't predict how much it will help as the majority of these calls come out of New Delhi or Kolkata, and I don't know enough about phones to know if any changes here will affect calls coming from elsewhere.

[mikeprice]

Apparently I had a phone call at just after 13:30 today

 

never heard it

 

anyway - turns out the number is very similar to my number

 

all of the first 7 digits are the same - followed by 4 more that are different

 

which makes it look like it could well be a real person - maybe

 

but this happened once before

and numbers can be spoofed

 

 

So - I was wonder ing if anyone else has seen this

 

it would make sense to spoof the number as $firstsevenofthenumberyouarecallin&4randomnumbers

if you wanted to get people to think it was real

 

but then if people try to ring back - they would have to have that number - so probably not

 

 

anyway - anyone else seen this??

[Ketlane]

Yes, had a call from a number close to my mobile number. Looks like a Cunning Plan by the scammers. Didn't succeed.

[mikeprice]

not sure what they are trying

 

are they trying to get you to ring back - if so they need to own the number (probably????)

 

or was it just coincidence that I didn't hear it and look at the number??

 

dunno so far

[paulkerton]

Apparently I had a phone call at just after 13:30 today

 

never heard it

 

anyway - turns out the number is very similar to my number

 

all of the first 7 digits are the same - followed by 4 more that are different

 

which makes it look like it could well be a real person - maybe

 

but this happened once before

and numbers can be spoofed

 

 

So - I was wonder ing if anyone else has seen this

 

it would make sense to spoof the number as $firstsevenofthenumberyouarecallin&4randomnumbers

if you wanted to get people to think it was real

 

but then if people try to ring back - they would have to have that number - so probably not

 

 

anyway - anyone else seen this??

 

Yes. This is done by Indian call scamming centres, as they are automating the whole process. They don't seem to realise mobile phones are not localised, so they are spoofing the numbers in the hope that you go "oh its local to me, must be legit" when in fact when it comes to mobile it's "oh that number is almost identical to mine, must be a scam"

[bald_pig]

Yes. This is done by Indian call scamming centres, as they are automating the whole process. They don't seem to realise mobile phones are not localised, so they are spoofing the numbers in the hope that you go "oh its local to me, must be legit" when in fact when it comes to mobile it's "oh that number is almost identical to mine, must be a scam"

 

Mobiles are localised in the US, that's as far as they got when researching it!

[Garacesh]

Mobiles are localised in the US, that's as far as they got when researching it!

 

Huh, did not know that. Interesting.

 

But yes, to parrot what's already been said, I, too, have had the same. Numbers (undoubtedly spoofed to be) similar to my own warning me that my NI No has been used fraudulently and the ol' bill will be coming to pick me up if I don't press 1 to speak to an advi- *hangs up*

 

So far I've managed to evade the fuzz rather well. I can only assume this is because of social distancing. Once this pandemic's over I'll no doubt be in the slammer

[mikeprice]

Had one yesterday from xxx at Virgin Media

 

hmmm - well I do have broadband from them but still dubious

 

he did have my name - which is a start

 

So I decided to be polite and apologised but asked him to give me some evidence that he was from VM

He said he could do that - e.g. he said he works in Reading

as in Read (as in reading a book) followed by ing

Hmmm - don;t think anyone from there would say it like that - a scam call centre in a foreign country - quite possibly!

So I mentioned that he doesn;t seem to know how to pronounce the place he works - apparently that is reasonable because he only works there???

 

SO I asked for something else - fine - he gave me their telephone number and said I could check it on their web site

seemed to think I was being unreasonable still being suspicious after this proof

 

but when I insisted he said he could prove it beyond doubt

all I had to do was

Start Google Chrome

then type in TeamViewer

 

OK - now your a scammer - 100%!!!

 

I told him I know what Teamviewer is and that it could give him access to my computer - and how would that help???

 

Soon after that he told me off for wasting his time when he was only trying to sort out my internet problems

and hung up

 

 

What gets me is why they sometime INSIST that they are really really what they say they are and are really trying to help you

and carry on doing so even when you have called them out and clearly are not going to do what they want???

 

Mrs mikeprice wondered if they actually are told that they are REALLY working for VM (or whoever) and what they are doing is genuine???

 

seems possible in some cases - not so much in others

[paulkerton]

Mrs mikeprice wondered if they actually are told that they are REALLY working for VM (or whoever) and what they are doing is genuine???

 

seems possible in some cases - not so much in others

Almost certainly not. They are smart enough to know how to cripple people's computers and ask for money to fix them. That's what they usually get up to.

[bald_pig]

Almost certainly not. They are smart enough to know how to cripple people's computers and ask for money to fix them. That's what they usually get up to.

 

A lot of them have separate technicians, and the people placing the calls just pass victims on, so it wouldn't surprise me if some people are hired under false pretences and don't know they are involved in a scam.

[Andrew_C]

f some people are hired under false pretences and don't know they are involved in a scam.

So it is unfair of me to tell them to "go away and do something biologically impossible"?

[paulkerton]

A lot of them have separate technicians, and the people placing the calls just pass victims on, so it wouldn't surprise me if some people are hired under false pretences and don't know they are involved in a scam.

If someone says "Let me connect with Teamviewer" they know EXACTLY what they're doing.

[MartinT]

A lot of them have separate technicians, and the people placing the calls just pass victims on, so it wouldn't surprise me if some people are hired under false pretences and don't know they are involved in a scam.

 

That fails the intelligence test for me, and in no way relieves them of being scammers or criminals.