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Police Warning
Below are details of a scam currently going the rounds. The police have requested that as many people are alerted as possible.
Unfortunately it is a genuine scam. Police Report. The reason this is working so well is it plays on your good will! Picture the scene:- You are sitting at home and there is a knock at the door. On answering it you are confronted by a respectable looking woman in a suit, who is slightly distressed. She explains that her car has broken down further down the road and she needs to contact her husband to come to her aid. Is it at all possible to use your phone to call him? You allow her to use the phone, but being the suspicious type you stand with her as she makes the call. She dials the number, and asks to be put through to Mr Smith / Brown / Stevens (Whatever). She holds the line for about thirty seconds. She continues, "In that case can you ask him to leave the meeting for a minute I need to speak to him quite urgently." She apologies again and explains they are getting him out of a meeting. A couple of minutes goes by and she starts to speak to her husband. She explains the situation to him, tells him what has happened to the car, is annoyed because she now can't get to her meeting, and asks what she should do now. She listens for a few seconds and then says, "Well as soon as the meeting finishes can you come to Cardiff Road / Leicester Road / Surrey Street (Whatever), where the car has broken down. Another few seconds go by, "OK, I'll see you in about twenty minutes then." She put the phone down, and thanks you ever so much for your kind assistance, even offering you a pound for your trouble, but of course you decline, it's no trouble. She leaves and everything is fine. Or is it? The day or week before knocking on your door she set up her own premium rate line with a telephone company at the cost of about £150, and she has dictated that calls to that number should be charged at £50 per minute. She has dialled that number. The conversation she has had with her "husband" is entirely fictitious, there is a pre-recorded voice message on the other end to give you the impression she is talking to someone. She has been on the phone for about five minutes, that call just cost you £250, the majority of which goes into her pocket, and the first you know about it is when you get your bill a month later. To rub a bit of salt into the wound,she hasn't even committed a criminal offence. You've given her permission to use your phone. 5 occasions in Luton where this has been reported in the last couple of weeks. Would anyone reading this please pass it on to friends and colleagues etc? Otherwise it could cost someone a lot of money. PC Paul Toseland Corby Business Anti-Crime Network Administrator |
Re: Police Warning
Last time this was posted didn't someone say it was a hoax?
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Re: Police Warning
So its still good to know
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Re: Police Warning
Can you let me know if it WAS a hoax. It was circulated to everyone where I work by the security section!
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Re: Police Warning
I've had this e mail twice this year and once last year. It has been doing the rounds for ages. I hope it's a hoax, but I wouldn't put this sort of thing past some people.
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Re: Police Warning
Someone may just have seen it and thought it's a good idea and decide to give it a try so it still pays to be on your guard because you never know.
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Re: Police Warning
Its a hoax. There is a limit to the 'rate' that can be charged for a premium rate call and its no where near £50/minute. IIRC its around £2.50.
At this rate they don't get that much from the call so say she's on for 5 minutes its only going to ge ~a tenner. Not really worth all the hassle it IMHO. You could always ask her for the number and dial it yourself if it was to happen to you. IIRC All premium rate no's are 090 |
Re: Police Warning
I got the trusty calculator out and pressed a few buttons and came up with this...
5 minutes @ £2.50 per minute =£12.50 which gives a possible average of £150.00 per hour Which in turn gives an average of £1,200 assuming an eight hour day Which in turn will yield a possible average of £7,200 for a six day week. Of course you would have to be at it constantly, but I suppose that call times could be adjusted to accomodate the set up time of each separate call. |
Re: Police Warning
I think she'd be better off getting a proper job.
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I don't know... I wouldn't sniff at seven grand a week!
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It's not the best of long-term careers though, is it?
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Re: Police Warning
Well of course not, Harrumph Harrumph. Quite naturally I in no way would wish to condone such dreadful criminal behaviour. Still, it makes you wonder though...
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Re: Police Warning
more than anything
its probably urban legend |
Re: Police Warning
You mean like the alligators in the sewers?
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Re: Police Warning
And bonsai cats
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