Nuisance Calls
 

I know that a few years ago there was a thread about nuisance calls which brought in a lot of comments. Anyway I thought I would start one again about this as I want to share my latest tactic, and think it would be interesting to hear what others say or do when they get one of these calls. I used to get all uptight and annoyed but now I do this. I wait until they tell me what they are ringing about and then I say in a very pleasant voice ‘thank you so much for calling me and it is very kind of you to be concerned but I really am ok. Have a lovely day’.

When I hang up, instead of feeling grumpy I feel relaxed and have to smile as I can picture them being speechless for once. I bet they never get an answer like that

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i just dont answer if i dont know the number dotti if its my mobile then i block the number, only let local calls through.

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yes i follow that as well. if i do not know anyone with a certain area number then just let it ring. same with letters i just put Not at This Address on em and put em back in the post box. do not know what happens to them, could not care less, but hopefully they have to pay the return postage at the other end.

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I just hang up if I think the call is a bit dodgy, then dial 1572, then press 1 and that number is on the blocked list.

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My mum had a particularly nasty call the other day, claiming to be from HMRC & saying if she didn't call a certain number to stop a warrant being issued bailiffs would be called in to re-possess her house!!
She rang me immediately afterwards in a dreadful state, she realised it was a scam & thankfully didn't give them any of the financial details they were demanding but she was still left frightened & very shaken by the call. My stepdad passed away only a few weeks ago & she is obviously feeling pretty vulnerable at the moment- i feel these scum must be trolling death notices & ;picking out people in similar circumstances as they knew both her & her late husband's names. I know there's probably no hope of catching these despicable people but we reported it to the police & it was passed to their action fraud department so if anyone else gets such a call, please report it - you never know, if a lot of people do, then something might be done to stop these vermin

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[QUOTE=AccyMad;. I know there's probably no hope of catching these despicable people but we reported it to the police & it was passed to their action fraud department so if anyone else gets such a call, please report it - you never know, if a lot of people do, then something might be done to stop these vermin[/QUOTE]

things like this have been going on for years. can anything be done or they cannot be bothered due to the work involved is the answer. similar things happen with mobile phones, so if they get your number surely someone could get their details. had my bank account scammed twice. only totalled about 280 quid in total. a lot for me but looking at the face of the copper i saw it was like i,d reported some minor vandalising incident of someone pulling up a single tulip in a park.

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I don't know for sure if anything can be done MH but the action fraud department took it seriously & said we did the right thing reporting it & that at least made my mum feel a bit better

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[QUOTE=Gremlin;1250817]I just hang up if I think the call is a bit dodgy, then dial 1572, then press 1 and that number is on the blocked list

I tried that Gremlin but all I got was a message saying not recognised, do I dial 1572 with the receiver off or on ? dont forget you are dealing with a Luddite of the highest order here.
Taddy

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in todays world you are now expected to know everything like that and own a smart phone. was actually told that face to face by somebody. as a fellow luddite i could not give a damn.

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While not as decrepit as some of you owd codgers & being the sprightly young pup I is, I must admit to a certain reluctance to join in this "Tech revolution".



I do possess a smart phone (by default circumstances) but it isn't an all singing all dancing shiny brand new Carlos Fandango model, it's got a few years on it & more than half the things it can do apparently I have no clue as to how they work. (That's what Nieces & Nephews are for! ;))



That being the case, I think I'm obliged & entitled to be an honorary member of you owd Luddites gang. :D

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i am the same have no idea at all how to use my great phone i can get football latest scores etc which is why i got one the rest no idea,

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I started answering nuisance calls with a totally different approach.

When asked if they could speak to Mr Lettie (they always get my gender wrong), I simply asked if they were a friend or relative of the deceased?

I then say that I am Mrs Taylor from the Coroner's Office and am at the scene. I go on to say that it's imperative that I speak to a relative or somebody who knows the deceased..

They normally hang up at that point, and I've had a lot less nuisance calls.

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thats a cracker Lettie wish i had thought of it.:D

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owner a merc estate a few years back. top of the range and must of cost the price of a street in bradford when new. so many buttons, switches and a radio that could do almost anything apart from finding a channel i wanted. left everything alone after playing around one day and the thing would not start. let her in the kitchen drive the thing as my old peugeots at least allowed me to get the radio lancs results and coleys after match reports. i might have well got a german language handbook with the car for what use it was. what has technology done for me. forced me to use garages when i did most repairs myself one time.

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Lettie I used that ploy many many moons ago...had great fun doing it and blogged about it.

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Last week, in the space of 24 hours, I received three calls telling me that I had bought goods to the value of $345 from Amazon that I needed to pay for (I have? - I don’t think so), then later on that $600 plus was needed to be paid to some firm I had never heard of to pay for goods I had supposedly purchased – and then apparently (I must have been going shopping crazy) I had bought from another on-line business whose name escapes me. What annoyed me was that these calls were automated so the scammers didn’t even have the courtesy of using real people and I couldn’t use my ‘nice’ technique on them – so I just said ‘****** off’ and hung up.

Thankfully I still have at least a few of my faculties left (though some people might question this) but what about the people who maybe aren’t quite as bright as they once were, or have been caught at a very vulnerable time. Scanners are rotten scumbags.

My phone is registered as a ’do not call’ number regarding nuisance calls but this is a waste of time as apparently it doesn’t work with overseas calls.

Still it was better than the phone message a friend got the other day – advising her as to which number to ring to avoid being arrested

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well in my tele watching world that number is Whitehall 1212.

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I checked my phone when I woke up this morning and oops! I had a missed call at 7 a.m. I had? Hadn’t heard anything. Well what do you know – it was from the Congo! As I do still have a few of those brain cells left of course I deleted it.

Being the curious type I then checked on the Internet and sure enough this is a scam that has been around for ages now, originating in Japan. It is called the ‘Wangiri’ scam, which is Japanese for ‘one ring and cut’. Apparently they only let the phone ring once which then shows up as a ‘missed call’ and they assume a person will return the call. This is a premium rate number, they keep you on the line as long as they possibly can, and there’s a hefty amount added to your phone bill. They pretend they are a mobile network so then your provider sends money on to them from the call you make. Don’t ask – I’m only repeating what I have found out, have no idea how this works. All I know is that they are not getting any of my money and I’m posting this, in case you don’t know about the scam, so they won’t get any of yours, not that I would expect any of you to fall for it - but you just never know.

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i dont only delete dotti i BLOCK the NUMBER also if i do not know who it is.

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we only answer numbers we know. what a world we are living in when you have to resort to this type of stuff. even my lad and his partner do likewise. their two teenage sons cannot get their heads round that attitude of allowing calls to be missed and deleting texts unread.

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That’s ok re blocking numbers or ignoring unknown ones, but what about if you get a call from a number that you don't recognise but could be from a legitimate source. Example – when I was waiting to go into hospital I got a number of calls from unknown numbers – but they were from the private phones of medical people who needed to speak to me. Just as well that I answered them. I think the main thing is to always be as alert as you can be. It’s a pity that this is how it is but……

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if its important they,ll leave you a message and then ring em back. the scammers never leave a message but try to wear you down by constant calls. might be just me but i feel just answering them is a give away if its true or not.

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Whilst on Accy Web this morning the phone rang and a sweet talking ladies voice thanked me for ordering a (something) from Amazon as I am getting really upset, (p----- o--) with these scam calls I answered, "I am sorry but this call is more than a little inconvenient at the moment as I am sat on the toilet, please leave your name and number so that I can write it on my toilet paper before I wipe my A--- with it. Thank You"

Not Nice I Know But Neccessary.

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well they called you not the other way round. anything is fair game for timewasters and scammers.

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I just waste their time.

When they ask if a named person is there, I say "hang on, I'll just get them" and then put the Phone down on my Desk and carry on doing what I was doing.

Sometimes I'll pick up and ask "are you still there? He's coming. He's just wrestling a Hedgehog" and so the same wait thing again.

They're not paying any attention or rarely still there. It doesn't matter what rubbish I speak.

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got to revive this thread. its not nuisance phone calls thats bothering me its all the nuisance emails i have had to delete every single day without opening them. is there an easy way to stop these. anything too techy will be beyond me so i,ll have to live with another daily task.

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i get loads of them daily mate i just delete without opening em its no big deal to me.

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Depends what you use to receive e-mails,

I use GMail this is how you do it with them:-

Right click on e-mail you want to block.

This will highlight it.

Look just under the search mail box you will see an exclamation mark surrounded by grey.

Roll your cursor over it and it will say, REPORT SPAM

left click it.

Another box will appear, click on, report spam & unsubscribe

A message will appear saying it's blocked or unsubscribed and in case you picked the wrong e-mail a box marked undo.

:lamer:

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just tried nothing came up only delete?

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Ah yes, the memories of many a frustrating hour for either Mick or myself trying to get your P.C. and internet back up and running.
:mosher:

Just try again, slowly then get back to me.

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cant now i just deleted them lol im crap with technology going to clitheroe now to watch stanley

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It's good to know that in this tumultuous modern world some simple constants still remain! :D

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There have been numerous comments on this thread about scams and nuisance calls and we all like to think we are so smart that we will never be taken in by scammers, we give them short shrift, but can you really be sure. Two people I know very well, intelligent people, have just been scammed out of almost $9,000. A phone call was received from a man who said he was employed by their bank in the department which dealt with a very well-known and secure way of payment that a lot of people use every day. Of course he wasn’t!

I don’t know all the exact details except that he indicated there was a problem that he needed to fix for them – and at the present time I don’t think they can comprehend themselves what (and how this) has happened as they are still in shock, never thinking it could happen to them. Does this ring a bell? They say they did not give him their bank account details or card number, but scammers are very persuasive and, with only a little bit of knowledge about a person’s affairs to start with, by clever talking they are able to obtain enough information to get into bank accounts. How is it possible? Don’t ask me.

This particular case is now under investigation but not much hope is being held for any recovery of the money. I might add that the scammer also tried to get more out of the account two days later but of course this had been frozen and so he was not successful. It remains to be seen if the bank accepts any responsibility, i.e. why didn’t they query the (unusual) withdrawals – though the scammer took this out in three withdrawals rather than one lump sum. Doesn’t look promising up to now.

They know, as do we all, that hindsight is a wonderful way of knowing what they should have done (hang up – don’t give the scammer the time of day) but is very unhelpful and a waste of time, so let’s not go down that path. Don’t think that victim/s are always a bit dumb for being taken in as this is often not the case, and certainly not in this one.

I might add that this couple are very vulnerable at the present time as the man is having treatment for prostate lung cancer.

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if we do not know a number we do not answer the phone. funny how no one leaves a message even if that number goes again. seems once your money has gone then you can kiss it goodbye. the twice it happened to me they showed no interest at all and was waiting for em to start yawning. oh for the days of being paid in cash or queuing at the post office for your pension. ok you could get mugged but we now have invisible muggers to deal with. no wonder many want a cashless society to give em even more options to fleece us.

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The cashless society has made rapid advances during the virus restrictions. I was suprised the other day when leaving the supermarket where a reputable national charity who was collecting in the doorway refused a cash contribution.

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we also do not answer if number is not familiar,yeh aint alone monkey hanger, also dont answer mobile very often cos it says where the number is from. so i just think who do i know from yon,if i dont sod em they usually ring back daily for a few days then give up ,

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It is the sensible thing to take all necessary precautions of course, and it is good to know that you all do. That you ignore unknown numbers. The man I mentioned always has up to now. However, since he began his medical treatment he receives calls from numbers he is not familiar with, important calls that are related to his condition, visits to the hospital, etc., so all calls have to be answered at present. Yes, we all know his wife should have hung up (there’s that hindsight rearing its ugly head again) but at the present time they are not in a good place to be thinking straight.

So as much as we like to think ‘it will never happen to me as I am too smart to be taken in by scammers’, let me tell you that it can happen to anyone given the circumstances.

As well as scammers trying to get to you by phone, just remember these lowlifes have other methods of obtaining money illegally. We all use the ‘fantastic plastic’ these days but just how safe is your card and its details? How often do you use your card, how often do you give these details out when paying bills or making purchases either by phone or in person, how often do you hand over the card in good faith, to pay for a meal for instance? Why is it necessary for banks to have departments that deal with card fraud and such problems if your card is so safe?

Let’s face it, we might be smart regarding phone calls but just how smart are we really? We should not be complacent however clever we like to think we are.

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I endorse everything you have said.
Life sometimes throws us a curve ball....when cancer strikes your family your priorities change because all of your life is turned upside down....
Yes, you do get phone calls from numbers you do not recognise and you have to pick up because it might be the result of your latest blood tests mean your treatment is suspended....or that your consultant wants to see you....any number of things.
And when you are dealing with the ill health of a family member, you are distracted and you might just not stick to your normal rules...because life is far from normal.

There was a case in the newspaper recently where an Elderly retired surgeon had been scammed out of all of his money.
He felt very silly at having been conned, but he was a victim....yet he felt like it was his fault.
The scammers are clever....they get away with it because over a short space of time technology and the fast pace of change has left a lot of elderly people behind.
Financial organisations have encouraged the use of the internet and technology to the detriment of a proportion of the population.
Those who neither know, or have access to technology.

I hope this couple getntheir money returned Dorothy....the bank owes them a duty of care.....and seeing substantial transactions going from an account that doesn't make transactions on that scale should raise alarms....that it didn’t or that they were not acted upon is a cause for concern.

As to cards....I rarely use mine in the shops....I use it for transactions at the bank....but for little else.
I remain reluctant to give my details to anyone....that doesn’t mean I am safe, because just carrying your card in your purse it could have the details skimmed off it.
I just hope that if that happened then my bank would realise it isn’t me spending on my card....and alert me and put a block on it.

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well that shows how much they need the money. if you give to charity then there will be others that need it who,ll be glad of your dirty infected small change you have to offer. possibly the ones who are not paying large wages for there many staff who organise things like comic relief.

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It has been proved that using cash to pay for items does not increase the risk of transmitting the virus....and come on.....we can’t pay with cash, but thousands can go to watch football, tennis.....and the elite of football organisations can come to the country and not have to quarantine.
I would love to know which charity it was....and whether it was an edict from them or whether the collector had just decided that coins were not acceptable.

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I have, so far, not had my cash refused anywhere.
If I shopped in a supermarket, got to the till and they would not accept the legal tender of this country...I would park my shopping and take my custom elsewhere.
Hopefully where I would be a ‘valued’ customer.

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[QUOTE=Margaret Pilkington;1255252]I have, so far, not had my cash refused anywhere.
If I shopped in a supermarket, got to the till and they would not accept the legal tender of this country...I would park my shopping and take my custom elsewhere.
Hopefully where I would be a ‘valued’ customer.

Hazel called into Ossy Mills a while ago, put certain items into her basket or whatever and then called at the checkout and offered the payment in cash; "Oh I am sorry said the cashier but we only take cards", "in that case I will leave you to put the items back on the shelves" she said; before putting the basket down and leaving but she did feel a little sorry for the lass because as she said to her its not your fault love, blame the bosses.

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Just passed a nail salon in town (yes some shops are still trading hereabouts) big sign in the window, CASH ONLY.
So maybe to find the rip off merchants you only have to look at their hands, well manicured=will take the pennies off a dead man's eyes!

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the little cafe hear me is like that. run by an old guy of the old skool. a cup of tea is only 70p and he cannot be bothered by cards. he only makes exceptions for the odd factory orders that amount to 20 off items of food plus drinks being taken away. its horses for courses really. i would not expect someone paying for a 2,000 pound second hand car in cash, neither is a 70p card transaction expected either.

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A simple, no-expense method (I've used), is to setup another new, clean paid-for or free email account & just abandon the old, cluttered account. Never login again, simply walk away.

Then:

email (using Mail-Merge), all your contacts you want to stay in touch with, your new email address. Do this once, and you're done. No more effort. No expense, Problem? Gone.

Don't forget, avoid sites that offer "Free" stuff, Games, MP3's etc. Basically, any site with loads of Banners & Popups. They're often all about the Marketing Dollar & will sell or rent your email. I've found that sites claiming not to sell your details, do. It's called "Lying". This change of behaviour in not visiting "dodgy" sites & not giving your email address to everybody is called "Habitual Hygiene". You'll quickly re-adjust your Habits.

Presently I have 6 email addresses for different purposes. 2 are Spam accounts, 2 Sacred, Main accounts given ONLY to VERY few trusted, known acquaintances or friends & family members, and the others for other things.

This is how I KNOW, not guessed, sites that I've used Spam addresses on have lied. Why else will an unknown address receive Spam from a suspected bunch of Liars?

Maybe you will setup a similar multi-account arrangement for your own requirements?

I also use Thunderbird email client on Linux. Pretty good, that's a whole different story.

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had the TV licence goons around our area yesterday. ignored them. watched em going up the street and they actually knocked at about half the houses. seems they are going to have a big task getting all their tv rape money in as only one person answered the door and that was quickly shut.

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A little while ago I posted on this thread about a couple of people I know well who had been scammed out of almost $9,000. The good news is that the bank has now come to the party and has reimbursed the money. Thought I would mention this because (over here at least, and I assume it is similar in the UK) banks will honour dodgy transactions but some do need a bit of pushing to do so.

If it happens to you (and it can happen to the smartest people) stick to your guns when dealing with your bank. As long as the correct procedures have been carried out then it should come out right in the end. I have to say that in the case I have mentioned they did have to do quite a bit of follow-up work with their bank. An upsetting situation.

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It is good to know that this couple have been reimbursed by their bank....eventually.Like you, I think it is necessary to stick to your guns because these big institutions will side step their responsibilities if they think they can get away with it.

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I was getting a number of those nuisance calls a day, sometime three or four, and got fed-up of being ‘nice’. So when I got one particular call I said ‘please wait while this call is transferred to the Fraud Squad, this is the one they are waiting for’. That was about three or more weeks ago and I haven’t had one call since. Coincidence, or not? Hope I haven’t spoken too soon.