Phone scam

M

Margaret Pilkington

Beacon of light
Overlooker
You may have read about a phone scam in the local paper recently.
My Ma received a phone call which greatly worried her.
It was an automated message which purported to be From HMRC.
At NO point did they address my mother by her name or even mention her name, but she was told on this recorded message that a court case was being instituted against her and that if she did not respond quickly to this phone call, she would incur very serious consequences.
Then a phone number was given for a HMRC officer who was named.
The phone number she was asked to contact was
02033895932
Other numbers are in use with this scam too
Please alert your friends and relatives...especially those who are older or vulnerable....THIS IS A SCAM.
The phone number above IS a live number....and rings when dialled.

Fortunately for me...my old Ma doesn't do anything like ringing strange numbers without getting in touch with me. I told her not to worry about it as it is a con trick aimed at extracting money from the unwary and the vulnerable.
Just thought I would give you all a heads up on this.
 
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It's time BT and the other phone companies were forced to deal with these matters more quickly. There needs to be a simple way to report suspected scam calls, maybe dialling a short number after the call or something. Then if 10 reports are made BT have to monitor calls made from the reported number so they can check if it is a scam/unsolicited etc and take action by informing the police, blocking the number etc. I know the free speech lot will moan about a system where BT can record and monitor reported numbers but something needs to be done to stop it.
 
My mum has an old phone...you cannot block numbers on it(yes you can buy a device to add to the phone...but i think she might find that confusing).
I have just ordered her a new large button phone that will allow her to block these nuisance calls.
I was there this morning and in the space of an hour she had had 4 calls about window scrappage, kitchen scrappage and one that sais she had been involved in an accident and was entitled to claim.
When I am there I pick up the phone for her.....she is harassed by these many unwanted phone calls.
She has said she doesn't want this new phone, but I have told her she is having it....she didn't want a stair lift, but now doesn't know what she did without it!
 
I had a number of calls last week from that number, 7 in one day alone! I just press ignore if I don't recognise a no.but it's still damned annoying
 
Virgin have a service where they will block numbers from unavailable numbers. external numbers, we only pay a small price per month but it seems to work
 
Your Mother should be allowed to live without these calls, they are a disgusting way for people to try to make money.

I'm glad I stopped using my landline years ago, mobile seems to suffer far less of this, it is time these swine were stopped from leeching on the vulnerable.
 
Margaret Pilkington said:
......entitled to claim.
When I am there I pick up the phone for her.....she is harassed by these many unwanted phone calls.
She has said she doesn't want this new phone, but I have told her she is having it....she didn't want a stair lift, but now doesn't know what she did without it!
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Have you thought about getting her number changed and making it ex-directory?
 
Ex directory won't always work.
These scammers just keep ringing random numbers regardless of who's names in the book.
 
Neil said:
Have you thought about getting her number changed and making it ex-directory?
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Yes, my daughter is ex directory...she still gets these calls despite being on TPS.
I think the newer phone will go some way to addressing these calls....and the numbers will be clearly visible(they aren't on her current phone) so if a number comes up that she doesn't recognise she can ignore it...let it go to answer machine then she can choose if she wants to block it.
 
Less said:
Your Mother should be allowed to live without these calls, they are a disgusting way for people to try to make money.

I'm glad I stopped using my landline years ago, mobile seems to suffer far less of this, it is time these swine were stopped from leeching on the vulnerable.
Click to expand...

i,m the same as you less. even with a mobile i tend not to answer it if i don,t know the number that comes up. rarely get a message left from these calls. found that 1471 was a useful number to use.
 
We average 4 or 5 a week. The majority of them are either "Number Withheld" or "Out of Area". If there is anyone on the other end I resort to basic Anglo-Saxon.
 
That is fine unless you have family overseas.
My sister lives in Oz and her phone calls tend to be in the morning....they are nine hours ahead of us...so if Ma ignored those calls there is a chance she would miss speaking to the family over there.
At present Ma can't see who is calling her, but from tomorrow(or Thursday) she will be able to determine who is calling.
 
I understand what you say Margaret but if I get a call from say "Number unavailable" or "International" and the caller is a friend or someone I am expecting a call from I hope they will start to leave a message and I can then pick up the phone before they finish the call.
My phone, like most, goes to speaker phone when someone is leaving a message for that very reason. It's only a cheap BT phone, nowt special.
 
Barrie Yates said:
We average 4 or 5 a week. The majority of them are either "Number Withheld" or "Out of Area". If there is anyone on the other end I resort to basic Anglo-Saxon.
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Four or five a week? You're lucky. I live near Ensenada, Baja, Mexico, and I was getting four or five a day from the same number. The phone company will not help; rather, they refer you to the consumer protection agency (PROFECA) and they give you a toll-free number to call - all automated - to report the offending number. Then the annoying calls MIGHT stop in about thirty days. I got tired of playing silly games with them, so I phoned my lawyer. The calls stopped on the same day.
 
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