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Post by Miss Piggin on Sept 11, 2019 13:46:08 GMT 1
Someone tried to scam me this morning and almost succeeded.
I have been having problems with internet drop out recently, so when I got a call asking for me by name (bearing in mind that my phone is ex-directory) saying they were from BT Openreach and were going to fix the problem, I followed their instructions. Then, when they said they would send me a new router and compensation of £580 I realised it was a scam. By this time, they had gained access to my computer and were downloading stuff, so I shut it all down and deleted the programme they had installed, reported them to Action Fraud and Talk Talk. They have just tried to call me back but I have barred their number now. They won't be able to access my bank account anyway as they don't have the details, I don't store my banking password on my PC, and you need a card reader to access the account anyway.
Anyway, for those of you in UK, the number they used is 01339 523925. They have since tried to contact me again using 01339 267101/867337/108605.
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Post by Aspidistra on Sept 11, 2019 13:49:55 GMT 1
Scary! I had someone pretending to be Openreach at my last house asking if my internet was working properly and if not I was due some help. I decided it was a scam but wasn't sure so I texted Mr A's son who is an Openreach engineer who said they don't contact people in that way. I'm also ex directory and in fact was having trouble with the speed of internet. The thing that made me realise it was a scam was the initial caller put me onto someone else who was wanting my details, all foreign accents (although that's not unusual) and I felt it just wasn't right si I put the phone down. They did try and ring again several times straight after but I ignored it.
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Post by Miss Piggin on Sept 11, 2019 13:59:09 GMT 1
They passed me on to different people too, all with Asian accents.
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Post by Mommydoos on Sept 11, 2019 14:17:32 GMT 1
That is scary Miss P! Thanks for passing that on
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Post by Nooj on Sept 11, 2019 15:02:00 GMT 1
Its so sick, it makes me very angry Thanks Miss P
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Post by magstar on Sept 11, 2019 15:05:38 GMT 1
What a scare Miss P! It's the one thing that worries me with Mum.......except she can't remember much now . ( that's a better laugh or you'll cry smiley )
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Post by Mommydoos on Sept 11, 2019 15:52:23 GMT 1
I've just had a message come up on my laptop to say I have 3 viruses! I have discarded it, although it says it's a Microsoft issue. Hope I've done the right thing
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Post by Miss Piggin on Sept 11, 2019 16:43:47 GMT 1
Do you have virus protection software Mommy? Run a computer scan now and it will find and destroy them if you have any.
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Post by Palustris on Sept 11, 2019 16:54:00 GMT 1
If you do not have a Virus protection program then go to www.malwarebytes.com/and run the program when you have downloaded it. Don't pay anything as you get it free for some time to begin with.
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Post by koalagirl on Sept 11, 2019 20:30:28 GMT 1
Wow, that was scary Miss P! Thank goodness you realise what was happening in time.
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Post by Aspidistra on Sept 11, 2019 21:21:41 GMT 1
I've just had a message come up on my laptop to say I have 3 viruses! I have discarded it, although it says it's a Microsoft issue. Hope I've done the right thing I think that's a message from Microsoft trying to tell you it is updating your software to deal with a virus on their systems. You should accept updates from them.
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Post by Golarne on Sept 11, 2019 22:34:26 GMT 1
How horrible! Glad you stopped in time Miss P. My father was duped in that way years ago, and lost over £300. And effectively lost the laptop, as although they had it professionally ‘cleaned’ they no longer trusted it. It really knocked his confidence too.
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Post by Butternut on Sept 12, 2019 0:09:40 GMT 1
Well done Miss P for letting us know, and not getting duped yourself. There are so many online scams these days, I never respond to phone calls about internet services, never open emails from 'family accounts' which are just links and ignore all communications from unknown sources.
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Post by peonymad on Sept 12, 2019 11:38:12 GMT 1
Sounds much like me Goly, if there is an email that purports to be from a bank, TV licencing and all sort of others I just hover over the email address when it is still just the inbox, it shows the sender's email address, and most scams have the most idiotic emails, as if they have just made random combinations to create an account I usually either block the sender or report as phishing. Not had any scam calls on the landline since we moved but good to know when there is a new one.
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Post by janerowena on Sept 13, 2019 21:47:14 GMT 1
Mags I am so sorry to hear your Mum is so bad now. She looked so well in that top you made for her.
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Post by Juliet on Sept 24, 2019 23:27:52 GMT 1
That's scary, Miss P - glad you realised in time.
My Mum had a call the other day from someone who addressed her by name and asked for a gas meter reading. She said she can't read the meter (it's in the cupboard under the stairs and Mum is 91, has arthritis, and is partially sighted so she couldn't see it properly even if she could get down there). They then started asking her various questions, at which point she woke up to the fact that this sounded like the prelude to some sort of scam, so she told them that she couldn't hear them properly and put the phone down.
She got me to email her energy company to ask whether they'd rung her, and they hadn't, so now we've set up a password on her account so that if anyone turns up asking to read the meter she can check they're genuine before she lets them in, just in case the phonecall was the prelude to some sort of distraction burglary. It might just have been someone trying to get her to switch supplier, but we thought better safe than sorry.
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Post by koalagirl on Sept 25, 2019 8:05:35 GMT 1
What a good thing she was on the ball.
When I was at dad's house last weekend he had a phone call with an automated American voice telling him that his Amazon Prime subscription was about to be renewed and to press button one if he didn't want them to do that. I told him to put the phone down immediately because he doesn't have a computer or an Amazon account so it was obviously a scam. Luckily he had accidentally put it on speaker phone so I could hear what he was being told.
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Post by Mommydoos on Sept 25, 2019 11:16:24 GMT 1
Well done Juliet's mum & KG!
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Post by Aspidistra on Sept 25, 2019 11:59:57 GMT 1
Its such a worry particularly with the elderly. Oops, didn't mean you Miss P. That password thing with the energy company is a good idea. i don't think id things are any use, anyone could make one. I always found it unnerving having a random person come into the house for meter readings, I'm gald in this house they are both outside and I've got a smart meter anyway.
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Post by peonymad on Sept 25, 2019 12:19:41 GMT 1
We have a smart meter too, and as only use bottle gas and not a lot of that as it is only for the hob, we should be pretty aware of scams, and I hope I am aware of possible scammers, and so is son, but not sure that DBH is as aware of the things scammers do these days!
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Post by Nooj on Sept 25, 2019 12:51:57 GMT 1
I usually say I don't do anything over the phone, or on the doorstep, and to write to me. Everyone always says that can't do that, so I say, never mind then and hang up
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Post by peonymad on Sept 25, 2019 13:03:04 GMT 1
Sounds sensible Nooj, I do remember back in Kent having scam builders calling to say our chimney needed work, so it was "Oh thanks for that," but did not look so happy when I said, "Father in law is a builder I'll get him to take a look." while smiling innocently. Then while in Dorset and the people phoning to say there was a problem with your computer, and they needed access to it to put it right. "Really. Do you not know that people have been convicted in the uk because this is just a scam, (possible Indian accent and English name) you have been conned into helping them. Goodbye. No point in getting into an argument with them.
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Post by Juliet on Sept 25, 2019 23:20:34 GMT 1
My Mum tells people to write to her too, Nooj. And when she gets people asking about her computer or her internet connection she always says "I don't have a computer" and hangs up. She once had a phonecall saying that someone had withdrawn money from her bank or something like that, so she asked which bank, and they said "Barclays" and she said "that's clever of them, I don't have an account with Barclays" and hung up. Tbh I wouldn't interact with scammers that much (if I ever answered the phone, which I don't, so it's never an issue) as it gives them a bit of information even if negative information, but she doesn't seem able to just hang up without saying anything.
The gas meter one just sounded as though it was going to be genuine for long enough for her to answer a couple of questions (nothing that mattered, thankfully) before she realised what was happening. I agree about IDs, Aspi - Mum's energy company said to me that their meter readers carry ID, but quite apart from the fact that Mum is partially sighted and probably wouldn't be able to read it, I suspect I could easily make an ID which looked genuine enough to convince her, and if I could do it, almost anyone could.
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Post by jo4eyes on Sept 29, 2019 11:19:18 GMT 1
Both our meters are outside. OH reads regularly. Only ‘read’ by man once a year..never crossed my mind though to ask for ID. Oops.
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Post by peonymad on Sept 29, 2019 12:07:35 GMT 1
our electric meter is outside too, but we have a smart meter so I do not have to remember to send readings, I dont think we even got a once a year meter man call, now it is not necessary.
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Post by Mommydoos on Oct 15, 2019 16:33:13 GMT 1
Whilst at painting this afternoon, I had a text from what seemed to be EE saying they couldn't process by latest bill & gave a link to update my info "to avoid charges". Had a niggly feeling as EE only ever text me to say my bill is ready to view online (I never do though). So came home & googled EE scams. This was one of them! They advised forwarding the message to a number, which didn't work, so just blocked & deleted. ALWAYS trust yer gut!
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Post by peonymad on Oct 15, 2019 17:30:30 GMT 1
Well done Mommy, I just had one of the frequent "your TV licence payment is now due." emails. No it isn't, paid by direct debit no need to try that one always report them as pshing.
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Post by Golarne on Oct 17, 2019 12:18:07 GMT 1
Well done Mommy. It’s such a pain even if you don’t find it upsetting. Nuisance calls live up to their name
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Post by Juliet on Oct 17, 2019 23:16:44 GMT 1
My Mum had a call yesterday from someone saying they were from Amazon Prime and were going to take money from her account. She didn't even know what Amazon Prime is (she said to me "do I get things from them?" - I do all her online shopping as she doesn't have a computer!) so she just put the phone down. I presume they were hoping she'd say "but I didn't order anything" and they were going to ask her to confirm her card details, but thankfully she is not so gullible.
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Post by koalagirl on Oct 18, 2019 18:20:41 GMT 1
I had one of those phone calls today where they say they're calling about an accident I had recently. I get so fed up with those ones so today, instead of just putting the phone down, I actually said to her you're lying, you're a scammer, why don't you get a proper job instead of trying to steal money from people. She just said I think I must have called the wrong number and put the phone down.
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