Scam or what?

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Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

I have jst had a phone call from an Indian sounding chap, stating they had received a lot of complaints regarding my email address.But he wouldn't elaborate. He was able to know my 1st name, and Surname also my email address. seemed very strange. Anyone else received such a call like this?.And why would they want me to confirm my details when he obviously knew them. Could it be a case of I.D. Theft?.I told him that "I" was here,(A friend of mine) but he would not tell me what it was about !!
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Original post

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Absolutely a scam!

Do not give out any personal information and do not confirm any information. Put the phone down and walk away!

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Couldn't be anything else. Better still - my golden rule is never to take the call unless I recognise the number. If it's kosher a voice message will be left, anyway.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

Jim,

Any calls of that type should be answered with: "Your call has been recorded and scanned and referred to OfCom.

They'll know what you mean !

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

C.D Warren and Chas, the thing is, how did they get my home phone number which is ex directory, also my full name and email address. If it's as you both state, could it be an attempted I.D. Theft, and how could I give the Police any other details?. I rang the phone number from whence the call came from. UNOBTAINABLE.!!
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

Jim,

Any calls of that type should be answered with: "Your call has been recorded and scanned and referred to OfCom.

They'll know what you mean !

Thanks John, I was thinking if they phoned again, saying something along the lines of, "You are through to the fraud squad of Interpol, and your call is being investigated". Hmm, Food for thought.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

John et al

I was told a few years ago that the spammers/phishers had succeeded of their call is answered. A bit like opening a spam email and/or its attachment.

Whether it is true or not it seems to make more sense not to answer the call. In any case does Ofcom have teeth enough for your threat to act as a deterrent?

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

That's a new one on me Chas, I have never heard of that form of Scam. Just shows how modern technology has advanced with the introduction of the tinternet, and a very astute mind when it comes to being an expert on a computer.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 8,505

My thinking is that A) Ofcom don't have the teeth to do anything effective and B) Don't have sufficient staff to cope with their work load. So I'd say report it by all means but don't hold your breath waiting for results.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

That's a new one on me Chas, I have never heard of that form of Scam. Just shows how modern technology has advanced with the introduction of the tinternet, and a very astute mind when it comes to being an expert on a computer.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Whether it is true or not it still pays to err on the side of caution and nothing is lost in not answering the call.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

The one people tend to fall for is the "I'm calling from Microsoft, your windows pc has a virus let me fix it for you."
People don't take the simple step of observing that almost all homes have a windows pc so are impressed that "Microsoft" "know" that they have one in the home. :rolleyes:

Member for

12 years 8 months

Posts: 851

My brother, who is an IT consultant had a similar call, so decided to take them for a bit of a ride. As the 'friend' took him through the stages on his 'PC' that would have allowed remote access to his machine, he sounded gullible enough, until the guy asked him to click on 'start', at which point my brother said, 'but I don't have 'start' at the bottom left of my machine, it's a Mac', the scammer twigged and put the phone down. As my brother said, that was 5 mins he wasn't potentially scamming someone else.

Member for

14 years

Posts: 4,996

My brother, who is an IT consultant had a similar call, so decided to take them for a bit of a ride.

There's one or two good videos on Youtube of people winding up these scammers.

I like this one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPutRD_UZmk

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

I've had a few of the 'Microsoft Windows' calls and when it's been convenient I've tried to waste as much of their time as possible:

Pretend not to be you and ask them to explain what the call is about, pretend you're writing it all down and ask them to keep repeating things, then go and get 'yourself' (taking a long, long time)! If they are still there ask what it is about again (say you can't read the writing on the message taken earlier)...

...after that just have fun with it; adopt an accent (my brother-in-law adopts a thicker and thicker Welsh accent and adds in more and more Welsh words as he gets progressively more angry until he is just shouting in Welsh but using lots of internationally recognised swearing)...

...if they are still with you at this point, bearing in mind that they are trying to talk you through steps on your computer, pretend there is somebody at the door and ask them to hold while you get it, or to ring you back...

...at which point revert to your original personality and berate them for ringing again when you've already passed their message on!

I've actually had one of these scammers ring me back, twice, just to abuse me after he guessed what I was doing; unfortunately for him his command of English didn't extend to any really bad language...

...unlike the state-of-the-art profanity heading in the opposite direction! :)

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

Charlie,

I think that your suspicions are justified. OfCom is a gummy pussycat. However, the scammers just might not know that !

Member for

13 years 9 months

Posts: 8,306

Warren, re your 14. And there was I thinking butter wouldn't melt in your mouth,

You little tinker you. Bit of a "Dark Horse" Eh?.:D
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Honestly, I hate these filthy scumbag scammers; they prey on honest, trusting, and often elderly people, if our local news is to be believed, and I have absolutely no qualms about wasting as much of their telephone-time as I can!

The scammer's goal is to talk you through steps on your computer that will give them control so, presumably, they can add software that can access your online banking passwords, if you use online banking, and then empty your accounts. The strange thing is that when they've rung me they assume that I'm answering the phone sitting in front of my PC, which is running, all ready for me to follow their guidance right into their trap; is that what they think people in Britain do all day?

As it happens every time they've rung me they've got my 'home' number and not the other line I use to work from home, and the one that sits by the PC. They them immediately wanted to start giving me instructions for the PC and actually seemed quite annoyed when I said it was in another room and wasn't actually switched-on...

...this was my cue for 'bumbling' back and fourth (actually I made a cup of tea), leaving them on hold for endless minutes, asking for instructions to be repeated, arguing about the (imaginary) results their instructions produced on my PC, feigning deafness, suffering an imaginary power-cut and asking him to hold, twice, while I answered the door (it was the imaginary postman and the imaginary company who were waxing my imaginary Aston Martin)!

Working in one of these scam call-centres and trying to guide people through the steps they need to load their software onto your PC must be stressful enough for them, but when I eventually told him, after much pantomime confusion, that my PC hadn't ever been connected to the internet I thought he was going to have an aneurysm!

Member for

13 years

Posts: 2,841

I say SOCO to these people when they ask for me. Now your average Indian does not know what that means and asks again. I then say "Avon and Somerset Police Scenes of Crime and I don't think you will be talking to that person in the future, who are you?" The line never fails to clear PDQ!

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 9,821

The one people tend to fall for is the "I'm calling from Microsoft, your windows pc has a virus let me fix it for you."
People don't take the simple step of observing that almost all homes have a windows pc so are impressed that "Microsoft" "know" that they have one in the home. :rolleyes:

When they call me with that scam I just ask...Which IP address is infected.
The don't know what to say.
I repeat that I have two computers...WHICH ONE are you calling about?

They have no idea what I'm talking about. Idiots.

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

I had a funny conversation with tiscali some years ago,the chap rang me and was checking to see if I could be on a better deal (funny thing is I think he was genuine LOL) and we had a few minutes of light hearted conversation - then he started to ask me the security questions - which of course I refused to answer since he could not prove to me that he was a genuine caller : ) - he was banging his head on the wall by the end of the call LOL,I just said to send me an email or letter with the better offer - never got one : )

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

I don't waste too much time on these calls. I have enough to do and the poor sods on the other end are only trying to scrape a living. I'm sure they would rather be doing something more honest, but they have children to feed and needs must. I can't recall what it was I did, but I did once earn a single word epithet from a female asian 'lady' that implied I had had relations with my female parent.

However my pet irritation is when I am talking to someone legitimate and as security they ask me to 'confirm my address'. I agree and then wait. After some moment they will say.. "Well what is the address" and I point out that for me to 'confirm' it, they will have to read it out to me first.

A small piece of pedantry.. but hey.

Moggy