...to be so pissed off with bogus phone scammers calling my Granny that I could cry?

[CountessVonKnackerstein]

Can anyone help?
My gran (86) is getting phone calls from this bloke who is adamant she has won a prize on a European prize draw.
He rang yesterday, and the day before and he's told her he will ring again tomorrow. He has told her to keep it between them. I'm terrified he's going to con her.
She's been sending money off to various charities for years, but I think they've sold on her details to this unscrupulous bloke! My gran is so lovely but is getting increasingly confused and forgetful.
What can I do to help? My mum thinks she is in control of her bank account, (Internet banking only) though gran can still write cheques and withdraw money. So I don't quite see how my mum is in control but that's another story!
Would it be terrible if I hid my gran's chequebook?

can you put her details on the TPS scheme (telephone preference service) they will ban sales calls. in the meantime, she could say she is registered with them and it's illegal for him to keep calling her.

She lives with my mum and dad, they are ex directory and already registered with tps and the mailing one but she still gets 10's of begging letters a week!

My Mil who is 81 and suffering from dementia receives about 10 letters a week saying she has won a prize and trying to con her out of money.

I have to throw them away every time I go there, I think there are many people targeting the old and vulnerable.

Even the legitimate charity begging letters piss me off when they target elderly people. Every time I visit my aunt there is a huge stack of these things. She does support certain charities because of personal reasons and they obv have passed her details on to others.

She is barely managing on her pension and can't afford to give to all and sundry.

If your ran lives with your parents can't they answer the phone (or does she have a separate line?) Or install one of those caller id things so you can ignore any calls from numbers that are not known to you?

I once rented a flat that had previously belonged to an old lady who had died. I took great pleasure in answering the phone to cold callers and telling them why she was unavailable!

They target people with old sounding names. My grandad used to get the same thing before he died. It's horrible

Caller ID sounds interesting, how does that work, is it a separate "machine" to stick on the phone line?

Decorhate, do charities pass on your details to other charities? I didn't know this, how green I must be .

I support a couple of charities, and this explains why those charity canvassers (who wear a brightly coloured vest representing their charity) are always knocking on my door. I had 3 in 1 afternoon, which is beyond a joke.

I don't answer the door to them now. I look out of the window, and if I see anyone with a clipboard or charity vest on I don't answer the door.

I know these people have a job to do, but it really annoys me. I believe if you wish to donate to charity, then you should do it of your own free will, not have someone banging on your door, or jumping in front of you as you walk down the high street.

Rant over...

Countess - you seriously don't know what caller ID is? Its not a separate machine that you have to hook up(unless you have ancient phones). All phone lines now display the name and number of the caller on the display screen of the phone.

Erm, excuse me, yes I know what caller display is, thank you, but parents phone does not have a display, just extra large buttons.
And all phone lines don't display it. I have telephone at home displaying sod all.

My mum got conned into taking out insurance with her sky just a few months before she died. They told her she had to have it...what if her system broke down. She asked them to ring back when her daughter was there and they insisted she sorted it there and then.

Poor old bugger gave them her bank details and they took out the payment. My sister works for the police, reported the company, tried to get the direct debit stopped, but by the time the money stopped going through mum had died.

I really feel for you and wish I had some better advice, but your nan will do what she wants to do (if she's like my mum). All you can do is make sure that your mum is aware of the problems that can arise.

How horrid. My foster dad this week got conned into supposedly signing their landline over to some other company. Who then cut them off entirely. On the same day the doctors were trying to get hold of him to tell him he was weeks to live. Now no one can get hold of them its just wrong. The company only want to deal with him to sort it out but he is in hospital and may or may not come home.

Rejecting withheld numbers, I will get over to their house tomorrow and arrange it. Thank you.

This might help.

www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaigns/News/1202218731

It might be worth paying the 5 quid or so per month BT charges to block unlisted phone calls? Ridiculous fee tbh, but it would be worth it in the long run when compared with the alternative of gran possibly sending money to these people.

My mum was conned out of £20,000 by bogus builders. Police never found them of course. Mum had dementia too. At least she never felt bad about it.

My gran was phoned up by the Post Office trying to get her to change her phone line. And they took her answer 'I don't want to buy anything over the phone' as consent to switch!!!!! So she got really worried when she got switched that she had agreed to something without remembering. And then my mum phoned up and a lovely lady read her the transcript because she was so horrified herself to discover it.

C&C and KF that's awful!

Just change the phone number - call BT (or alternative provider if relevant) tell them you're getting nuisance calls despite all efforts and that the number needs changing. They can do it in 24 hrs at no cost to you. They did it for me when I was getting similar calls. Then you just give the number to those you want to have it and keep it ex directory etc.

LynLies that's a good link. I'm going to print that out for both parents and my Gran.
I'll see what mum says about changing number.
Thanks everyone.

Hi op, just to let you know, to get caller id you do need a phone with a display screen, then phone your service provider and ask if they do a caller display service, some providers may do it free some cost a couple of quid a month hth