to have just sworn at hte person who phoned me from "a uk goverment department" - about my bank account

[BumptiousandBustly]

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG - somehow our phone number seems to have got on a list for scammers to phone!

i am suddenly getting calls about viruses on my computer - and how "from the UK government department of data protection! - apparently they are going to give me money! - Oh yes! HONESTLY!

I am already on the TPS and can't see that there is anything I can do to stop these calls!

Get a personal alarm or a foghorn and aim it at the phone whenever you get one of those calls - that'll teach the buggers!

1. Report them to the police if they're scammers - will probably achieve nothing but you never know, at least you've passed the info on;

1. Bar foreign calls from your phone - assuming you've no relatives overseas;

1. Put the phone down on them;

1. Put the phone on the side and wander off, leaving them to chunter to themselves;

1. Let a rape whistle off near the receiver;

1. Change your number.

Any good?

ask them what they are wearing?

If I have time I usually play along until they get fed up but I find that some of them are obviously forbidden to hang up the call and get really cross if I refuse to hang up.

A chum of mine has a technique with unwanted calls, he answers, lets them speak for a bit, then excuses himself - he has to go and do something, will they hold on? He goes away, puts the kettle/TV/PC on, whiles away a few minutes, then goes back, sees if they are still there, then repeats the process until they finally hang up. V passive aggressive!

If your on TPS politely make them aware of the fact that that legally they are not allow to contact you and if they do so again you will report them. Tell them to take you of of their telephone list and any others that have access to.

I have family abroad so can't block foreign calls. I have tried telling them they are breaking the law. I tried going along with it today - which is how i got the information about "the UK govt department" but TBH their english is so bad I can't believe they actually fool anybody - and I just got fedup.

The problem with the foghorn approach is that it seems to be someone different each time. Also they have my name which I really don't like. (we should be ex directory)

So far this week we have had - govt department of date protection, loft insulation, virus on PC etc.

I am already on the TPS and can't see that there is anything I can do to stop these calls!

you wont be able to because the scam ones come from outside the UK

The TPS works to an extent with legitimate companies who are actually trying to sell you something. The ones trying to get your bank account details so that they can steal your money are hardly likely to be concerned that they're breaking a different law by calling you in the first place. I think the only thing to do is hang up, don't waste any time on them.

I agree about just hanging up, the problem is that the phone keeps ringing and its driving me mad - I rush around looking for the phone incase its my MIL and then its some idiot trying to steal my money.

I had one hang up on me the other day. After he'd waffled on for what I thought was long enough (about 15 seconds ) I said "Get to the point, I've got things to do" and he was gone!

I've not sworn at one of them yet as my seven year old is usually around as they usually phone at 5:30pm.

They are a real pain, it's the going for the phone when in the middle of something that annoys me. Carry it around with you? In fact I unplugged our landline as a result of these, as few real people have that number and I use other phones which the scammers don't reach.

TPS only applies to companies based in the UK. These ones probably aren't. I found that asking them to repeat the company name, repeating it back as if writing down and/or asking what country they're calling from, usually causes them to hang up. If not that's a prelude to saying that we're registered with TPS and any scrupulous foreign company would follow the same rules, so their company is clearly disreputable, they must remove my name from their list and if they call again I'll call the police. Then hang up.

DP somethimes strings them along for his own amusement. (I didn't know some couldn't hang up!). He's taken a few that told him there was a virus on his computer and gone along with their spiel, up to the point when they ask him to upload some software that would 'solve this' (i.e. download his bank details). This is quite a sinister scam, as (if you're gullible enough to believe they can 'see' your computer) they tell you about some defective code that demonstrates a virus at work - which in fact part of the standard Office start-up code, so a totally non-technical person could believe them.

p.s. my 'phone' that never gets these calls is a skype handset. Looks, rings and operates like a landline and I have a 'fake' landline number that people can call. Same cost to them, free calls to all landlines, inc. international, for £8 a month for me. I don't want to sound like a salesperson(!) and this isn't perfect as reception quality varies and the handset has some foibles but skype don't seem to have released these numbers onto any paid-for lists.

The downside is that my number starts with a different digit from others in the area, so many organisations I give it to won't 'recognise' it (either through software or personal knowledge), or add the usual digit in front, then can't get through. I have to say 'yes it really does start with a ..' when giving it, which is better than 'why don't you just believe me when I tell you what my number is and maybe try caling it instead of making assumptions?!'

I do two of the above.

If it's an actual person I blow a whistle down the phone.

If it's an auotmated call I leave it off the hook.

auto of course.

I think whistles etc are a bit mean. It isn't the poor phone operative's fault that the company is bogus or annoying, probably just doing a crap low-paid job.

"I am at home but my day job is with the international research division of OFCOM and I can have any phone call traced and the line cut off . . ."

Click.

It works.

There's an episode of Seinfeld where he answers the phone to a sales call and says: "I'd love to hear all about this, but I'm a bit busy right now. Give me your home number and I'll call you later..."