To want to nuke these 'you've had an accident' callers?

[Only1scoop]

Call today

"Hello I am calling from your local county council ....you have had an accident in the last 2 years"

Said in a distinct Bangalorian sounding accent.

I replied
"Where are you calling from"

He replied
"On behalf of your local council"
"Listen, have you had an accident in last 2 years?"

I reply
"No ....and can I take your name number and company?"

He says
"I'm ....Mike Smith"

I say
"Where did you get my number can I speak to your manager"

He says....in hushed tones
"Just go and fuck yourself"

I never get nuisance calls at home. That's why I pressed it with the little shit. Can't stand that these chancers are phoning up trying their luck. My dad is 80 and was worried sick recently about a similar call where they also knew his name.

Not everyone is savvy there are some vulnerable people out there.

So Mike you little pathetic Twunt.
Go fuck your self.

Thanks for reading.

They're very annoying and I normally just hang up or let my two-year-old speak to them. I had one on my mobile recently who said I could claim compensation for a road traffic accident. I've never had an accident. Tried to ask then where they got my details from and they said my insurance company.

I remember one person saying that when she was told that she'd had an accident, she replied "Yes, that's right - and I died".

It must be very worrying for anyone with vulnerable friends and relatives who are in danger of being taken in by these calls. My mother is 95 and lives alone, but she's got all her marbles thank goodness, and if ever she gets a call she immediately recognises it's a scam. That's if she can hear what they're saying, because she's extremely deaf. The same with the scam letters she's received.

I wish there was a way of stopping them, but of course as they're invariably from overseas, the telephone preference service is useless.
We let the answerphone take all calls and if no message was left we dial 1471 to make sure it wasn't anyone we know. I know some genuine callers, such as GP surgeries and hospitals withhold numbers, but they always leave a message.

If my elderly mum answers the phone to one of them she just shouts 'oh bugger off' and slams the phone down!
We tend to let them go to answer machine. One day I should actually answer. I'd be interested to hear when this 'accident' was given that I can't drive so don't own a car!!

I'm really surprised that this is still going on. In May 2014 the MOJ brought in new rules that meant that Solicitors could no longer "buy claims" from CMCs ( they used to pay a referral fee once the claim was paid out on or liabilty admitted - which was banned ) so unless it is an actual solicitors practice calling then they are breaking MOJ rules.

I had one call a few months ago and asked what Solicitors they were part of as it was against regulation to pay referral fees... the guy went silent. I then asked for their full company name so that I could report them to the MOJ - he hung up pretty quickly

I have these but they are never abusive. I had one just now about my accident in the last 3 years and they were just losing down the file. I asked when the accident was, got a made up date. When I asked where they hung up!

Seems they are rife

Many 'Mike Smiths' around.

I stopped answering my landline after a while. My mum never answers hers either. I think you can get caller ID free on most phones now, might be worth buying an elderly relative one with caller ID and tell them not to answer to any number they don't recognise.

I use the "I died" line on them now ( thanks to MN ) it works

I am certainly picking up some tips.

I must admit when he swore at me I did say "Mike thanks that's great....please keep talking please as we are recording and tracing at the same time .... thanks"

My friend's DM has dementia but is still well enough to use her home phone and use her debit card. She got caught with a few of these scam calls and made payments - including some for Sky insurance.

My friend has financial power of attorney so she agreed with her DM's bank that they would take the three digit CVV number off the back of her DM's card - hoping this would stop these transactions. Still some company managed to take £90 from her DM's account. My friend queried it with her the bank and the bank said it had gone through as an online payment - no CVV number needed. The bank gave the money back in this instance.

I get at least 3 nuisance calls a day!! The recorded messages usually end in 'press 9 to opt out' but no matter how many times I press 9 the buggers still call back the very next day!!
The accident ones usually get shouted at 'I don't have a licence never mind a fucking car to have an accident, do one' i have had that many I have lost my patience all together with them.

Hawest
For the recorded ones, press no buttons at all.
That flags up to them that they got through to somebody who listened .....

with most of them the press 9 works but one particular company just doesn't give up! I got that frustrated one day I got the 'press 2 to speak to a customer service agent' so I did & I feel so sorry for the poor guy on the other side he got an ear full of 'this is the 3rd fn time u have called me today & for the 3rd time I am not fn interested now remove my number from ur call list right f**n now,.....' Etc etc etc lol.

I got one and played along with it.

"An accident? What sort of accident?"

"A road traffic accident, ma'am. It was within the last three years."

"Oh my goodness ... .... I was in an accident. Oh no. Oh my, no."

"Ma'am... were you in an accident?"

"Yes! Yes, I was! You just said I was. Was I hurt?"

"When?"

"In this accident. Was I hurt? I was, wasn't I?"

"Um... ma'am...?"

"Was it a head injury? ... OH MY GOD! I'VE GOT AMNESIA!"

They hung up at that point.

I started a thread recently about this. I told the woman that I'd died and she didn't hear what I'd said until I told her she was speaking to a dead person and was she alright with that? She hung up pretty swiftly after that.

I had another one yesterday about ppi mis-selling. I asked him if we had spoken before to which he said he didn't think so. So I said I'm registered with the TPS and if we haven't spoken previously and you don't have my permission to call then you really shouldn't be calling. Then I blocked his number. Sooo satisfying.

There is a way of stopping them. Buy a BT 8500 phone. We got one in September and we've not had a single nuisance call since. Not one. We we're getting 2-3 a day before that.

how does it work?

Seems to be a spate of these at the moment, have had at least four calls in the last week, the last one told them my head fell off.

It only lets calls through from people whose numbers are stored in your phone. Anyone else gets a message that says words to the effect of "calls to this number are being screened, say your name, press #, then wait". The phone then rings and you get the choice of either accepting the call or not. But...and this is the best bit...the nuisance callers never bother leaving their names, they just hang up. Honestly, we've not had one come through. Any genuine callers will leave their names, the nuisance callers just hang up. And all the people in your phone book get straight through.

I just say 'can you please transfer me to the person who deals with data protection - I need my number removed from your database'

They hang up pretty damn quickly, and tend not to call back

We have one of those bt phones as well, it's great. I'm planning on getting one for my parents.

Great minds Shenanigans, I've got a twin pack for my parents for xmas.

It only lets calls through from people whose numbers are stored in your phone.
No use for me then as I work from home and lots of work contacts use withheld numbers (they call from the public sector)