I just got a call...

[mmzz]

BT from India... problem with my broadband. I laughed. he asked why? I said its a well known scam.
He asked do I have a bank account with at least £10k?
I asked why, even if he was from BT, would he think that's any of his business?
he said so that i could send it to him in India.
I asked if he'd like it converted into rupees first.
He said that would be good.
I asked for his bank account details. he said no, it needs to be moneygram.
I asked if that was because the police would catch him if I had his bank account? He said yes it was.
I confirmed that would be because he was a fraudster and I'd be his victim.

At this point, i think he knows that its not going to happen. But a minute later he ask me to get on with it. He asks if I think he is stupid.
I say no, i don't think he's stupid because I believe he knows that there is no way on Earth that I'll be sendinghim any money at all.
Then he just politely thanks me and hangs up!

[Maiyakat]

I had an email about a tax rebate sent at 04.24 on a Sunday morning. Who knew HMRC were so dedicated?!

More annoyingly I was in an RTA last week, not at fault, and so have been getting phone calls from ambulance chasers all week (one of whom was astoundingly rude). I'm not injured and don't want to sue anyone, but am quite shaken up, and could do without people phoning me several times a day reminding me of what happened

[mmzz]

Ok... just to stop the war (it was only supposed to be fun, after all). I was wrong - the Nigerian scam is different in that it entices the victim with becoming richer. It doesn't have to be from Nigeria. But the victim does have to believe that one way or another they will somehow be better off afterwards.

[IAmBreakmasterCylinder]

There's a really good double bill of Podcast episodes from Reply All about computer scam calls.

Episodes 103 & 103 I think.

Well worth a listen.

[pantrylightout]

I have had a few calls like this and eventually contacted a fraud line run by the government. I spoke to a lovely man and told him that from the background noise it sounded like a busy call centre. But no, that is not the case. The background noise is a recording to make you think that it is a call centre and not someone in saddo in a room trying to rob people.
Bloody sods they are.

[Lime19]

I hate scams. Some people sadly fall for them. In last 5 years, an elderly grandparent got scammed out of 100s of £ because he believed the whole "I'm from bt and you have a problem with your computer". He ended up doing exactly what they wanted and it got out of hand. People from India would call him at 1am trying to get more money out of him.

My MIL also lost £12k given to her "boyfriend that was serving in the military" that she had never met before. That scan lasted over a year and she believed they were in love.

It's terribly sad and these people are evil.

[gillybeanz]

Truecall doesn't work.
I work in a call centre and whilst people may not welcome our calls (most do) not ppi or accidents btw, if somebody decides to add your company as a scam it remains there.
We had a customer complain we didn't call them and on inspection it seemed they had downloaded truecall which identified the number as a scam and they didn't pick up.
hardly our fault, we did call the customer.
I do think it's important to distinguish between scams and legit companies, even if you don't want their services.
PPI and most Accident claims are legit, a pain in the arse but legit

[Mmzz]

They're not legit though if you have signed up to TPS though, are they?

[Allergictoironing]

Surely cold calling PPI and accident claims can't be legit if you are registered with the TPS. By definition, they aren't supposed to cold call anyone who is registered.

They can also lie about TPS registration. I've had very rude people telling me categorically that you need to re-register a private number with TPS every 6 months. No you don't, TPS registration for private numbers is completely open-ended - though business phones need to re-register every year (or 2 years, can't remember off hand). Oh, and once got told that mobiles can't be TPS registered!

[Mmzz]

I thought TPS was meant to stop all uninvited calls made from UK phones. I know it's got no power over someone calling from India, bit most PPI and accident calls are from UK firms

[Mmzz]

Is the problem that if a UK firm decides to ignore the TPS, then the TPS doesn't get enforced by the authorities.

[DiegoMadonna]

I had a call a couple of weeks ago, I said hi, then he asked my name. I said "what's my name? you called me!"

He started going on about packed current accounts and how much money I could get back if I gave him some of my details, who I banked with,, addons I've paid for with my current account, etc.

I told him nicely that I've never paid any fee for a current account ever in my life and that I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't give up and kept trying to find out who I bank with.

Persistent fuckers. That's when I hung up.

[gillybeanz]

They can be legit yes.
I would urge people to have call guardian on their phone rather than downloading an app that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can add to.
You can't remove a phone number once it's been deemed as a scam and in my job that really can be the difference between life and death of your loved ones.
The calls I make are cold as nobody ever bothers to read their contracts to know we'll call them from time to time.
They aren't officially cold calls if people can be bothered to be bothered about their family's safety.
I would worry that families are in danger, but there's nothing i can do because there are so many scams about.
My work is similar to carbon monoxide poisoning checks/ inspections, but not actually this.
I will call you to make an appointment and you won't pick up as somebody listed us as a scam.

[gillybeanz]

Sorry, meant to add. I too am quick off the phone if you aren't playing ball as I have targets and work for min wage, I can't be bothered arguing with you, if you don't want to ensure your families safety.
I have people swear at me and tell me I'm scamming when all our inspectors are registered, dbd checked, carry id and make an appointment.

[Foniks]

Scam = Nigerian scam? Even though he was from India? Even though the "Nigerian prince" scam is nothing like the BT/computer problem scam?
But hey, it's a scam, just call it all Nigerian. Why not.

Makes so much sense!

[Mmzz]

@Foniks rtft

[PigletJohn]

"PPI and most Accident claims are legit, a pain in the arse but legit"

No they aren't.

[Mmzz]

@gillybeanz - maybe your offer is genuine, but it still sounds like you are calling from a private company. Is that right?
And you are making unsolicited calls?
So maybe it is a government backed scheme but, if that's what it is, you could write letters and then people wouldn't be caught trying to differentiate between your unsolicited, but potentially helpful, call and the 99.9% of other unsolicited calls that are malicious.

There's a new law coming in soon that will make any marketing calls illegal unless the person or company concerned had actually agreed to allow the call/ email.
It's an EU law and it is causing havoc with business because it prevents businesses contacting each other, but it will make calls like yours illegal.

[Foniks]

What Mmzz? I have read most posts. And have seen more than one person who thinks it makes sense to call an Indian guy running not a prince scam the Nigerian scam. And you're professionally offended if you don't agree with the term. Lovely.

[Mmzz]

In fact it's so Draconian that even schools will need the parents permission before they can contact them!

[Mmzz]

@foniks iwas referring to my post about an hour ago that said ok, ok I was wrong to call it that ---

[gillybeanz]

Mmzz

Yes, it's new data protection laws coming out in May.
I think it will make a huge difference to our jobs, people won't think we are a scam, as they'll opt in rather than not opt out iyswim, but just hope the companies who need our services because they don't provide them themselves, but outsource to us, do actually inform their customers on the importance of our calls.

[Foniks]

Mmzz It's not just you but obviously glad you and op have decided it's wrong now. It just gets to me how often things like that are said day to day. Not even only about Nigerians or scams, everything.
Also bad for potential victims who may be less wary when it's not a Nigerian accent, and awful for Nigerians day to day who will have people distrusting them consciously or subconsciously just because of the term "Nigerian scammer" becoming a normal description that so many people just accept.

[fullofhope03]

OMG OP well done! Hilarious! My dear Dad used to be incredibly polite when he received calls like this and say, "Just a moment, do bear with me" (as if he was going off to dig out his bank acc. details). He'd then put the phone down on it's side and go about his business/watch tv etc etc. You could hear them eventually going, "Hello! Hello!" for ages. Then they'd finally hang up. Used to be great family entertainment ! I now carry on this great tradition