To warn you about this mobile number?

[ChancesWhatChances]

It’s a HMRC scam, received a phone call from this mobile number. There was an automated voice telling me the call was from HMRC about a tax fraud case opened in my name, if I didn’t press 1 to connect the call an arrest warrant would be issued and the police would arrive immediately. I hung up and submitted a suspicious call form to HMRC, but it took a few seconds for my brain to click it was a scam (I’ve never had a phone call scam, only text message ones!).

Would it be against talk guidelines to post the phone number here just in case anyone wants to forewarn anyone they think might fall for it?

I got one the other week when I was already not in the greatest mood.
My reply was You can piss right off and all.

Had this today. Hung up as soon as the automated message started. Also have had lots of very convincing email scams recently pretending to be from my mobile phone network. Clicked a link once but luckily realised before I put any info in.

My gardener fell for this exact scam last week and they got £500 out of him . He’s so embarrassed about it, he feels like this is the kind of thing that usually only vulnerable older folk get taken in by but he’s 28. They were threatening him with prison if he didn’t pay the ‘tax’. He’s trying to get the money back through the bank but not sure how much luck he’ll have.

@lioncitygirl

I always answer in different accents and keep on on for as long as I can. Today I was Russian. 😂

Please be careful with doing this - some calls are designed to charge you a fortune if you stay on the line with them.

Best thing to do is just not answer and block the number.

@sunflowersandbuttercups

I get them all the time.

Like PP said, they use different numbers every time they ring, so that when you google the number, you don't realise it's a scam and answer or call back.

They have millions of numbers on rotation. I just don't answer unknown numbers anymore - I have my phone set to mute all calls from people not in my contact list. If it's genuine they can leave me a message.

Same! It’s the best way to handle this crap IMO.

I've been getting a spate of calls from numbers similar to mine, ie if my number was 07123 456 789, the call would come from 07123 456 381. Different numbers but the same first 8 digits each time. I assume it's a ruse to get people to answer as they think the number looks familiar?

I never answer my phone if I don't recognise the number. if it's important, they can leave a message.

Definitely best not to answer. I never answer numbers I don't recognise and I get these calls at most a couple of times a year.

A genuine caller will leave a voicemail.

These scams used to withhold the phone number but people got wise and wouldn't answer. Then they'd call from a business number and again people got wise. Now they call but the number shows as a legitimate one as they have the tech to make the call look legitimate from a standard landline.

With regard to 'being careful about putting your mobile number on websites' - when you're ordering something, the phone number is often obligatory, so we have no choice but to give it?

@Walkacrossthesand

With regard to 'being careful about putting your mobile number on websites' - when you're ordering something, the phone number is often obligatory, so we have no choice but to give it?

Give a fake number. As long as it has the correct amount of digits, nobody is going to check.

Every time you put your email or phone number out there, you're increasing your chances of being sent spam or scam.

Registering with the TPS is free and a good way to help cut down on nuisance calls. I used to get them daily, now it's one or two a week at most.

@sanfranfibber I’ve always got a mild worry that I’ve someone committed a major crime and the police will show up any moment to arrest me. But I have OCD and the second there’s a suggestion that I’ve done something wrong I automatically go to worst case scenario. You could tell me I’d walked into Tesco and shot someone and I’d fully believe you while panicking for a few seconds before my brain kicked in the police would love me if I ever did get arrested, they’d have a full confession and apology within a minute

@ThatchersCold has he spoken to HMRC about it? They’ve a system they go through if you’ve been the victim of a HMRC scam, he’d also need to email them if he’s given out any personal information (saw on the website when filling in the form for reporting the phone call), they might be able to help?

[quote ChancesWhatChances]@sanfranfibber I’ve always got a mild worry that I’ve someone committed a major crime and the police will show up any moment to arrest me. But I have OCD and the second there’s a suggestion that I’ve done something wrong I automatically go to worst case scenario. You could tell me I’d walked into Tesco and shot someone and I’d fully believe you while panicking for a few seconds before my brain kicked in the police would love me if I ever did get arrested, they’d have a full confession and apology within a minute [/quote]
If someone has committed a crime, do you really think they'd ring up, tell you so, and then say they were going to come and arrest you?
No, they wouldn't want you to know in advance and give you time to make your escape with the evidence!!

If someone has committed a crime, do you really think they'd ring up, tell you so, and then say they were going to come and arrest you?
No, they wouldn't want you to know in advance and give you time to make your escape with the evidence!!

Of course you're absolutely right. And I felt really stupid afterwards at having allowed myself, for a brief moment, to be taken in by the man who had called me. But he was also a bully and spoke to me in a very threatening way, and I was briefly very scared. I suffer from PTSD, which really didn't help.

So I definitely understand where you're coming from, OP. It's also disturbing to hear how common this type of thing is at the moment.

Google 'Who called me?' and put details of scam calls on there. It costs nothing.

@ChancesWhatChances yeah he spoke to them first, he eventually got suspicious and hung up then phone HMRC to ask if they had just called/taken payments from him. They hadn’t. So then he contacted his bank who said they would try and get the money back, but they couldn’t promise anything.

I spoke to a very arsey lady who told me she was going to send the police officer round to arrest me because I owed HMRC I said make sure he’s not ugly she hung up