Aibu to tell fake police scammer to fuck off?

[MadMadMadamMim]

Had a phone call today from a bloke with a faint London accent telling me he was phoning from Brixton police station. On a Bank Holiday Monday. Not suspicious in the slightest...

Him: Am I speaking to (my full correct name)?

Me: Who is this?
Him: I'm calling from Brixton police station.
(I live in the North East)
Me: Right
Him: We've arrested a young man with your Visa credit card on him

Me (interrupting). Oh no officer! What should I do? I'm a vulnerable old lady!
Had I better give you all my bank details and security codes or should you just FUCK OFF YOU SCUM!! I don't know how you sleep at night!

I'm not sure which of us put the phone down first, but Brixton police have sloppily not called again, so I assume they know nothing of this.

Bastards! I'm getting sick of answering calls from twats like this. I am considering getting a whistle to blow down the phone.

I had a landline fitted for the broadband only. I was ex directory and never gave the number out, I didn’t know what it was. Every time I plugged a phone in, there were cold call messages and if I dialled 1471 a scammer had always called within the last 24 hours, I used to google the numbers. This is why I left it unplugged. I feel your pain but I wouldn’t be keen to change your number, it won’t stop the calls and you’ve got the hassle of changing your number with everyone.

I use call guardian too. I have a small number of people on my "white list" who can come right through. Others have to go via the system.

I sometimes google missed calls to make sure they were not someone I know but mostly they are random mobiles or those numbers that you cant call back.

@montysma1

I like to keep them for ages pretending that I am going to hand "Microsoft" control of my computer to investigate suspicious activity on my account. Silly me, I keep punching in the wrong numbers and pressing the wrong buttons. But we keep trying😂 I wonder if I should ask them if it would work better with my computer switched on.

My dh can string them along for ages unless he eventually suggests that maybe it’s not working because it’s a MAC. He works in IT but can play dithering computer illiterate old man surprisingly well.

I say I require everything in writing by registered post and request there ABN (equivalent to a VAT/business rego) and normally get called a fucking bitch.

Very recently my DH answered such a call from 'Barclays bank'. After talking to him for few seconds, my DH lost patience and told him to F**f. Bloke on the other end promptly swore at him too 😂. IDK why but I found it v funny!

I wasn't going to reply to this because I know how distressing repeated calls can be. But I've worked on a helpdesk, incoming calls only and know the dangers. Please don't blow a whistle down the phone. Headsets or handsets with a decibel limiter will cut out the sound to protect hearing and it will be pointless for your cause. Anybody not supplied with the correct PPE will likely suffer damage to their hearing. I know its tempting, and I know the calls are awful but I doubt you want to be responsible for hearing loss. Either don't answer the phone (do 1471 if you are worried you missed a real call), or get caller display and only answer calls from numbers you know, or answer but don't say anything, anyone genuine will speak first.

I used to get about 10 a week. People coming to arrest me/winning a competition/ viruses on my PC.
It was a give away as they would often say 'attorney' (don't use that in Australia).

With new broadband I had to pay extra for a landline, so I opted out of having one.
Since then (18 months) I have had 3 scam calls, in Chinese, so no idea what that is about Its funny- my husband's number is almost the same as mine ...his rings with Chinese message, 90 seconds later mine goes off!

Have Virgin got anything similar and is it any good?

@Blufandango

I wasn't going to reply to this because I know how distressing repeated calls can be. But I've worked on a helpdesk, incoming calls only and know the dangers. Please don't blow a whistle down the phone. Headsets or handsets with a decibel limiter will cut out the sound to protect hearing and it will be pointless for your cause. Anybody not supplied with the correct PPE will likely suffer damage to their hearing. I know its tempting, and I know the calls are awful but I doubt you want to be responsible for hearing loss. Either don't answer the phone (do 1471 if you are worried you missed a real call), or get caller display and only answer calls from numbers you know, or answer but don't say anything, anyone genuine will speak first.

I don't think I'm bothered by scammers' hearing. May be if they can't hear they'll stoo the scamming calls.

I have a rule for these types of calls. I only give personal details if i have made the phone call myself. It works.

I get frequent scam calls on my mobile. Usually just put the phone down. I was out shopping last week, received a call, heard an indistinct foreign accent, and just responded 'oh for fuck's sake' and put the phone down.
The phone then rang again, but this time I recognised my accountant's number. .
I was very apologetic, she thought it was funny.

Had one yesterday calling me "to let you know the cover on your washing machine has expired"

Me: "I'm sorry, what?

Them: "Oh do you not have a washing machine?"

Me: "I do have one, it's over 5 years old and besides the guarantee I don't have cover on it .

Them: "I suppose you don't want to buy any do you"

Me: Nope hangs up

I mean.. if that was a scam. Not terribly well executed. More irritating than anything he had quite a patronising tone. I get about 2 or 3 of these a day from various numbers for various supposed reasons. I am continually blocking numbers.

I always get the car crash one and I always tell them I died. A few of them have actually commiserated with me on my death and continue the call 😂😂 I find it really funny

Why do you keep answering the phone?

They keep calling because they know you pick up. Stop answering and let all unknown or numbers you don't recognise go to voicemail. The calls will them stop.

No point blocking the numbers, they aren't the real number they are calling from anyway.

I like the "im calling about your recent accident" calls. Being a macabre gothic gal i dramatise

" Oh my accident- terrible blood all over the place, bones here and there, entrails in the tree branches. ... I could go on.

Alternatively as they are usually "accented" tell them what you think of their "accent".

I had a real person say they were HMRC demanding my details or I would be arrested I told them no they actually asked me why I said if you really were HMRC you would know exactly who I am and what I do your clearly not or you would be waiting for me at work he said we are we do and we will be waiting for you unless you pay i said see you there and hung up

I'm a carer for my son I dont actually GO to work

We moved into our house at the end of March 2007 - so 14 years ago. We are STILL getting calls for the previous occupants.

We don't get a lot of spam calls, maybe one a week? Usually BT telling me my internet is about to be disconnected (were with |Virgin) or that the police are about to arrest me for unpaid tax.

We get these.
Problem is DH has a business run from home, with a separate phone line, so that one needs to be picked up as it could mean losing business if ignored.

If I have an unexpected call from an number I don't recognise to my mobile I don't say anything when I pick up- any automated telesales computer will think the number is dead and disconnect, a real caller will say hello. For obvious scammers I think any level of verbal abuse is just fine- I went in on a lengthy rant that they were a conman & criminal scum last time the 'road traffic accident association' called me (I didn't even have a car at that point!). A friend got called about an 'accident which wasn't her fault' but coincidentally had just had a minor parking scrape which WAS her fault & spent ages telling them about it by mistake! They weren't interested oddly enough

I had one of the car crash calls, I had been in an accident the previous year that wasn't my fault so went with it, they actually got me compensation so it was worth it.

‘ My father is a police officer and he gave me one really good piece of advice recently - when you get a call from a number you don't know, DON'T speak first if you pick up - a lot of the times these people are fishing for a voice clip that can easily be used for voice recognition software for online banking - if it's someone who genuinely wants to speak to you, and they hear silence on the other end of the phone, they'll speak first - otherwise, a lot of the time, the call automatically disconnects because the software hasn't picked a voice up.’

Good advice.

@Blufandango

I wasn't going to reply to this because I know how distressing repeated calls can be. But I've worked on a helpdesk, incoming calls only and know the dangers. Please don't blow a whistle down the phone. Headsets or handsets with a decibel limiter will cut out the sound to protect hearing and it will be pointless for your cause. Anybody not supplied with the correct PPE will likely suffer damage to their hearing. I know its tempting, and I know the calls are awful but I doubt you want to be responsible for hearing loss. Either don't answer the phone (do 1471 if you are worried you missed a real call), or get caller display and only answer calls from numbers you know, or answer but don't say anything, anyone genuine will speak first.

Anybody not supplied with the correct PPE will likely suffer damage to their hearing. I know its tempting, and I know the calls are awful but I doubt you want to be responsible for hearing loss

So you want me to be considerate of fucking arseholes who are trying to steal money from me and my love ones? I don't think so, you call me scamming and if I blow a whistle, then you get what you deserve

My mum used to get loads of calls, I got her this phone and it’s brilliant, her phone occasionally beeps now which is when it’s stopping a dodgy call
BT Premium Cordless Home Phone with 100 Percent Nuisance Call Blocking, Mobile sync and Answering Machine, Twin Handset Pack, Black www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0787G3VRQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_DvIyqwr3Uvsae?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

DH loves wasting their time. We had an unwanted call years ago trying to sell us a conservatory. DH kept answering all the questions and making it sound as if he was really keen. Then it came to the address. "Third floor, flat 1" said DH....😂😂😂😂😂

I haven't had that one but I am getting alot more scam calls and phishing texts than usual.

Last week I had an Indian man call to tell me he's from HMRC and they've opened up a case for tax fraud. This morning I received a text from 'royal mail' demanding I pay postal fees or my non existent package will be returned to sender.

There's a DPD one too.

up until he asked her for the 2nd and 4th digits of her "Personal Identification Number", as he called it - then around 5 minutes later asked her "Could you just remind me of the 1st and 3rd digits again, I haven't written them down, sorry". There was actually a television warning advert a while ago that used this very scam on it.
We have a True-Call box that intercepts calls-it plugs in between the socket and the phone.www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiX9NucmbLwAhXM3-0KHQgbADsYABAHGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_0kWp6ACNxURyIqhuN6uPXedi86WQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiIwdWcmbLwAhUpREEAHYgaDz8Q9aACegQIARBP&adurl=