To be a bit freaked out right now - 2am

[cossette]

Horrible phone call tonight at 8.20 from a no caller id. Started out as a scam call supposedly from HSBC fraud dept. I've had a number of these in the past so said 'I'm not speaking to anyone from my bank on an unknown number'. Guy then said he would send an agent round at 2am. I laughed and was about to end the call when he said he planned to burgle my house at 2am. He knew my name and my full address! I said I have a German Shepherd and he then said he had a gun. I said my son is here and has a knife (not sure why I said that as my son does not have a knife) to which he said 'a knife is no protection against a gun'. I told him he was pathetic and I was ending the call. I was shaken up and called the police. They came round at 12.10 and took threat really seriously and offered to take us (myself, my teenage son and adult daughter) to somewhere else if we wanted to go. I said we'd be ok and police said they would send cars past the house tonight. I'm ok but a bit worried, and I'm cross that I'm worried because of some idiot making stupid threats. It was such a strange call and my daughter was/is really upset. Can't sleep now and I'm at work early this morning. I've been meaning to buy a ring doorbell and I've just purchased one from Amazon that will arrive same day - so that may make me feel a bit better!

If your phone rings and it’s a number you don’t recognise just don’t answer it. If they are a genuine caller and it’s important they speak to you they will leave a message with their contact details.

I'm sorry this happened but can I give you some advice? Never engage with these calls, never say anything past hello. The more you say, the more they know about you and the more they call you.

My father thinks it's funny to speak to these guys who call, like he's messing them around, they now call constantly. For sure one of these days they will actually scam him.

If you're still on the line you're scammable.

How scary and horrible for you. I'm so sorry that happened. I'd echo those who say he's unlikely to be in the UK.

What a pathetic loser he is.

I am not sure how true this is but I did read somewhere that if you answer, even if you politely say no, tell them to F off or whatever you are on one list and will get more calls and if you don't answer AT ALL you are on another.
I rarely answer our landline (and it rings maybe once a week if that) but I did answer about 2 weeks ago. I got the person off the phone quickly but since then its ringing twice a day or more.
Its best to just not answer

I never answer a no caller id or unknown number. If it's important they'll leave a message. Don't engage with them at all.

This

It saves an awful lot of time and upset.

I agree with everyone who doesn't answer the phone unless they know the number or are expecting a call eg from doctor. Same with answering the door. I know its a MN trope that people who don't answer the phone/door to just any old person are crazy, I think putting yourself at risk is crazier. Its a useful exercise to occasionally put your name or address first line in google (not together) and see what turns up. If there is anything you didn't expect, then its often possible to get it removed. I did this after my husband died. His name used to pop up because of various activities he was involved in (he wasn't famous) and it used to hurt so much to see it unexpectedly.

You need to also be careful of phone number spoofing, scammers can imitate a phone number and appear to be calling from a number that is different to their own.

They may make it appear they are calling from x company, which happens to be your credit card company and they will advise you to check the phone number either online or the back of your card, people do get caught out with this. Still best not engaging and calling the number on the back of your card and you then know you are speaking to the correct provider.

I've had this - I told them to let the FBI officers know that they'd need to make sure their passport and visas were up to date and I looked forward to welcoming them to the UK on their arrival.

He hung up.

I sometimes try to keep scammers on the phone on the basis that if they're talking to me they're not talking to vulnerable people who might be more easily sucked in.

@ErniesGhostlyGoldTops I'm sorry that sounds like an absoultely horrible experience. I am very glad the police took it seriously. I'd have been upset and frightened too if I was threatened in that way

This doesn’t work for many of us who take work calls that often come through unknown numbers.

Thanks everyone for reassuring me. Last night passed without incident thankfully.

Just to answer or clarify a couple of things...

I never usually answer no caller id calls but for some reason I did last night as I don't engage with scam calls and was about to end the call once I knew it wasn't genuine - but as I was about to do it that's when the threat was made. However I'm glad I answered the no id call at 12.10 as that was the police on a withheld number!

I don't have a German Shepherd - I have a Jug (Jack Russell/pug cross) who is 11 years old but would make a lot of noise but not much else.

The guy was definitely English and the accent was a local one which was more worrying as he definitely wasn't making the call from one of the scam call centres. I've received those type of calls before so would absolutely recognise that for what it is - but this was 100% different which is what unnerved me.