FFS scammers everywhere

[Coatscoatscoast]

In the last three weeks I’ve had a number of calls from ‘Tesco mobile’ offering me a reduction on bills but then asking for my security details. Persistently calling back saying ‘we’ve been cut off’ and me saying ‘no, I hung up on you’.

A call from ‘Amazon’ telling me there has been a suspicious transaction on my account and sending me a ‘blocking’ code that they then asked me to read down the phone - it was actually the one time passcode to log into my account. I strung that one along for a while and she ended up shouting at me down the phone that my account had been compromised - ‘I responded yes, probably by you!’

And just now had someone trying to pull a fast one on Vinted.

Lucky for me I am pretty savvy and they don’t get anywhere with me. The only reason I give them the time of day is because while they’re bothering me they’re not bothering someone else but FFS. AIBU in wanting to go off grid sometime?? I appreciate the irony of posting on the internet about this btw. My phone number is obviously ‘out there’ now. Bastards

Yanbu
Get a job like every other fucker

I actually wonder if some of them don’t know who they are working for. The Tesco and Amazon ones sounded like an overseas (Indian?) call centre and they’re either all excellent actresses or they really believed what they were saying! Maybe they are being scammed too.

edit: *actors

They know. They just don't care.

I lived in Bangkok for a long time and they had them here (but a lot got shut down).

They see "foreigners" as being dumb and rich and deserving of losing money because it doesn't really affect us and we are so rich that it will be fine.

The reason they are good at acting is because they are incredibly motivated to make money.

@FupaTrooper that’s interesting. I feel less bad for them now! The best exchange I had was a follows:

me: ‘you could be a scammer’
them: ‘ ma’am how can you say that? I’m calling from tesco’
me: ‘ah, but that’s what you’d say if you were a scammer isn’t it?’

I give them 10/10 for effort though

I haven't answered the phone for years unless I know the number. If it's important they'll leave a message.

Some scammers know but some are forced into it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68444058

I have been getting the "hello dad, this is my new mobile " text (in French from my English speaking child, I am mum?!).

Lots of calls from Liberia and also unknown calls from Ireland to a Belgian phone with no messages left.

Texts for customs duties owed on packages (no online shopping done at that time) multiple times and from various parcel delivery companies, post office and revenue.

And a wide range of emails with problematic attachments and links.

And texts from 3 high street banks about my account being compromised but I don't have accounts with any of them.

It's just gone mad.

I once had one from "BT" telling me my router was sending out the wrong signals. I told him not to be ridiculous & to stop scamming people and f%ck off & get a real job. I rang BT & reported it.

I had a new one yesterday. A text for an unpaid speeding fine and if payment wasn't promptly made, I'd be arrested tomorrow (today now)

I have a whistle that I blown down at them sometimes, depending on my mood at the time.

Fuckers deserve it for trying to scam people

I'm afraid I am now just extremely rude to them. After having two calls within a couple of hours last week from 'my local energy provider' I told the second guy to fuck off.

Mind you I once had a call from 'Microsoft' and I told him to piss off and put the phone down. A couple of minutes later phone rang and a voice said 'don't tell me to piss off you bitch' 😂

Obviously he'd had a really bad day too!!!!

The silence unknown callers setting on iPhones is brilliant, I get tens of calls a day, they go straight to answer phone

My issue is over the last year I’ve moved house and dealt with the estate of a relative who died, so sometimes I need to answer unknown numbers as I don’t want to miss something important. It’s helpful when the location pops up!

I’ve had quite a few ‘mum I’ve lost my phone’ texts as wel. I string those along for a while. Then ask them why they’re not at school 😂

Me too .. then block.

For dodgy emails, you can forward them to “report@phishing.gov.uk”. I have no idea how effective this is (I would be surprised if the UK government can shut down email addresses based in other countries) but it does feel better to do something.

Honestly some of them don’t. A huge part of my job is fraud and scam prevention and I work with lots of organisations also trying to do that. One of them interviewed someone who works at one of the overseas call centres scamming people and he didn’t understand really what they were doing - he also said it’s the only job that pays enough for him to support his family - they are being exploited as well in some respects.

but scams are everywhere and literally anybody can become a victim - it’s an absolutely awful industry and it feels like a never ending fight for banks and other companies to stay ahead of them.

I recently read of some chap being harangued by a scammer who said he didn't have any decent clothes and the victim gave him £10,000, then realised he was a soft touch the scammer got another £6,000 and then a further £16,000!

The Goevernment should do something about these leeches on society.

I had this but it started ' Dear MOM'
As my son would never call me that I started signing off mr text with 'love Mom'

They are excellent liars, it is really amazing how they can tell absolute bare faced lies while sounding really sincere and really flogging their innocence and concern for you. I did tell one, 'I hope your mother's proud that you scam people for a living'.

The ones flogging the really old scams I tend to say someone's sold you a really crap list of targets, I've been getting this one for years and I don't believe you any more than the rest of them.

What do you think the government can do?

I've been ex directory since long before I moved to where I live now. I wonder if doing that will help OP.

How does one go ex directory these days? I only have a mobile. I suspect my number has been picked up by people selling my data etc.

I think TV ad campaigns set for the times that more vulberable people are watching would be a good start.

They could bring a bit more awareness for people that aren't on social media and may be technically challenged.

My mum's friend was scammed out of 40 grand. She was a psychologist, successful and incredibly bright. She just didn't realise how sophisticated these scammers are. Hers pretended to be the bank.

Never answer them or text back as they then know it’s a live number a you get inundated.