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

The Scam Interceptors program on BBC is an interesting watch. Often programs like this are on in the morning slot in the week, so hopefully will be seen by those potentially more at risk.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00164f1

I got one supposedly from the DVLA saying that "due to my continued delinquency" I had X amount of days to pay or face the consequences.

I'll sometimes answer the phone and an automated voice tells me there's been suspicious activity on my card or bank account. Having watched Scam Interceptors I'd love to answer it and string them along before calling them out but I just can't be arsed.

I got one a few years ago asking if my daughter was ok after her car accident. They could help with legal claims and insurance apparently. As she’d been driving it was important to sort it out quickly.
I chatted for a bit - how did they get the information, she hadn’t mentioned it to me (maybe she doesn’t want to worry you madam), and then said I was extremely concerned as my daughter was 3 and hadn’t taken her test yet. I didn’t think she could reach the pedals even. They hung up.

Same daughter used to love answering the phone - she loved talking to anyone and everyone. Various scammers heard all about her doll and her new colouring book and the trip to the park when she tripped over… As she got older I stopped her doing it. Age 7 or 8 she did answer the phone and I heard her say “Does mummy know you? Well I don’t think she does and that means you are doing a cold call and I think that means you are a burglar and anyway I’m not allowed to talk to people I don’t know. Goodbye.

Say no or don’t respond. If it’s really an offspring, you’ll find out soon enough

I had a parking fine one yesterday, apparently my car will be banned from the road if don't pay immediately and the fine will double every day! They always take it too far. Scammers are the lowest of the low.

The government are the leeches on society

Oh yes my sister got one years ago about her accident, she strung them along for ages until eventually they asked what had happened. She replied well it must’ve been bad as I can’t remember it 😂

plus there’s all the usual blocks texts from HMRC etc.

it’s made me wary of real life though. I got a call the other day, answered full of here we go again resignation, turned out to be an Amazon driver delivering something and wanting to know where to leave it as recipient wasn’t in (I’d sent it direct to a relative). I made him tell me where he was and didn’t divulge anything, but that was legitimate and someone actually being diligent. Annoys me that the scammers made me so sceptical when speaking to the poor bloke.

*bollocks not blocks

I had ‘o2’ calling me all the time from different numbers so I couldn’t block them, I told them it was against my religion to have a mobile phone so could they stop calling and they apologised and I haven’t heard from them since.

Of course the new iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 with "advanced AI" can deal with scam callers for you.

Can they ?

Of course they fucking can't. You honestly don't think AI will ever actually be useful for anything do you ?

Not sure who this is aimed at but I agree, the last few calls to me have been London 020 numbers, no different to any company in London trying to contact me. How can a phone possibly know!

I have had recorded messages when I have answered, it's a warm friendly voice...

"Hello, it's just Mike from Fake Company here
How are you today?"

And there are gaps to answer!

I had a WhatsApp message a few years ago, which frightened the life out of me, saying 'this is Steve, I am a friend of your son, he's been badly injured and is in xxxx hospital, please call me, he needs help urgently.'
At the time, my 23yo son was travelling in SE Asia and I completely believed the message - it was husband who sensibly contacted my son directly, to find he was sunbathing on Cat Ba Island and completely unhurt.

Left to my own devices, I would probably have transferred whatever amount of money the scammer asked for, for 'medical fees' without actually considering I was being scammed.

This is what they intend - as a parent, if you think your child is injured and needs help, all your instincts are to do whatever is necessary. It never occurred to me to ask 'Steve' what my son's name was. Apparently it's a text that is sent to thousands of people at the same time.

I've had a spate of "O2" calls. I've not been with them since I moved to my current address 18 years ago and there was no signal here. They keep offering me "40% off". I always ask them how much my monthly bill will be and they can never answer because obviously they are scammers. I asked the last one to email me with the email address they had on file. Needless to say there isn't one so they asked for it. I kindly spelled it out: foxtrot uniform Charlie kilo Oscar foxtrot foxtrot @ Sierra Charlie alpha mike dot com. It took them soooo long to work it out.

Same when they come to live here. Only that some people are really dumb. You only have to see the lengths people go to defend the bad apples.

My most recent experience was through Facebook Marketplace. I was contacted by 3 different people telling me they wanted the items I was selling, but were away and could pick it up after the weekend, so offered to pay by etransfer now. But instead of just paying into my account like a normal etransfer, they sent me links that I was supposed to click on to receive the money. It sounded dodgy so I looked it up, and it is a known scam in my area. Apparently if I had clicked the links to enter my username and password, they would have taken control of my bank account and emptied it. I was just trying to sell some of my son's old clothes, but this has put me right off Marketplace forever.

As soon as they call me Ma'am I know it's a scam. I keep getting calls from 'O2' telling me my SIM card will be blocked in 2 days. I just tell them I'm not with O2 so then they suggest another provider. I say that I'm not playing guess the mobile company and that they are scammers.

I do this too. Or bash saucepans with a wooden spoon if I'm in the kitchen at the time.

Do the scammers ever say 'Hey Dad'?
Or do they think women are dumb?

It's not so much the phone ones - I don't answer calls from unrecognised numbers. It's all the other stuff! My email Spam filter is turned up pretty high, but every so often something slips through, or I get a DM or people have cloned Facebook pages - there are so many ways that a spammer can get through. And it only takes one moment of distraction.

Does any one get regular emails from ‘Same Name’ with a note saying something along the lines of “here’s a few photos you might recognise” or similar words, then a link to these ‘photos’ ?
I get these emails every couple of weeks, the sender name stays the same, the email address differs, and is usually a gmail or .ac. I always block the address before I delete the email, and obviously have never clicked the links, but wonder what this is. I know it will be some sort of scam, but what?

Always have a code phrase, if your son or daughter hasn't included that phrase then assume it's a scam.
Scam Interceptors on BBC is fascinating, they know exactly where these scam centres are, usually in India, and they've even managed to get pictures of the inside of the centre and of the main thief.

An Acme thunderer, beloved by thousands of teachers, is wonderful for this purpose, keep the bastards on the phone then, after half an hour or so, ask them to send a prawn curry and give them a blast.

I got those for ages and as many friends are keen photographers, they were very convincing but I make a point of never opening anything I'm not sure of.

I've seen so many warnings about that one on Facebook in the past few days, people are doing good work in getting the message out. If they are all the same the wording g is so poor I think most people would realize it fake luckily

Most of mine seem to come via email these days, but I still get an occasional call - which is good, because I can keep them on for ages and that means they're not bothering someone more vulnerable

"You need to speak to my husband" often works, with an occasional background shout of "Come on, this guy's waiting to speak to you", and when you get tired of them you can ask "if they've discovered Jesus"