Scam calls

[Prez]

Anyone else getting absolutely inundated with these at the moment? Started about 6 months ago for me, claiming to be from British Gas (even though I’m not with them) so I gave them a false name and Sheffield post code as my addy ( never lived in Sheffield)

Since then numerous calls from so called every companies, banks, all calling me with my false name and Sheffield post code! Obviously the scammers have a huge network, the latest one was a very well spoken “lady” claiming to be from a pension company. As she was on the phone I googled it and they don’t call, in fact it’s illegal for pension companies to cold call. I told her where to get off in no uncertain terms.


One particular guy with a very posh voice I’ve recognised has called maybe 4 times, each time with a different name, with the same pitch.. trying to arrange a call back, or obtain personal details. Sometimes I just play them, then right at the end give them the good news in no uncertain terms. Still doesn’t remove my number from their systems though.

Just be careful everyone. For every 99 of us who put the phone down sadly there will be one who will get sucked in. Pension Scams are the worse.

[Filo]

I had ne a couple of years ago, saying he could make my energy bill cheaper, I told him I was loaded and it didn’t matter to me what my energy bill was, he asked what I did for a living, I said I’m a drug dealer, the phone went dead lol!

[mugnapper]

If I don't know the caller, I don't answer the phone.
 If its something important, they'll leave a message.
By answering your phone, they'll mark it down as a live number and you'll get even more calls.
They soon delete your number if you don't interact with them.

[Donnywolf]

Try TPS and I think MPS

Register for no Calls and they will dwindle within a month

I barely get calls on Mobile now and 1 or 2va month on Landline

If there is a number I look it up on Who Called Me .... read the review and then Block the number

[Mike_F]

I'm on TPS but still get loads of calls. Often they're recorded messages (some obvious recordings, others saying something like "Hi it's Sarah from scans are us, how are you today? Then leaving a few seconds for a reply and continuing the "conversation ").

I get a lot of obviously foreign calls centres ringing about stuff like frozen bitcoin accounts too.

[Dagenham Rover]

I have a phone that has Trucall built in basically if its not one of the numbers you have programmed it tells them to say who they are if they do it then puts the call through and plays back the name/message then you can either accept it or reject it and block the number. if they don't it just cuts them off   Scammers never bother I dont think I have had a single scam call on my landline since I got them 

[Draytonian III]

A lot of these “ companies “ can buy phone prefixes so people end answering calls if a 01302 or 01777 number comes up. Like others have said sometimes I just openly lie to them, I’ve had loads of different jobs, builder, worked for Sky,EE,Voda phone, insurance companies. I also ask them where they are ringing from and why the prefix doesn’t match they’ve said, if they ring on a Monday their name usually starts with an A, Tuesday B etc.

[Dutch Uncle]

just had one from a mobile number - recorded message from 'Her Majesty's Inland Revenue'. That won't get them very far 

[Iberian Red]

Maybe it was a disgruntled Daniel Craig or Pierce Brown and before Amazon bought it out Dutch?

[Usher wide.]

I had one joker on telling me I’d won £250,000 in a raffle. I told him to donate it to Bridlington RNLI & ended the call.

Bridlington now has a Shannon Class All Weather Ocean Going Lifeboat to go with the 3 man rib they had. That’s an awful lot of RNLI mugs sold…..no pun intended.

[Nudga]

I had a text message yesterday saying, "dad it's me, this is my new number"

I blocked and reported it straight away but that one would be easy to fall for.

[Pancho Regan]

I had a text message yesterday saying, "dad it's me, this is my new number"

I blocked and reported it straight away but that one would be easy to fall for.

I've had that one 4 or 5 times Nudga.
Each time, it began "Hi Dad ....."

My wife had the same message a couple of months ago and hers began "Hi Mum...."
Is that just a fluke on the scammers' part?

[Mike_F]

I had a text message yesterday saying, "dad it's me, this is my new number"

I blocked and reported it straight away but that one would be easy to fall for.

I had a similar one a few weeks ago that said "Dad my new number" so I assumed it was  scam but still had the annoyance of checking through non phone-number comms that it was neither my dad or my son as it could've been either depending how you read it.

Once I'd confirmed it was a scam I wound them up for a bit then blocked the number.