General Chat

Had a phome call yesterday afternoon from a gentleman with a Scottish accent claiming to be from "Your bank's Fraud Department" claiming that one of our debit cards had been used to try to make a £900 transaction in Manchester but it had been stopped as suspicious.

He initially sounded quite plausible and asked for the bank phone pumber from a debit card (which of course revealed him which bank we were with). Obviously all debit cards will have a contact number on them but that will be specific to the issuing bank.

As the conversation went on it was starting to sound more implausable and we made sure we didn't give him any information of value.

In the end I asked him for the card number on which this alleged attempted transaction had been made (as we have one each with different numbers). He couldn't or wouldn't tell me so I concluded it was a fraud attempt and ended the conversation

We reported it to our bank's genuine fraud department who confirmed it was an attempted fraud.

I think that asking the caller to give me information was probably a good move but even more so hang up and phone fraud department yourself. Make sure you do that from a different phone in case the fraudster stays on the original line and mimics dialling and ringing tones.

We were glad not to have become a victim but it certainly made us think and pre-plan how to react to any future attempt.

They are so plausible and phone calls out of the blue take you by surprise and it’s omg

Thankfully I haven’t had phonecalls as am ex directory and on the telephone preference but have seen that scam calls from outside the U.K. divert through so the number looks like a U.K. number

Been getting scam emails about not processing my Netflix monthly direct debit

Plus not being able to process my amazon prime .or some suspect transactions on my amazon account

I delete after forwarding the emails to the fraud dept of Netflix and amazon

:-(

Several weeks ago I had a phonecall and the caller with an Asian accent asked to speak to my hubby

My usual way of answering the phone is hello


Then my response was Who are you ?

Is he there ? was the response

Nooo , who are you ?

Are you saying he isn’t there .?


Well you would have a problem speaking to him cos he passed 5 years ago

They cut the call

But it’s worrying how they get names and phone numbers even when ex directory and phone nos withheld

I had a phone call weeks ago Brian. Shirley asking how I was coping with Covid was everything alright with my bank could they have sort code & bank no to make sure I was alright really lovely Irish man very polite no way was I giving any details out I just hung up rang bank on my mobile it was a scam we have to be so careful good job we had our mind set it was wrong Barbara

I'am also on telephone preference but the scam calls come through

it is very strange,I don't get any for about a month then all of a sudden in one day I can get 6-8

It's as though something opens the flood gates and in they come.

I don't answer them and just listen to see if they leave a message, but they rarely do.

I then check number out and block them.

I wish someone could explain how they get through when I'am on TPS and have been for years.

Maryb

The calls originate from overseas which is not covered by the TPS. They somehow clone a UK number so it appears to be UK based.

I even had one Monday that came in as international,but the number displayed was my own town.

Maryb.

The problem arises because physical call switching has almost entirely been replaced by digital systems. Nobidy ever thought of inbuilt call blocking because at the time easy hispeed access to the internet and fast computers did not exist. Now it is too late with some third world countries earning huge sums from it.
Smart phones are much easier to defend as access control is baked into Android and iOS. Best bet far and away is to stop using the landline.

Here is some beginners code to give you an idea.

import random
def random_phone_num_generator():
first = str(random.randint(100, 999))
second = str(random.randint(1, 888)).zfill(3)
last = (str(random.randint(1, 9998)).zfill(4))
while last in ['1111', '2222', '3333', '4444', '5555', '6666', '7777', '8888']:
last = (str(random.randint(1, 9998)).zfill(4))
return '{}-{}-{}'.format(first, second, last)
n = int(input("Enter Value of n: "))
for i in range(0, n):
print(random_phone_num_generator())


Value of n entered: 100
Output: The code executed to generate 100 random phone numbers based on the value of n entered by the user.
778-632-2050
322-095-2279
367-834-3793
503-779-1335
595-395-7523
927-123-0137
637-256-1190

I didn't understand a word of that! However some of us have no option but to use a landline - our cottage has 4 ft thick walls so impossible to get a mobile phone signal without going to the end of the garden.

My parents got one a few weeks ago. They started by asking for Mr John and when asked where they got the number from they claimed the phone book. My dad is in the phone book but under I not J. My response would have been simply to tell them there was no Mr John there as it’s not our surname.

So, switch to mobile only and you can still get dodgy calls.

On my mobile it comes up fraud call so I just block number .on house phone if unknown no it ask our permission to allow call but this number supposibly from bank was 0800 with numbers just a bit differant to real bank phone no they really are very savey but are cheats really annoying Barbara

So much for TPS
6 calls since 8 am this morning 2 international,2 mobiles 1 international with area code of my town.
Annoying to say the least.,no messages left on any of them.

Maryb.

I was informed a long time ago that the TPS can only stop calls that are "selling". Eg double glazing, energy deals and life insurance etc. If a caller is only advising you of services or telling of a new product rather than asking for payment, then this is how they are not breaking the TPS.

They is no way to stop cold callers really unless you block everytime but there are so many companies cold calling, its impossible, I answer and say nothing.Once they speak and cant pronounce my name, I just hang up without speaking, best way.

Florence in the hebrides

For landlines it is possible purchase a gadget which will block all numbers except those on a "whitelist".
The same thing can be done for mobile phones or block calls ad hoc.

For thise with thick walls and mobile phones.
The ISPs are gradually rolling out a service called "web dialling". It is free but limited by the ISPs to certain phones only. With web calling enabled then calls in/out will be routed via your router rather than the phone mast - 4bar signal instead of none! The service is available on contract phones bought from the ISP only. VM 3 O2 EE all def. offer the service.