General Chat

I am pretty good at spotting scams on line as many of us are these days. However, I very nearly got caught this week. My friend was away on a cruise holiday and has posted a few photos on emails. This week an e mail which looked genuinely like it was from her with just her name on it then the message. which was 'I suppose you have already seen those pictures - however if you haven't then a link' went into my spam folder which was just as well. I was just about to say to myself, silly that is not spam and click on the link. (It is the sort of thing she would do) when I stopped myself and emailed her separately to ask and she confirmed it was a scam. Lucky I caught her as she was at the airport on her way home.

So even the wary and mostly alert could be caught out.

I had one of the DPD can’t delver your parcel text last evening

As I haven’t ordered anything recently I knew it was scam so deleted it

Even though I rarely give out my mobile nos guess it was found somewhere, or was just random phishing as any number combination is bound to find a current number :-( :-(

It's amazing who - or which firms/ establishments will sell or 'accidentally' pass on your number!
I have a vey ancient pay as you go, with 68p credit on it.
I haven't used the number for years. The only reason it isn't in the bottom of a drawer, is because, despite my constantly telling them my 'new' mobile number, the NHS insists on using the old one :-(
However, I still get scam phone calls on it, which is when I inform the scammers they should update their filthy list of innocent people (before telling them where to go).

When I started using my 'new' mobile, I made a note of who I'd given the number to, which was, initially, only the DWP - then the scam calls started.

After that, it was Employment Agencies - and yes, even more scams.

I had some very similar ones apparently from my cousin. One said “Do you recognise anyone in this picture?”. It arrived the day after we had been discussing some old family photos so it would have been easy to assume it was from her, but I was suspicious and contacted her. It turned out that other family members had been in touch to say they had been getting suspicious emails from her. It looks like her system was hacked and her contact list used.

Like you, I'm generally alert to such scams, but it would be so easy to be caught out by this one.
My brother-in-law DID send me a photo by e mail recently, while we were talking about old family photos, so it would be easy to open yet another thinking that they had found more.
So sneaky.

Today though, I have won a prize on the Postcode Lottery..... or so I was informed by an early phone call.
Strange, I thought you had to enter this in order to win a prize !

Gwyn, you have to sign up and pay monthly by d/d. I pay £10 every month and if i win they send me an email although i check the site weekly and my postcode in.

Are you sure they were not just touting for business saying"you could win a prize?"

You can go on the site and put your postcode in and see though.

Florence in the hebrides

I was nearly caught early this year by a phone scammer, claiming to be a policeman with the Vancouver PD.

His men had caught a man carrying a bag of newly bought items, with a receipt with my name on it. Guy said I was his aunt, so would I check immediately my credit card by phoning the number of the back of the card.

Problem was that I had not been well and I was actually asleep when the phone rang.

The "policeman" was on the phone with me for quite a long time, as I was obviously confused, kept trying to get me to phone that number, even unwillingly gave me the name of the station he was attached when when I insisted, and also told me the name of the credit card when I insisted on knowing which one!

By this time I was beginning to get a little more with it.

Finally I agreed to do what he said (!!), hung up on him, phoned the number on the back of the card, then hung up after 1 ring.

I went to the computer, checked the card (yes, it was one of the 2 that I have!), no sign of anything, and finally after about 15-20 minutes phoned the card company and we cancelled the card etc.

I know that they can leave the line open and if you phone the card company immediately on that same phone, will get all the details as you punch them in. Luckily the dialling the number, letting the phone ring once and then hanging up combined with the length of time and cancelling the card all stopped the scam going further.

I was still feeling pretty sick, went back to bed, and unfortunately never did get around to phoning the Police Department to report him :-(

Wouid you believe it have now had the bogus nhs covid pass text

Googled the number and it’s also used for fake delivery scam texts too

You can usually find the email address that actually sent the email by hovering over the sender's name. If it is not what you know it should be, then it is definitely a scam. If it is apparently OK then it is just possible that the sender's email account has been compromised, so further checking might be needed.

Mine were texts coming to my mobile :-(

Had one this morning, purporting to be from Virgin Media but the sender's address was [email protected]
Needless to say, I didn't believe it was from Virgin.
Also it was very similar to one received three weeks ago but that time from [email protected]

This wasn't an email scam but a phone call which had us in fits. As it was an overseas call I knew it was a scam. Mary kept telling me about messages they were getting from my internet voucher and that someone was trying to get my personal post. :-S

As I was ready I was pretending to be a very old lady who knew nothing about nothing. Even went into a panic because, obviosuly, I had burglars in the house trying to get my post whcih had been delivered. Mary kept repeating herself and so did I. Just as I counldn't contain the laughter any more and was putting the phone down I heard a new voice - but it was too late as I had already pressed the block button.

I thought we would start getting more calls and we were ready with the complaints about frightening old people. As yet we haven't had any. :-(

Second dpd scam text today

Blocked the nos

Well I had to laugh a wee while ago. I was checking my emails and this one said"dear Steve, you have £500! Strange because my name isnt Steve and neither am I a man!!

Florence in the Hebrides

We've been getting a phone call around 1:30 pm at least 3 or times a week for several weeks .....................


There is a problem with my Amazon Prime account

I don't even use Amazon, let alone have Amazon Prime!!

........... so hang up on the lady.

No point in trying to talk to the Amazon prime lady - she is automated. :-D

My daughter has been getting the scam mcafee emails.