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Scams: Telephone, email, texts, other 2021

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I had the same, it was like talking to somebody underwater. And they almost hefted me out as it was past there home time. The woman on the phone wanted me to keep my account live to catch them after she had accused me of allowing these debits, but I got the bank teller to stop it.
could have been the aquaphibians calling :grinning:
 
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I keep getting the bitcoin emails, all from different addresses. I usually delete them but the latest one opened even though I was deleting it. I got rid of it immediately.
 
smart meter scam
I stopped watching that video before it got halfway through. It has all the hallmarks of disinformation as there is no way that a meter however smart can workout that information about what is going on in the house. I would put it on a par with the antivaxers swaying that a micro chip is being injected into your body with the covid vaccination.
 
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I watched the u tube video "The Great smart meter swindle" with interest. I also read the adverse comments on it from David Grain & Morturn.

I have never understood the purpose/value of smart meters - I would get nothing out of having one and have have always declined having one. The video carefully explains why they are a waste of time and the disadvantages of having one. It made sense to me. The video is not the only source of info about them on the internet - check more widely if not convinced. Neither David or Morturn actually give any hard facts or reasons in support of Smart Meters. I like to think i am open minded but nothing they have said has changed my mind about them. Even the powers that be seem to be having second thoughts - no longer compulsory - I wonder why?
 
Superdad3,

Perhaps they've been found out? :) No sign of any of that stuff here in Crete, though many places now have the comms infrastructure to support it, though unless it is forced on us, I can't see many suspicious Greeks taking up any offers!

Maurice :cool:
 
As I understand it, and someone more technical than I am may know better, all a smart meter does is that you do not have someone calling at your house up to 4 times per year because the meter can send a message to your fuel distributor. However both my gas and electrical suppliers now email and ask me to read my own meter and post the figures on line. Most modern houses now have meters which are accessible from outside so the meter reader no longer needs access to your house.

The claim that it saves you money as far as I can see is that you can see the usage clicking up so that you can run round the house switching things off. I used to have a dad who did that anyway without having the need for a smart meter. Also they claim that you will not ever need to have an estimated bill to pay. I used to accept and pay estimated bills unless I thought it was excessive knowing that it will be corrected next time.

My water meter is under the sink in my utility room but only once has the water meter reader called to read the meter because there is a wire running from it to some point outside the house at which is possible for the meter reader to pick up a signal.
 
I watched the u tube video "The Great smart meter swindle" with interest. I also read the adverse comments on it from David Grain & Morturn.

I have never understood the purpose/value of smart meters - I would get nothing out of having one and have have always declined having one. The video carefully explains why they are a waste of time and the disadvantages of having one. It made sense to me. The video is not the only source of info about them on the internet - check more widely if not convinced. Neither David or Morturn actually give any hard facts or reasons in support of Smart Meters. I like to think i am open minded but nothing they have said has changed my mind about them. Even the powers that be seem to be having second thoughts - no longer compulsory - I wonder why?

If you read my post again, you should be able to conclude that I have made no reference to the rights or wrongs about smart meters.


This thread is about scams and how the members try to protect each other from them.

My post is directed at how people can be and often are misled by people who present as experts yet have very little in the way of qualification do advise others. I am therefore pleased to see that David G had highlighted this as a possible piece of misinformation.

For clarification, the point I am making is for our members not to accept everything just on face value. Talk to others, ask questions and if it looks too good to be true, it most likely is.
 
I've got smart meters on both gas and electricity, they give you the information about your usage so that you can adjust it for the best results, they read the meter every thirty minutes and send the reading direct to the supplier, Shell in my case.
I've not had any increase in the cost in fact I pay less now than I did previously.
 
Back on the scam subject how about the current rises announced on the broadband prices, Talk Talk sent me a mail saying that their price would increase by £2 a month from April but like BT they have slid in "Annual price increases at RPI plus 3.7%"
Now that's sneaky.
 
I had a email this morning purporting to be from my vpn provider & asking me to update my payment details. It all looked official but i`m fairly sure it`s a scam so i deleted it.
 
My scam calls seem to be earlier in the morning than they used to be. I had 2 calls last week at about 8.15 and two today soon after 9.00. 2 were UK mobile numbers that I did not recognise and 2 were international numbers. Did not answer any of them.
 
Back on the scam subject how about the current rises announced on the broadband prices, Talk Talk sent me a mail saying that their price would increase by £2 a month from April but like BT they have slid in "Annual price increases at RPI plus 3.7%"
Now that's sneaky.
My broadband and telephone contract with Virgin media was due to end last month. Virgin duly e-mailed to advise me and to tell me the new contract terms and prices. At the time my monthly amount was £34 having just risen from £29.99. The new rate would be £49.99 per month with a review in April and a probable rise to £59.99. I looked around and got a deal with Vodaphone at £35 per month. I spoke to Virgin media but the salesperson was adamant he could not match that price therefore I told him I would not be renewing my contract when it expired. I then took up the offer from Vodaphone and all was in place to start with the new provider.
The following day I received a telephone call from another salesman at Virgin who then said he could do an 18 month contract, superfast broadband and anytime telephone for £29 per month because I was a preferred customer and they didn't want to lose me! Why they didn't just offer me the same contract I was already on instead of putting me through hoops he couldn't explain. I then cancelled my new Vodaphone contract and signed a new one with Virgin. The upshot is I've ended up paying 99p a month less !
 
Back in the last century when I bought a house and started paying for gas and electricity I somehow knew that if I wanted to reduce my gas bill I had to turn the heating down a bit and put extra clothing on and likewise with electricity. My parents were using gas and electric in the 1930s and they knew the same. Here I am in the 21st century and the same facts apply ... I don't need some fancy so called Smart meter to tell me what I already know.

The only people who make money from smart meters are the companies that make them and the contractors that fit them. The manufacturers have warehouses full of smart meters and they are obviously lobbying politicians in Westminster to push for widespread installation. All of this is being paid for by all consumers.

The one neighbour I know who had a smart meter fitted found that it wasn't so smart and did not work when they changed supplier. They now have to send the readings in online. They apparently need to have a 'smarter' second generation meter installed.

If my existing meters failed I would obviously accept whatever type of meter the suppliers wanted to fit so long as they worked and did not cost me extra. One thing is certain ... they would not reduce my bills ... :)
 
Smart Meters - what an interesting thread.

Here's an interesting quote - "the full cost of the smart meter rollout, of over £11bn, will have to be recouped from consumers through higher energy bills. This could work out at £374 per household, a figure that looks likely to rise as the full total cost of the rollout rises beyond the initial estimate."

So do we the paying customers get £11bn value from Smart Meters? I think not. I'd rather spend it on the NHS. I think it appropriate that this thread appears under Scams. Another government supported waste of money.
 
Smart Meters - what an interesting thread.

Here's an interesting quote - "the full cost of the smart meter rollout, of over £11bn, will have to be recouped from consumers through higher energy bills. This could work out at £374 per household, a figure that looks likely to rise as the full total cost of the rollout rises beyond the initial estimate."

So do we the paying customers get £11bn value from Smart Meters? I think not. I'd rather spend it on the NHS. I think it appropriate that this thread appears under Scams. Another government supported waste of money.
It sounds like big numbers but it's probably not much more that todays kids spend on mobile phones and texting. :)

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teens-spend-over-two-hours-11482301
 
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