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Scams: telephone, email, texts 2022

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oldMohawk said:
I have a BT4600 (other makes may be just as good) and have not heard a single scam call since I installed it in 2021. Callers not on my contact list have to announce who the are. The phone does not ring until callers announce.

Scammers never announce so they hang up and I don't hear anything - - I don't even know they tried to call.

Setting up the phone is a bit fiddly but the above mentioned Announce is the default - it just needs all contacts to be saved to the contacts list. Contacts do not have to announce.
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I have the same phone, it is very good at blocking scam phone calls. I have not had a scam phone call for over a year now.
 
Just had a text telling me "your driver attempted to deliver your parcel......." click here.
New one this - mydepot.redelivery........
I have deliberately not included all the link details but part of it was "fee615". I forwarded it to the spam regulator and have blockedthe number and deleted the message.
 
pjmburns said:
Just had a text telling me "your driver attempted to deliver your parcel......." click here.
New one this - mydepot.redelivery........
I have deliberately not included all the link details but part of it was "fee615". I forwarded it to the spam regulator and have blockedthe number and deleted the message.
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Janice, I hope that blocking the number helps. In the US it seems that blocking does little or most times nothing. Good luck!
 
There used to be a thing called the TPS, telephone preference service. Don’t know if it is still going over there. About as good as the Bloctel service over here. OK for reducing local calls, but other countries don’t care about our rules and penalties. “Fine, what fine, hah, come and get it then”.
Andrew.
 
Our mobile provider has a ‘crowd sourced’ system where if you are unlucky enough to answer a scammer, a press of an icon will add the calling number to the providers database. All incoming calls will be checked on the way to your mobile, and a warning will pop up if a number matches probable scammers. Doesn’t affect how you deal with the call, just warns you. Probably needs a few reports on a number to avoid false reports.
Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Our mobile provider has a ‘crowd sourced’ system where if you are unlucky enough to answer a scammer, a press of an icon will add the calling number to the providers database. All incoming calls will be checked on the way to your mobile, and a warning will pop up if a number matches probable scammers. Doesn’t affect how you deal with the call, just warns you. Probably needs a few reports on a number to avoid false reports.
Andrew.
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Andrew, we have the same type of thing. When a call comes in it says Possible Scam. You dont have to do anything but decide what to do with it. We usually let it ring out then block it. Not really sure it does much good!
We have a good friend who is a retired FBI agent, who has cautioned us about talking to the call. One of the scams here is to develop a voice print and use it in another scam.
 
Richard Dye said:
We have a good friend who is a retired FBI agent, who has cautioned us about talking to the call. One of the scams here is to develop a voice print and use it in another scam.
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Arrghhh Richard. Good reason not to record your own answer machine message. Leave it at ‘generic’ male or female.
There used to be a party toy a bit like a megaphone that changed your voice, giggles all round amongst the assembled kiddies. It seems that there is now a serious use for it. (Just let your friends know beforehand).
Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Arrghhh Richard. Good reason not to record your own answer machine message. Leave it at ‘generic’ male or female.
There used to be a party toy a bit like a megaphone that changed your voice, giggles all round amongst the assembled kiddies. It seems that there is now a serious use for it. (Just let your friends know beforehand).
Andrew.
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Andrew, fortunately most scams do not leave messages or riing that long, but you make a VERY good point!
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Arrghhh Richard. Good reason not to record your own answer machine message. Leave it at ‘generic’ male or female.
There used to be a party toy a bit like a megaphone that changed your voice, giggles all round amongst the assembled kiddies. It seems that there is now a serious use for it. (Just let your friends know beforehand).
Andrew
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i remember them

Voice Changer - Online & Free

voicechanger.io voicechanger.io
 
My sister has just got a new-fangled BT phone that uses the internet (so it doesn't work when the power or 'hub' dies). She couldn't understand why one of her friend's calls never got through. Turns out the super phone has an instant block-a-call button that she must have pressed (a problem with all these keypad thingies that we hold to our ears). Seems one needs to go to MyBT on the internet to find out if this is the case. (Trying to get help from BT their lady advised turning the hub on and off to clear a problem, "But if I do that you get cut off too!").

I registered with TPS many years ago but it doesn't stop Edward and Harold from Bombay calling. I now use a phone which shows the calling number if I am lucky - not much use when it says 'Withheld', especially when it turns out that that was the GP Surgery ringing to tell me that their staff have rung in sick so I no longer have an apointment, something I find out having walked there in the rain!

Just received a mystery package in the post containing a mystery grey bag within but no paperwork. I think it might be an unsolicited priority Covid test kit - if I believe Google. According to the Gov.UK one has to look into one's mouth and search out one's tonsils. How do I do that? What am I looking for if I could do it? Our much vaunted NHS is good at giving advice in Plain English but not very good at explaining, the US Mayo Clinic does a far better job. I expect I have now committed a modern hate/heresy crime!
 
pjmburns said:
New text message today.
"James attempt to deliver your shipment today failed". Followed by usual "click here to rearrange".
Blocked and deleted.
I am expecting a parcel on Monday but I know exactly who is delivering it and can track it.
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That is interesting Janice. I get the equivalent emails, messages etc, often asking me to get in touch about special clearance (customs) or arranging delivery of a parcel they are 'holding' for me. Like you, I can track, so delete the messages. However, these scam calls seem to peak when I an actually expecting a real parcel. How do they know ? A bit too much for coincidence, so where is the information leak ? Is there a hack on the (real) confirmation of order details ? It doesn't seem to happen when I am expecting from Amazon, only from other places.

Andrew.
 
No idea. However, I do make the same order about every 6 weeks so maybe they text on the off chance.
I hadn't actually ordered the goods for Monday when I got the text.
I have ordered since and as I do the same order quite often I know when it will come and that delivery is by Yodel. Have had order confirmed and courier company. On Monday morning Yodel will text and email with a delivery slot and tracking details.
 
I received a text yesterday inviting me to have a 4th Covid Vaccination.

Having recently received many scam texts I checked this text to see if it was a scam .... it wasn't ... so maybe a bit off topic ... but more appropriate existing threads are locked so it's here.

I accepted the invite for a jab at 1.54pm 31st March ... :)
 
Smudger said:
I have received a email from the holiday company i`ve booked with (VRBO)requesting my email address so they can give me further information. Call me stupid but, if they have already emailed me requesting my email address then they obviously have my email address? Puzzled !
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Various possiblities. One is some idiot has sent this out without thinking or is just joking. Next, because you don't book from your email address, someone is sending these messages to everyone on the mailing list so they can cut out the addresses that aren't in use anymore. Next, they have to check through all of their email list every once in a while to see if they still have permission.
First, check that the email comes from the company you've been dealing with. It should end with the same bit of address that they use for their website (vrbo.com in this case). If it does and you still want to deal with them, contact them about it.
 
Scammers know people's psychology very well and skillfully use all available information, including that which the scam victim unwittingly gives up when communicating. I use free temporary phone numbers to avoid phone scammers.
If you are approached by phone, online, via social networks or by other means and under various pretexts, try to find out your bank card details, the code which came to your cell phone, passwords or other personal information. Be careful, they are scammers.
 
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mw0njm. said:
that well known seller flee bay has a lot of scammers now that take your dosh .but dont send any goods out saying they have been posted,(no tracking number) grrrrrr.

my mom sent away for a hearing aid 6 weeks ago,and has heard nothing since.:grinning:
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Tell your mom to get a referral from her GP to the local Hospital Audiology department. Hearing aids are available free on the NHS. As are the batteries. I get tremendous service from my local service.
 
I had someone a couple of weeks ago from Amazon telling me they were going to relieve me of £79 for some reason I listened to what he had to say . Then I had my go telling him he was talking to someone with a bit of savvy about them , needless to say they haven’t called again
 
mw0njm. said:
my mom sent away for a hearing aid 6 weeks ago,and has heard nothing since.:grinning:
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You should be on the stage. There is one leaving in 10 minutes, be on it.

There is a big selling site over here. You buy something, and pay the site. They verify the payment and tell the seller, who has a limited number of days to send the goods by recorded delivery. They know you paid, the seller has sent it, and that you have received the stuff. You have so many days to release the payment, or trigger a dispute. After then, the seller is paid anyway. If sending or delivery doesn't happen, you get the money back from the site. The site has special price deals with a nationwide carrier for sending stuff as part of this process.
I had a seller send me a lower spec version of a piece of tech. I opened a dispute and the payment to him from the site was immediately frozen. I sent the site photo evidence and they told the seller to sort it so I was happy, because I was getting the money back from them if he didn't. He arranged for it to be sent back, and I got repaid by the site, although he did wriggle a little bit during the dispute.
Andrew
 
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