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Scams: Telephone, email, texts, other 2021

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I had an interesting experience the other day, my daughter who is disabled and lives in Gloucester has got my wife staying with her as a carer for six weeks, having just had a shoulder transplant, so I am enjoying all those calls between 10 and 12 that mý wife used to tell me about,when the other day I could not get to the phone in time when it rang (I was expecting a çall)so I checked the number an 0161 number and rang it to hear an American voice tell me that the number was discontinued. I have since read that even though numberwill appear on the screen and would seem to be a UK number, clever technology meant that the call could be from anywhere in the world.
 
i must be very lucky as i never get these so called scam texts or calls..often wonder if its because they know i am not worth owt or maybe its because i dont use online banking...either way i am not complaining... :)

lyn
 
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When a 'scammer' attempts to get through to my landline the phone does not ring. I hear a click and phone asks them to announce who they are and of course they never do. Occasionally I have a look at the calls list and recently saw a number 012345 67890 which proves they can display any number they want to.

The phone has a VIP list of numbers that are allowed to get through.
 
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I read very recently that Which? has done an experiment, they bought four brand new mobile phones, numbers never used before and two of the phones received scam calls.
I have wondered where they get your number from but, from this experiment, it seems they just pick numbers at random, at least some of the times.
 
I read very recently that Which? has done an experiment, they bought four brand new mobile phones, numbers never used before and two of the phones received scam calls.
I have wondered where they get your number from but, from this experiment, it seems they just pick numbers at random, at least some of the times.
With modern computer processing it is possible to automatically generate millions random phone numbers in a second. Scammers and hackers have data bases of phone numbers, and they also use dictionaries that can target the generated numbers as a likely user phone number.

They also use dictionaries to hack passwords too, as well as data harvesting off social media sites. They set up quizzes that people are happy to fill in not realizing they are giving away important information that can identify individuals. So don’t use your mother’s maiden name as a password.
 
A good one this morning, 0750hrs, national crime agency telling me my NI number had been used for various illegal reasons and they where cominģ to arrest me and it was important I press one now. Þhey were also going to stop my NI No, the interesting thing was the voice was English and 1950's British B movie policeman
Bob
 
I had new one the other day from BT Openreach (I thought they had been superseded may be wrong) I was told my internet was running slow and a technician was dealing with it, they asked me to check the progress! I said how and they said by mobile phone, when I said I didn't have one, I was thanked and they rang off. Anyone else had this?
 
Not sure if this is a scam or not but I have just had an email from Western Power Division inviting me to update details for the person at my address who is on their priority register in the event of a power failure. Click here to to do....well several different things.
Trouble is i have just been dealing with them closing my late Father's pension but....I used a different email address and no one was on a priority register. I forwarded it to the phishing team at gov.uk and deleted it.
It did come to the address we use for our electricity bills.
 
Western Power do have an at risk register for the elderly etc, but it shouldhave come from Western Power DISTRIBUTION.

Bob
 
Western Power do have an at risk register for the elderly etc, but it shouldhave come from Western Power DISTRIBUTION.

Bob
Apologies it did come from DISTRIBUTION but the reason I was suspicious is I have no reason for them to know the email address they used. It was not to my Father's email address and nor was it the one I used to contact them about his pension. Maybe I am just too suspicious and it was genuine. This is how it began - but neither my husband nor myself would be on the register.
1626698097608.png
 
Apologies it did come from DISTRIBUTION but the reason I was suspicious is I have no reason for them to know the email address they used. It was not to my Father's email address and nor was it the one I used to contact them about his pension. Maybe I am just too suspicious and it was genuine. This is how it began - but neither my husband nor myself would be on the register.
View attachment 159229
Odd, beware

Bob
 
Just the other day I had an email that looked very official from Royal Mail......picture of the Royal Mail van on it with postie walking from it all official Royal Mail logos and so on.......the day it said this item couldn't be delivered was a day when I'd been chatting to our postman so I knew this mail was rubbish anyway....looked at the URL...copied it and investigated it's origin.......Mozambique would you believe !!.....so be aware !!! they're getting very clever
 
I was out this morning for 40 min and on return I received a text apparently from the Post Office about an undelivered parcel with the following link to arrange a new delivery. I have inserted two commas to kill the link
h,ttp,s://postoffice-undelivered.com/orderid=54345767gb

I looked to see what my Ezviz camera had recorded while I was out ...
No postman or van seen and anyway it is Royal Mail who deliver parcels.

In my laptop I let Microsoft Defender Smartscreen have a look at the link and it stopped and blocked it completely ..
Scam.jpg
So texts showing 'postoffice-undelivered' should be deleted without reading them.
 
Think of it this way. When you send mail through the post office, where is the option to provide the email address of the recipient? A supplier who has sent you something on the internet might have your email address but not the post office.
 
Maybe the scammers (probably overseas) might be reading our posts and realise that they have to use the words RoyalMail instead of PostOffice in their links ... :)
 
A new scam/fraud?

Received a letter addressed to company at my address. Didn't think too much about it. Put back in postbox endorsed "not known at this address".

Then received another letter, this time from Companies House which is the gov agency for registering companies etc. Checked on line and yes a new company with that name was registered at Companies House using my address a few days ago. Warning bells rang this time. Clearly some sort of fraud going on. Returned letter to Companies House suitably endorsed. What else could I do?

This is the advice I was given:
1. Go on Companies House website and report illegal use of my address which I have done.
2. Go on Action Fraud which is the UK/GOV website for reporting fraud which I have done.

Will update if further developments.
 
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This one has popped up twice in the last few days.
--
Charitable funds to help the less privileged!!
Hello,

I am sorry to encroach into your privacy in this manner, my name

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus , a nationalist of Zurich, Switzerland(Swiss),

a businesswoman known for chairman, Louis Dreyfus Group. I find it

pleasurable to offer you my partnership in business, i only pray at

this time that your email address is still valid. I want to solicit

your attention to receive money on my behalf humanitarian project.

The purpose of my contacting you is because my status would not permit

me to do this alone. Given my current state of health, I have decided

to donate Ninety -Eight Million United State Dollars to establish a

foundation with your help to reach out to the less privilege, orphans,

sick and homeless people in your country who will receive their

blessings as i promised my God before i leave this earth.

I got your contact through my personal search, you were revealed as

being quite astute in private entrepreneurship, and i have no doubt

that you can handle this huge financial transaction. Please contact my

executor for more information:

Mr. Ford Spencer(Attorney at Law).

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Office:970-414-1400

Fax: 970-414-1433

® Property of Steven C Spence PA.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.



Kind Regards,

Mrs. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.

Chairperson of Louis-Dreyfus Commodities,

Zurich, Switzerland.

[email protected]

[email protected]
 
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