Back in the late 80s to early 90s when bank cards with pin numbers were new a couple of people came into our office dressed as cleaners and stole a wallet out of someones jacket. Later they phoned him claiming to be the police and asked him for his PIN number for verification. He gave it to them and they managed to withdraw £200 from a cashpoint.
He did manage to get the money back and it sounds a really stupid thing to do to give his PIN number but it was all fairly new at the time
I've had several calls from someone purporting to be from HMRC, speaking in a VERY genuine BBC accent, saying I've been involved in fraud and that if I don't press '1' I'd be arrested
Also emails, the scammers are getting very good at emulating the text & narrative of genuine organisations and several of my people have asked me "is this genuine" but all you need to do is hover your mouse over the senders address to see woh it actually came from
I've got a few in my Spam folder this morning - all different topics such as "cheap broadband" or "medical insurance" but they're all from the same address - offers@snd.offerhousepromo.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
comment by The Wonky Kronke (U16927)
posted 28 seconds ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not everyone is perfect
comment by Keep It Greasy - Music is the BEST (U1396)
posted 1 hour, 32 minutes ago
I've had several calls from someone purporting to be from HMRC, speaking in a VERY genuine BBC accent, saying I've been involved in fraud and that if I don't press '1' I'd be arrested
Also emails, the scammers are getting very good at emulating the text & narrative of genuine organisations and several of my people have asked me "is this genuine" but all you need to do is hover your mouse over the senders address to see woh it actually came from
I've got a few in my Spam folder this morning - all different topics such as "cheap broadband" or "medical insurance" but they're all from the same address - offers@snd.offerhousepromo.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I had one the other day. When they said "Her MAJESTY Revenue and Customs I hung up. Majesty rather than Majesty's was enough and I didnt even get to what they were threatening.
The guy who does the HMRC one sounds familiar so I assume he must do a lot of voice-over work for TV adverts etc.
Surely he must have known it was part of a scam when he was recording it
I had a call telling me that Arsenal will win the champions league next year, I knew it was a scam straight away 🤣🤣
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 3 minutes ago
The guy who does the HMRC one sounds familiar so I assume he must do a lot of voice-over work for TV adverts etc.
Surely he must have known it was part of a scam when he was recording it
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot of them are people in India who go for what they think are genuine jobs and they dot even know they are scams. As far as they know its just call center work. They have to perfect an English accent to get the job so mimic voices they can hear. This one probably practiced and practiced using the voice you recognize.
I always 'press1' because I know it's a scam and I'm prepared for it.
Always an African voice on the other end - They start by asking you to confirm your name and address - I ask them what name and address they've got which immediately puts them off their stride as they haven't got a clue who I am.
Putting them 'on hold' is a fun way to mess them around. Check back a couple of minutes later to see if they're still there and if they are, remind them that their call is important to you.
I get pestered with endless phone calls on the landline from various numbers, some of them from what looks like numbers from abroad, I always let them ring out and then google the number to see who or what is ringing.
Sometimes the numbers have already been reported as spam, and so I just block the number. If the numbers are not recognized by google then I ring the number back and it always fails to connect or is an unrecognized number, which is a clear sign of an automated spam number or similar. Once again number gets blocked.
I must have blocked hundreds of numbers over the years, and I still get pestered with spam calls even though my number is registered with the TPS.
Once you put your telephone number online for whatever reason, it stays there forever and this must be how they get your number. I`ve had CV`s online when job hunting with contact numbers etc, another way they can get your details, which explains why they know your name when these nuisances phone you up.
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* (U3924)
posted 4 minutes ago
I get pestered with endless phone calls on the landline from various numbers, some of them from what looks like numbers from abroad, I always let them ring out and then google the number to see who or what is ringing.
Sometimes the numbers have already been reported as spam, and so I just block the number. If the numbers are not recognized by google then I ring the number back and it always fails to connect or is an unrecognized number, which is a clear sign of an automated spam number or similar. Once again number gets blocked.
I must have blocked hundreds of numbers over the years, and I still get pestered with spam calls even though my number is registered with the TPS.
Once you put your telephone number online for whatever reason, it stays there forever and this must be how they get your number. I`ve had CV`s online when job hunting with contact numbers etc, another way they can get your details, which explains why they know your name when these nuisances phone you up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably not worth the time blocking the numbers as there are thousands of numbers that could potentially call you.
comment by The Wonky Kronke (U16927)
posted 7 hours, 37 minutes ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually asked him about this and his response was again, perfectly plausible - something along the lines of "Virgin run their hardware off the back of BT equipment & lines"
But lesson fully learnt - this will never happen again.
There was also a lot of background noise is his call - what sounded like a busy call centre, again lending weight to the authenticity
Live and learn. I can’t think of any person I’d let remote into my system even if I had issues with my ISP they ain’t getting access.
comment by Ole-dirty-baztard - You want ole in, ole out, ... (U19119)
posted 56 minutes ago
Live and learn. I can’t think of any person I’d let remote into my system even if I had issues with my ISP they ain’t getting access.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Absolutely
The only guy who has access to the work computers is our IT guy
Have a look at Jim Brownings YouTube channel. The guy is a genius and really turns the tables on the scammers. He will ethically hack them whilst they try to scam him. Makes for entertaining viewing and he's also got money back for victims of scams. I usually answer a know call by saying "Action Fraud" , "Fred speaking. How may I help?" Usually they hang up quickly.
Sign in if you want to comment
Internet and phone scams
Page 3 of 3
posted on 3/4/21
Back in the late 80s to early 90s when bank cards with pin numbers were new a couple of people came into our office dressed as cleaners and stole a wallet out of someones jacket. Later they phoned him claiming to be the police and asked him for his PIN number for verification. He gave it to them and they managed to withdraw £200 from a cashpoint.
He did manage to get the money back and it sounds a really stupid thing to do to give his PIN number but it was all fairly new at the time
posted on 3/4/21
I've had several calls from someone purporting to be from HMRC, speaking in a VERY genuine BBC accent, saying I've been involved in fraud and that if I don't press '1' I'd be arrested
Also emails, the scammers are getting very good at emulating the text & narrative of genuine organisations and several of my people have asked me "is this genuine" but all you need to do is hover your mouse over the senders address to see woh it actually came from
I've got a few in my Spam folder this morning - all different topics such as "cheap broadband" or "medical insurance" but they're all from the same address - offers@snd.offerhousepromo.com
posted on 3/4/21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
posted on 3/4/21
comment by The Wonky Kronke (U16927)
posted 28 seconds ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not everyone is perfect
posted on 3/4/21
comment by Keep It Greasy - Music is the BEST (U1396)
posted 1 hour, 32 minutes ago
I've had several calls from someone purporting to be from HMRC, speaking in a VERY genuine BBC accent, saying I've been involved in fraud and that if I don't press '1' I'd be arrested
Also emails, the scammers are getting very good at emulating the text & narrative of genuine organisations and several of my people have asked me "is this genuine" but all you need to do is hover your mouse over the senders address to see woh it actually came from
I've got a few in my Spam folder this morning - all different topics such as "cheap broadband" or "medical insurance" but they're all from the same address - offers@snd.offerhousepromo.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I had one the other day. When they said "Her MAJESTY Revenue and Customs I hung up. Majesty rather than Majesty's was enough and I didnt even get to what they were threatening.
posted on 3/4/21
The guy who does the HMRC one sounds familiar so I assume he must do a lot of voice-over work for TV adverts etc.
Surely he must have known it was part of a scam when he was recording it
posted on 3/4/21
I had a call telling me that Arsenal will win the champions league next year, I knew it was a scam straight away 🤣🤣
posted on 3/4/21
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 3 minutes ago
The guy who does the HMRC one sounds familiar so I assume he must do a lot of voice-over work for TV adverts etc.
Surely he must have known it was part of a scam when he was recording it
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot of them are people in India who go for what they think are genuine jobs and they dot even know they are scams. As far as they know its just call center work. They have to perfect an English accent to get the job so mimic voices they can hear. This one probably practiced and practiced using the voice you recognize.
posted on 3/4/21
I always 'press1' because I know it's a scam and I'm prepared for it.
Always an African voice on the other end - They start by asking you to confirm your name and address - I ask them what name and address they've got which immediately puts them off their stride as they haven't got a clue who I am.
posted on 3/4/21
Putting them 'on hold' is a fun way to mess them around. Check back a couple of minutes later to see if they're still there and if they are, remind them that their call is important to you.
posted on 3/4/21
I get pestered with endless phone calls on the landline from various numbers, some of them from what looks like numbers from abroad, I always let them ring out and then google the number to see who or what is ringing.
Sometimes the numbers have already been reported as spam, and so I just block the number. If the numbers are not recognized by google then I ring the number back and it always fails to connect or is an unrecognized number, which is a clear sign of an automated spam number or similar. Once again number gets blocked.
I must have blocked hundreds of numbers over the years, and I still get pestered with spam calls even though my number is registered with the TPS.
Once you put your telephone number online for whatever reason, it stays there forever and this must be how they get your number. I`ve had CV`s online when job hunting with contact numbers etc, another way they can get your details, which explains why they know your name when these nuisances phone you up.
posted on 3/4/21
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* (U3924)
posted 4 minutes ago
I get pestered with endless phone calls on the landline from various numbers, some of them from what looks like numbers from abroad, I always let them ring out and then google the number to see who or what is ringing.
Sometimes the numbers have already been reported as spam, and so I just block the number. If the numbers are not recognized by google then I ring the number back and it always fails to connect or is an unrecognized number, which is a clear sign of an automated spam number or similar. Once again number gets blocked.
I must have blocked hundreds of numbers over the years, and I still get pestered with spam calls even though my number is registered with the TPS.
Once you put your telephone number online for whatever reason, it stays there forever and this must be how they get your number. I`ve had CV`s online when job hunting with contact numbers etc, another way they can get your details, which explains why they know your name when these nuisances phone you up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably not worth the time blocking the numbers as there are thousands of numbers that could potentially call you.
posted on 3/4/21
comment by The Wonky Kronke (U16927)
posted 7 hours, 37 minutes ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On this one, solitary occasion I was dumb
And I'm always the first in my peer group to waffle on about internet security
But it was SO plausible, having just been on a forum discussing the exact situation this guy *said* he could fix
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thing that brought that response from me was you said you had problems with Virgin Media then someone "from" BT phoned you. They are completely separate and dont share cables so you should have realised then.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually asked him about this and his response was again, perfectly plausible - something along the lines of "Virgin run their hardware off the back of BT equipment & lines"
But lesson fully learnt - this will never happen again.
There was also a lot of background noise is his call - what sounded like a busy call centre, again lending weight to the authenticity
posted on 3/4/21
Live and learn. I can’t think of any person I’d let remote into my system even if I had issues with my ISP they ain’t getting access.
posted on 3/4/21
comment by Ole-dirty-baztard - You want ole in, ole out, ... (U19119)
posted 56 minutes ago
Live and learn. I can’t think of any person I’d let remote into my system even if I had issues with my ISP they ain’t getting access.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Absolutely
The only guy who has access to the work computers is our IT guy
posted on 3/4/21
Have a look at Jim Brownings YouTube channel. The guy is a genius and really turns the tables on the scammers. He will ethically hack them whilst they try to scam him. Makes for entertaining viewing and he's also got money back for victims of scams. I usually answer a know call by saying "Action Fraud" , "Fred speaking. How may I help?" Usually they hang up quickly.
posted on 3/4/21
*known scam call
Page 3 of 3