Beware new phone scam fraud

[jeral Profile]

Just had a call claiming to be Barclays fraud dept saying a transaction for £800+ was attempted by Amazon. I eventually was told it was for TV, washer and another elec item. Barclays do stop transactions (drives me mad) so it didn't occur to me it wasn't a genuine call.

I was told during the conversation that it would be recorded at that point as it had become a serious fraud enquiry. I was "interviewed" as it was a fraud matter (fine). After a confusing chat with various non sequiturs, I was then put through to an automated system to confirm details and arrange a new card. The first question asked was: "Enter your 4-digit pin number".

Yeah, right. No way. I was then assured that he (the caller) could only see my name on his screen. Yes, I said, that's exactly what a con artist would say. He ended the call almost immediately. I promptly called Barclays and reported all, asking them to add it to their scam-awareness news page.

Sorry not about food, but thought worth sharing to all.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Glad you kept your head, their spiel is designed to confuse you into not thinking straight, even though it's obvious you shouldn't divulge a pin over the phone.

I got scammed over 40 years ago, but the memory still hurts! It was a special "auction" arranged at a local pub and advertised in the local paper, where they pile stuff high and whip the crowd up into buying things. I was drawn in and bought what looked like a quality stereo bedside radio, matt black with shiny knobs, about 14 inches by 6 by 4, for £20 (probably my weekly wage then).

When I got it home, I found it was cobbled together out of chipboard covered in fablon, nailed together, with a cardboard tube inside containing a dismembered £2 transistor radio which gave the impression that the soundcoming out of both ends was from two speakers (it wasn't, just one weeny scratchy speaker). It was fit only for the bin. Of course there was no way of getting my money back, fake address given to the pub in return for a handsome backhander

[Renee Profile]

Oh no, that's awful Sakkarin and it was a lot of money back in those days. Yes, backhanders used to be quite common in certain places.

Pampy, thanks so much for the warning. I might have been taken in by that, too, until it got to giving bank details.

I had a call from NatWest. I put the phone down, but it actually was from NatWest, I discovered later.

[smitch Profile]

You need to be careful with these types of calls as the fraudster can leave the line open, then impersonate your bank when you think you’ve rang them to verify the call. Always use a different phone to ring the bank/whoever just to be sure.

[Renee Profile]

Yes, that's true, smitch, but I always go online when using my bank.

That's very good advice though.

[Pampy Profile]

I had a phone call the other day which was a recording saying that the message was from Ofcom and that my internet connection was going to be disconnected in 24 hours. I was told to press a number for...I hung up at this point. Phoned Ofcom - of course, it was nothing to do with them and I was advised to report it to Action Fraud https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ which I did. Action Fraud wouldn't have the resource to do anything on the basis of just one report but if they started to get more, they would then pick it up. I know that these days, phone numbers can be "spoofed" - have any exchange prefix - but it was a bit discomforting to see that the caller's number was the same as my exchange, so it looked like it was a local call.
And I can only reiterate Smitch's advice to use a different phone line to make any calls to verify (or not) the validity of the original caller.

[Suffs Profile]

I’ve had that one several times Pampy ... as you say, showing a local exchange number. I simply hang up on them but it’s very irritating

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Sometimes the phone display shows International, followed by a number that looks like a UK one. Often times it doesn't though. On the calls list they subsequently seem to be UK numbers. We often get a rake of them if we've been away for a few days. We work on the principle that if there are important legitimate calls in there they'll try again. We therefore don't usually bother answering any calls from numbers we don't recognise, unless we're expecting a call from somebody. We've used this tactic with International calls for some time.

[Joanbunting Profile]

We've got number regognition as well but some skype or internet calls show up as number witheld and as both s-i-l and DD use internet we don't know when it's them until we told them to let the phone ring 3 times then put it down, wait a few mins and ring again.

As for the Asian voices behind the "Something amiss with your internet/hard disc or whatever If I have time I string them along until I get tired and then inform them that I don't own a computer. My other tack is to enquire if their mother's know they are trying to defraud elderly folk?

[WWordsworth Profile]

Last year my colleague's phone rang. As she was away from her desk I answered it.
A man with a very strong Asian accent was very forthright about the accident she had but could not give me her name or details of the accident
I was busy so I told him to go to hell and put the phone down.

2 minutes later her phone rang again so I had a huff to myself and answered it.

The same man asked me if I had told him to go to hell. I said I had so he said "You are a bl%%dy b!tch Madam" and didn't quite know what to do when I burst out laughing.

[Renee Profile]

Good for you!

Someone came back to me recently and said that it was rude to just put the phone down!