Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[sevenlayermuddle]

I recently came across a strategy for defeating these  infernal calls which cause disturbance to many of us, often several times a day.  The calls usually invite you to 'press 5 to talk to an advisor'.  The suggestion is to ALWAYS press 5 and, when connected, explain that you just did so to annoy them, just as they have annoyed you on countless occasions.

The strategy may well  work.  The vermin behind these automated calls really do employ call centre staff to answer everybody who presses 5 and, if sufficient people do so, it should easily overload the call centre to the extent that only a tiny percentage of their time is spent productively.  Once the costs exceed the return, they may well abandon the strategy.

I am not qualified to give legal advice and you'd have to judge for yourselves, though I seriously doubt whether any repercussions would be likely.

[chrissie]

Do you have to pay for the "press 5" call SLM, if one has to pay for the call...I don't think I would be up for that (though thankfully I'm not bothered by these nuisance calls....atm..)?

Chrissie

[sevenlayermuddle]

Do you have to pay for the "press 5" call SLM, if one has to pay for the call...I don't think I would be up for that (though thankfully I'm not bothered by these nuisance calls....atm..)?

Chrissie

Not to my knowledge.

[tickmike]

Do you have to pay for the "press 5" call SLM, if one has to pay for the call...I don't think I would be up for that (though thankfully I'm not bothered by these nuisance calls....atm..)?

Chrissie

Yes You Pay because you are making the call !.

I had an odd one yesterday, some far off not English sounding woman ask if my name and address was correct, I then put the phone down (it was my name / address  )  a short time later I get anther odd call, it said enter my account number and then enter my password to access your account, I put the phone down. 

[sevenlayermuddle]

Yes You Pay because you are making the call !.

I've always regarded that as urban myth, but somebody may know otherwise?

[roseway]

Yes, I think it's an urban myth. Wasn't this a situation where one of the police forces ended up with a lot of egg on its face by warning people in their area about the 'scam', only to have it pointed out to them that it isn't possible for a caller to reverse the charges without the recipient's specific consent?

[sevenlayermuddle]

Here's a link to the Reg, related to possibility of charges for pressing buttons on incoming calls, exposed as hoax.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/12/04/phone_scam_warning_exposed_as/

A spokesman for the UK's dominant fixed line telco said he'd received a number of calls on the subject.

"It's a hoax, technically impossible, an urban myth," he said.

I cannot see how that differs from pressing '5' in response to a PPI call?

PS, I see Eric has posted as I typed.  Here's a link, I think, the the Police involvement...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/12/08/dial_9_scam_snares_wilts/

[burakkucat]

On the odd occasion when I have received such a -- er -- "silly" call, I have said (in my best "official" sounding voice): "Please state your security clearance code."

 

[sevenlayermuddle]

On the odd occasion when I have received such a -- er -- "silly" call, I have said (in my best "official" sounding voice): "Please state your security clearance code."

Ha, we think alike.  I often do that too, but always believed it was my own idea 

I sometimes also ask the caller to 'answer a few security questions', to confirm their identity.  You'd be surprised how much they'll give out... Mother's maiden name, first part of postcode, etc.  My final question is usually 'what is your shoe size'; if they give an answer (and often they do) I then explain that the answer does not match what I have on record and, for that reason, I am unable to discuss whatever it is they called about.

[asbokid]

On the odd occasion when I have received such a -- er -- "silly" call, I have said (in my best "official" sounding voice): "Please state your security clearance code." 

I passed on that pearl of wisdom to my mother who often complains that her TV gameshows are being rudely interrupted by PPI telephone twits.
Her response was.. "What a good idea! But what is the security clearance code?"   

[silversurfer44]

 
I gather your mother doesn't read these posts then Asbokid.

[sevenlayermuddle]

On the odd occasion when I have received such a -- er -- "silly" call, I have said (in my best "official" sounding voice): "Please state your security clearance code." 

I passed on that pearl of wisdom to my mother who often complains that her TV gameshows are being rudely interrupted by PPI telephone twits.
Her response was.. "What a good idea! But what is the security clearance code?"   

 

[BritBrat]

Press 5 amd make the £2 a min call.

I am sure they will like you to annoy them as often as you like.

Get caller display line and phone and don't anwer international calls.

Get a 084 phone number and give that out online but not to friends and family.

Get a phone where you can block calls from a number.

Get a loud whistle.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Press 5 amd make the £2 a min call

It was established earlier in this thread that seems to be an urban myth.  I'm not aware of any mechanism in the UK network that would allow consumers to be charged a single penny as a result of tapping a button on an incoming call.

[Black Sheep]

Can't remember where I heard, or read it, but when the nuisance call happened, the gentleman answered the phone as if he was investigating a murder.

He started quizzing the unsuspecting cold-caller, asking how did he know the murder victim etc etc. Was funny as .....