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Author Topic: Scam phone calls about my internet  (Read 31673 times)

broadstairs

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Scam phone calls about my internet
« on: September 10, 2015, 09:32:36 AM »

Not sure if this is the right board but here goes....

A while ago TalkTalk had a whole bunch of data stolen about their customers which included names, account numbers and phone numbers. This is now in the hands of scammers who all sound they are from the Indian subcontinent. Some days I get 2 or 3 calls other times it can go days with nothing. They all start by saying there is a problem with my internet connection. Needless to say I dont give anything away but when I am in the mood I string them along for a while which confuses the hell out of them and their scripts. Usually begin either with not finding the Windows key on the keyboard or not having a 'Start' button  ;) and then after a while they cut the connection, when they asked what OS I was using the other day I said OS/2  ;)

I asked TT about this to see if there was any way they could filter these out but all they offered was a new phone number which of course causes me a huge headache in letting all my contacts know. It is not possible to ban the calling numbers as they spoof the caller-id.

Anyway I was wondering how many other TT customers on here are getting these calls?

Stuart
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2015, 09:52:40 AM »

I've never been a TT customer, but been getting these  scam calls for years.   Sometimes several a week, more than one a day is not unheard of.

There is a lot to be said for stringing them along, if you have the time.    Their profit margins must be pretty border line at best of times and time wasted on fruitless calls will eat into it.

I usually find that the initial caller is really just assessing me, to see if I sound like a sucker.   if I pass that test I'm transferred to a more convincing-sounding (still Indian, but with better English) techie, I presume he is the scammer's  'precious resource' that will be hardest hit by time wasters.
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broadstairs

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2015, 10:02:30 AM »

I have never had them in the past but these are particularly annoying as they have so much detail about my TT account. I guess since our landline has been ex-directory for some 20 years we were a bit less likely to get them until more recently with them generating random phone numbers. The calls we do sometimes get are PPI etc.

Stuart
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2015, 10:21:22 AM »

For me these days, it has got to the point that any unrecognised caller arouses my hackles, in anticipation of a scam or marketeer.   And  it has proved embarrassing a couple of times, when a genuine caller picked up on the fact my hackles were raised. 'sorry, is this a bad time to talk?', they ask  :-[

Even calls with number withheld can be genuine.  I know some doctors surgeries have a policy of doing so, when calling to discuss medical matters or to alter appointments.   The thinking is that if you get home and find you missed a call from the doctor,  and it's too late to call back, you might worry all night about why he/she was calling...

But if your callers seem privy to personal TT account details that does make them sound very interesting... :-\
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loonylion

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2015, 01:16:22 PM »

get a premium rate number and then keep them talking. They might as well pay you for the privilege of attempting to scam you  :P
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freelander

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2015, 05:54:45 PM »

We get these calls quite regular , I have managed to have them on the line for over an hour trying to sort my pc , I tell them that my pc is not in the same room as my telephone and that I will have to write everything down that they want doing in steps ,I tell them I will  do a bit of what they want and then come back and write more instructions  down , obviously  I just put the phone down and continue getting on with what ever I am doing, 10/15 min check they are still there and repetes the posses till finished then tell them I have no Internet , that really gets them cranky.

If I don't feel like playing I tell them I am glad they phoned as I do have a problem with my pc and it's making a whistling sound and I will put the hand set near the pc to see if they can hear it and sort it out ,  I  have  an emergency  mountain rescue whistle that they get a sharp blast from , they soon put the phone down
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NewtronStar

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2015, 06:07:02 PM »

I'll get up to a max of 8 calls showing up as international wanting to take a survey, we ask to be taken off the data base but still those calls continue it's become an epidemic and i can see anything that can stop it and have used all known ways.
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freelander

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2015, 06:15:20 PM »

I bought my old mum one of these and it works really well mshe was inundated with calls and this has stopped 95% of them and any that do get through she just presses the button  to blacklist them

http://www.cprcallblocker.com   website and the product I bought her  http://www.cprcallblocker.com/cpr-call-blocker-v108-world-1-call-blocker-1200-number-capacity/
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NewtronStar

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2015, 06:22:00 PM »

I bought my old mum one of these and it works really well mshe was inundated with calls and this has stopped 95% of them and any that do get through she just presses the button  to blacklist them

http://www.cprcallblocker.com   website and the product I bought her  http://www.cprcallblocker.com/cpr-call-blocker-v108-world-1-call-blocker-1200-number-capacity/

That device does not work when the caller blocks the number id  :(
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freelander

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2015, 06:27:37 PM »

How do you mean blocks number I'd

It blocks
Private  Blocking Function
This will reject all calls shown as WITHHELD

Unknown Blocking Function
This will reject all calls shown as UNAVAILABLE

International Blocking Function
This will reject all calls shown as INTERNATIONAL

"0" Type Calls Blocking Function
This will reject all calls shown as multiple 000s or variations of fake numbers.

VOIP Blocking Function
This will reject all VOIP style internet Nuisance Callers

Last Calling Number Blocker
This will block the last visible number from your call log

Area Code Blocker
This will block the Area Code of a calling number or the first 2,3 4 or 5 digits etc of any number
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broadstairs

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2015, 06:34:47 PM »

The problem with these scammers is they are spoofing the caller-id and some times it is a valid UK phone number and sometimes not. The other issue is that I have rarely seen the same number being used so eventually you fill up these blocking devices as they usually have a finite capacity. Now if I could get TT to provide me with a new ex-directory number which has NEVER been issued (they do re-use numbers after a few months) and would be willing to pay any costs incurred with changing then I might just do it.

Stuart
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renluop

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GigabitEthernet

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #12 on: September 10, 2015, 07:52:07 PM »

I got one of these calls two days ago.

Obviously I wasn't taken by this and when I called the gentleman out he got very annoyed and hung up the phone.
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burakkucat

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broadstairs

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Re: Scam phone calls about my internet
« Reply #14 on: September 10, 2015, 08:03:04 PM »

I got one of these calls two days ago.

Obviously I wasn't taken by this and when I called the gentleman out he got very annoyed and hung up the phone.

Yes if I am busy when they say 'I am from TalkTalk' I just say no you are not and they usually hang up, but if I'm bored I try to play them for fools.

Stuart
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