0870 744 6481 - Is this A Scam?

[Bill Fernie]

We have received two calls left on our answering machine in the past two days asking someone who does not live here to call this number by close of business that day at 8.30pm. They quote a long reference number but this may be meaningless and just to make it all sound official.

ASs 0870 is premium rate number it would appear to be a scam. The caller makes it sound legal, a bit threatening etc. Calling back did not make any difference even though they said number would be removed we still got another call.

I advise anyone else receiving calls to beware of 0870. The internet has many sites telling everyone to avoid 0870 numbers.

DO NOT CALL BACK - even to say they have the wrong person. The calls back from you trying to help are merely catching you in the net to add to their profits from these calls.

I am going to complain to BT and the Council Trading Standards on Monday but meantime everyone else be on your guard and if you do not recognise the number left on the answering machine don't call it back.

Anyone else receiving these calls. Complain to BT when they appear on your bill and maybe if enough of us complain it will be stopped.

[neepnipper]

We are on the telephone preference thing for ages but we've just started getting calls from people selling stuff, one obnoxious woman rang the other day saying we had been 'allocated' £6000.00 of home improvements, I said 'Thanks but I wasn't interested and could she not call again as we are on the call preference scheme' within 10 seconds she called again I said 'you called me 10 seconds ago' to which she replied 'I don't care', I said' Well I do, please don't call again', 10 seconds later off the phone went again, hubbie answered it ' Great' he said when she told him about the offer ' I live in a huge castle, 600 years old' 'How old is your kitchen' she asked 'Oh, about 500 years old, I'll just pass you over to my butler' he then hung up, she didn't call again. Wish I'd got the name of the company so I could've complained.

[johno]

We get those no,s occasionally and i never reply to them. if someone wants to talk to me so badly then i always give them the privilege to pay for the call. i/e they can call me back otherwise, tough?

[mccaugm]

I keep getting calls from people with foreign accents....holiday companies, window companies, we're in your area companies. My hubby once asked them where they thought he was and they could not answer...he also asked them where they were and was told he did not need to know. He countered by saying you claim you know where I am..why shouldn't I know where you are....they soon hung up.

[scorrie]

We have received two calls left on our answering machine in the past two days asking someone who does not live here to call this number by close of business that day at 8.30pm. They quote a long reference number but this may be meaningless and just to make it all sound official.

ASs 0870 is premium rate number it would appear to be ascam. The caller makes it sound legal, a bit threatening etc. Calling back did not make any difference even though they said number would be removed we still got another call.

I advise anyone else receiving calls to beware of 0870. the internet has many sites telling everyone to avoid 0870 numbers.

DO NOT CALL BACK - even to say they have the wrong person. The calls back from you trying to help are merely catching you in the net to add to their profits from these calls.

I am going to complain to BT and the Council Trading Standards on Monday but meantime everyopne else be on your guard and if you do not recognise the number left on the answering machine don't call it back.

Anyone else receiving these calls. Complain to BT when they appear on your bill and maybe if anough of us complain it willbe stopped.

Bill, I am pretty sure that Ofcom forced the price of 0870 numbers down to that of a normal landline. It probably is a scam though. I had calls from similar numbers, which I managed to track down on the web and they were mentioned as being scams in various articles I found.

I also had the home improvements (Gordon Bennett) scam call and mentioned to him that I was well aware of him via the Org. He called back 30 seconds later trying to put on a deeper voice and claimed to be Johnny Fyve. I told him I knew he was Gordon and he half-heartedly tried to keep up the charade before bursting out laughing and putting the phone down!!

As Comic Book Guy would say, "Worst Scammer Evverr"

[Oddquine]

I just tell all the Home Improvements crowd that I'm in a Council house.........and on the TPS.

Swift phone slam down............by them!

[JimH]

There is a web site called "Say no to 0870".
This is a free way to access the geographical number for all reputable companies using 0870.

[botheed]

We have received two calls left on our answering machine in the past two days asking someone who does not live here to call this number by close of business that day at 8.30pm. They quote a long reference number but this may be meaningless and just to make it all sound official.

ASs 0870 is premium rate number it would appear to be ascam. The caller makes it sound legal, a bit threatening etc. Calling back did not make any difference even though they said number would be removed we still got another call.

I advise anyone else receiving calls to beware of 0870. the internet has many sites telling everyone to avoid 0870 numbers.

DO NOT CALL BACK - even to say they have the wrong person. The calls back from you trying to help are merely catching you in the net to add to their profits from these calls.

I am going to complain to BT and the Council Trading Standards on Monday but meantime everyopne else be on your guard and if you do not recognise the number left on the answering machine don't call it back.

Anyone else receiving these calls. Complain to BT when they appear on your bill and maybe if anough of us complain it willbe stopped.thanks for the warning Bill

[ks]

An 0870 number is not a premium rate number, it is a national rate number charged at about 8ppm.

[bluelady]

I get these day, night and weekends at all times and they drive me mad. Usually when you pick e phone up first there is silence as e computer kicks in and then we get charged for e call, so now, if its silent I put e phone down quick. If our answer machine is on, it never leaves a message on that.

[robynaus]

I get these day, night and weekends at all times and they drive me mad. Usually when you pick e phone up first there is silence as e computer kicks in and then we get charged for e call, so now, if its silent I put e phone down quick. If our answer machine is on, it never leaves a message on that.

We get these too usually means they are froma call centre in India regards robyn

[jimbews]

then we get charged for e call

Surely not. Not for receiving phone calls.

Trouble is that:
The TPS only applies to the UK
It can take months to trickle down to call centres
It doesn't apply to non-sales calls
(so you may be the subject of a "survey" on kitchens...)
It doesn't apply to companies to whom you've given your details
etc
etc

But persist. If you get a caller tell them that you're registered - they don't want to waste their time, either now or in the future. They are probably paid a pittance based on results.
If you persistently get silent calls try to see if they have not hidden their number (via 1471 or caller line display). Oftel are getting tougher on silent calls (if from the UK).

There's a website "say no to 0870".
Why not a similar site naming companies using non-UK call centres in this manner so that we can blacklist them.

JimBews