warning a new telephone scam !!

[tonkatojo]

A new telephone scam has arrived.

“I received a call from a representative of BT, informing me that he was disconnecting me because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment of £31 immediately or it would be £118 to re-connect at a later date. The guy was not bothered when I told him I was with Virgin Media because he alleged that Virgin have to pay BT a percentage for line rental. I asked for his name: a very English John Peacock with a very African accent and telephone number, 0800 0800 152 0800 0800 152.

Obviously he realised that I did not believe his story so he offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. I asked how. He told me to hang up and to try telephoning someone and that he would disconnect my telephone to prevent this. AND HE DID!
My telephone was dead, no engaged tone, nothing until he phoned me again. Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. I asked how the payment was to be made. He said credit card, there and then. I said that I did not know how he had done it, I had absolutely no intention of paying him and I did not believe his name or that he worked for BT. He hung up.

I checked 1471 and called his fictitious 0800 number, which was not recognised. I called the police to let them know. I was not the first! Apparently the scam has only just started but it is escalating. Their advice is to tell as many people as possible about this scam. The fact that the telephone does go off would probably convince some people that it is real so do warn your friends and family about this. The scam was not that clever. He gave the wrong number: it should have been 0800 800152 0800 800152, which takes you through to BT Business. Cutting off the line is very simple. He stays on the line with the mute button on and you cannot dial out although he can hear you trying. This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it. When you stop trying, he cuts off and immediately calls you back. It is convincing. Once they have your credit or debit card details, there is nothing to stop them from cleaning out your account.”

[puffin croft]

wow! that is very clever,thank u for the warning,i will pass it on.

[dx100uk]

been going on for years

be careful out there.
dx

[pegasus]

Unprincipled pathetic brazen oportunist!

Very prudent to warn others.

Thanks.

[laguna2]

I am sure that if you hang up, but the other party does not, you cannot phone out as they are still on the line. All they have to do is make sure that they remain quiet and it will give the impression that the line is dead.

Good of you to warn others ... some follk my be frightened into paying up!

[ShelleyCowie]

Jolly good scam! Another flaw, as far as i am aware no BT employee is allowed to just cut off a line to prove they are from BT. They would go through security with you. Also i would ask for their BT identification number

Good scam though. Cheers for the warning.

[Setanta]

Tis a good try bound to catch a few out

[achingale]

That is a good one. Thank you for letting all us Orgers know about it. I will warn everyone I know.

[wicker8]

thanks for the warning

[Bazeye]

Thats why, as well as a notepad and pen, I keep my "Acme Thunderer" referees whistle next to the phone.

[Bazeye]

Or if Im in a particularly mischievous mood, just confirm your name then hold the receiver away and say, just loud enough for them to hear, "Move that body away now and mop that blood up" then carry on speaking to them as though nothings happened. There are different variations of this, just use your imagination.

[Kevin Milkins]

It never fails to amaze me just how much time and effort that some people will put into scamming.

I am sure if they put so much effort into genuine business development they would make a much better margin without looking over there shoulders.(Not sure if it would be so much fun though)

[pegasus]

Or if Im in a particularly mischievous mood, just confirm your name then hold the receiver away and say, just loud enough for them to hear, "Move that body away now and mop that blood up" then carry on speaking to them as though nothings happened. There are different variations of this, just use your imagination.

Hopefuly the contemptible scoundrel will be left shaking like a leaf!

[upolian]

Been on the go for at least 5 years this !

[Commore]

A new telephone scam has arrived.

“I received a call from a representative of BT, informing me that he was disconnecting me because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment of £31 immediately or it would be £118 to re-connect at a later date. The guy was not bothered when I told him I was with Virgin Media because he alleged that Virgin have to pay BT a percentage for line rental. I asked for his name: a very English John Peacock with a very African accent and telephone number, 0800 0800 152 0800 0800 152.

Obviously he realised that I did not believe his story so he offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. I asked how. He told me to hang up and to try telephoning someone and that he would disconnect my telephone to prevent this. AND HE DID!
My telephone was dead, no engaged tone, nothing until he phoned me again. Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. I asked how the payment was to be made. He said credit card, there and then. I said that I did not know how he had done it, I had absolutely no intention of paying him and I did not believe his name or that he worked for BT. He hung up.

I checked 1471 and called his fictitious 0800 number, which was not recognised. I called the police to let them know. I was not the first! Apparently the scam has only just started but it is escalating. Their advice is to tell as many people as possible about this scam. The fact that the telephone does go off would probably convince some people that it is real so do warn your friends and family about this. The scam was not that clever. He gave the wrong number: it should have been 0800 800152 0800 800152, which takes you through to BT Business. Cutting off the line is very simple. He stays on the line with the mute button on and you cannot dial out although he can hear you trying. This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it. When you stop trying, he cuts off and immediately calls you back. It is convincing. Once they have your credit or debit card details, there is nothing to stop them from cleaning out your account.”

I had a similar experence yesterday, a call from a foreigner (Indian, I suspect) from "Windows online", he insisted that I had been downloading malicious software, he said that "I" had been reported to him and that if I would just turn on my computer he would show me what he was talking about,
fact is we are only just back online yesterday after three months, and only three people have our new telephone number, so where I am asking myself did he get it from,
I refused to believe him in any respect and he promptly hung up, and again 1471 revealed no telephone number, there was however, a suspicious looking grey car sitting outside our property for the duration of the phone call,
the mind boggles??

[Kodiak]

As I have posted in another thread, get your phone set to reject all witheld Numbers and this will stop calls like this.

Also get caller display and if you receive a call from a unknown number just do not answer or reject it if your phone has a reject button like mine.

Simples

[Mall67]

I had a similar experence yesterday, a call from a foreigner (Indian, I suspect) from "Windows online", he insisted that I had been downloading malicious software, he said that "I" had been reported to him and that if I would just turn on my computer he would show me what he was talking about,
fact is we are only just back online yesterday after three months, and only three people have our new telephone number, so where I am asking myself did he get it from,
I refused to believe him in any respect and he promptly hung up, and again 1471 revealed no telephone number, there was however, a suspicious looking grey car sitting outside our property for the duration of the phone call,
the mind boggles??

They may have been waiting to hack your wireless connection if you have one.
Seen it done on TV. where they hacked a guys connection, then chapped his door and told him where he had just booked his holiday, how much he paid or it and his card details, and every website he had just been on. Needless to say I won't use wireless.

[robbain]

Here is another number 08000280195 the company is Affinion International they heve benn phoning our number same time every night about 7pm
this is a good website for checking these http://whocallsme.com/

[Commore]

They may have been waiting to hack your wireless connection if you have one.
Seen it done on TV. where they hacked a guys connection, then chapped his door and told him where he had just booked his holiday, how much he paid or it and his card details, and every website he had just been on. Needless to say I won't use wireless.

Thank you, yes, this is what we believe, too.

[George Brims]

I had a similar experence yesterday, a call from a foreigner (Indian, I suspect) from "Windows online", he insisted that I had been downloading malicious software, he said that "I" had been reported to him and that if I would just turn on my computer he would show me what he was talking about

My mother-in-law had a call from this guy or one of his mates. She cottoned on fast that it was a scam (the fact she doesn't own a computer was her first clue). She was happily stringing him along, wasting his time, until he started to get quite crabbit that she hadn't yet turned it on. Her enjoyment was spoiled by the postie coming to the door, forcing her to hang up on him.
I took a similar call the next week, and spent a little less time on the line with him, most of it swearing, quite creatively if I say so myself. This time it was the other guy that hung up first.