Scam call from 08716641448

In article en.co.uk,
Roderick Stewart wrote:


Re my other post in this thread - get a Panasonic phone. It has a little
display window that shows who's calling, in the same way that most
mobile phones do. The messages it can show include "Outside area" and
"International". The one useful function it lacks (unless they've added
it to later models) is the ability to program the phone to reject such
calls and not even annoy me by ringing, but at least I can make an
informed choice not to answer.

Personally, I prefer to 'answer' their calls - this costs them money. I
just pick up the phone, and then fail to answer any questions they ask. I
allow them to chat for as long as they wish. Then when they have run out of
breath or ask a question, I ask them to tell me their name, address, etc,
so I can write it down on the TPS form.

Quite amazing how many of them turn out to be on their "first day at work"
and apparently unable to say where they are phoning from. These companies
must have a shocking turnover of workers, and employ people with serious
memory problems. Came to work that morning, but don't know where they are.
Maybe their screen at the end of the day gives them a map to get home
again. :-)

Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from outwith
the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so press 'X' and
we can start billing you for this international call at inflated rates.". I
generally allow these to play over and over for as long as they run. Then
try 1471 once they have quit and I hung up.

These also often have number unavailable/withheld. But sometimes have an
'00' number. I did phone BT for one to tell them and complain. They had no
interest in the number. Told me that these companies use a computer to make
up faked 'dialled from' numbers.

Must confess that baffled me. Who do the telco bill for the international
call? I don't press any buttons or agree to pay. I asked the BT person, but
she seemed unable to say.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
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In article , Simon Slavin
wrote:
They probably realise a lot of people are like me - if I see
"withheld" on the CLI display I don't answer the 'phone.

Unfortunately I have relatives who withhold their numbers.

Treat them exactly the same way, and they'll soon get the idea. Don't
answer anyone who makes anonymous phone calls. It's antisocial.

Rod.

Mark Carver wrote:
Er... if your are switched out with another provider.

.....then I think CLID etc has to be supplied by that other provider.

Whoops, I meant CPS - not totally switched out off BT exchange PSTN
hardware. I still pay line rental to BT.

(Mind you, I'm LLU'd on broadband to confuse things....)

If you're on CPS Override, then you should still be able to call via BT
using 1280.

Yup.

--
Adrian C

In article , Jim Lesurf wrote:
Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from outwith
the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so press 'X' and
we can start billing you for this international call at inflated rates.". I
generally allow these to play over and over for as long as they run. Then
try 1471 once they have quit and I hung up.

Some years ago, before I learnt to be brusque with these people, I once found
myself in conversation with a woman with an American accent who told me I had
been awarded a free holiday in Florida. We must have been speaking for a good
ten minutes over a transatlantic line (the call presumably paid for by them
because they called me), while she tried to persuade me that a holiday in
Florida was just what I wanted and I effectively tried to cross-examine her
on exactly what the catch was.

But she assured me a one week holiday in an apartment somewhere in Florida
really was offered absolutely free. All I had to pay for was the flight to
get there. And food I think, but the accommodation was free.

At this point I expressed reservations and asked for their number so I could
think about it and get in touch if I decided to accept, but she said that it
wouldn't be possible to keep the offer open any longer, and I was just
drawing breath to be a bit more emphatic when she asked for my bank or credit
card details for the travel insurance. This suddenly clarified my mind into
realising that although I had been lulled into a false sense of security by
talking to this woman for about ten minutes, she was in fact a total stranger
who I only knew as a voice on the phone, and she had declined to give me her
her number.

Be careful.

Rod.

In article en.co.uk,
Roderick Stewart wrote:
In article , Jim Lesurf wrote:
Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from
outwith the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so
press 'X' and we can start billing you for this international call at
inflated rates.". I generally allow these to play over and over for as
long as they run. Then try 1471 once they have quit and I hung up.

Some years ago, before I learnt to be brusque with these people, I once
found myself in conversation with a woman with an American accent who
told me I had been awarded a free holiday in Florida.

[big snip]

lulled into a false sense of security by talking to this woman for
about ten minutes, she was in fact a total stranger who I only knew as
a voice on the phone, and she had declined to give me her her number.

Be careful.

Many years ago I adopted the policy of always asking 'cold' phone callers
their details without answering *any* of their questions. I would not give
any info unless I have an address or fixed line phone number which I can
contact *first*. Not that I care to contact them, just to see if I can get
info to report them to the TPS/Police/TS, or find that they are curiously
shy of giving checkable contact details.

I do the equivalent with cold callers at the door, or anyone who business
card has no address or fixed line number, but just a mobile number. As you
say, you have no idea who these people are. The fact that they decline to
give you info that would trace them seems a clear enough flag that they
aren't worth trusting.

When callers claim to be doing 'market research' and thus outwith TPS rules
I ask them how much they pay in cash, and see if they will agree to send me
anything *before* I answer any questions at all. Oddly, they don't seem to
feel they need to pay for info... So I guess someone else who is wealthy is
paying their salaries.

FWIW Had a bod knock at the door some weeks ago who started claiming he
was from the company that 'actually supplied our electric/gas', despite our
bills coming from, and our paying to, someone else. Claimed that if he
checked he could get us a lower price.

Oddly, he kept refusing at first to let me read the details on the badge
hanging around his neck. I insisted and he showed it to me with his thumb
over the phone number. I persisted and finally got the name and number. I
explained I never give any info at the door, or agree to anything with cold
callers.

For some reason he didn't know who our bills came from, despite his claims.
Odd, that... ;- He tried asking me, but I didn't tell him. I also
refused when he wanted me to bring my bills to the door so he could 'check'
them. Overall, the smell of fish was quite strong. He seemed quite
annoyed that I simply wanted to check who he was, etc, but would not tell
him anything. I had to keep reminding him that the companies have a
well-advertised policy that you can get ID info from their callers, and
phone to check this. Indeed, this is why they have the badge I'd been
wanting to read. This just upset him for some reason... ;-

He was clearly trying to make a commission out of 'switching' us from our
current supplier to his own, without admitting it to me.

If I'm not in a hurry, don't mind wasting *their* time and money. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
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Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:30:06 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from outwith
the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so press 'X' and
we can start billing you for this international call at inflated rates.".

That's an urban myth. There's no key you can press that would result
in you being billed for the call.

Must confess that baffled me. Who do the telco bill for the international
call?

The foreign caller's foreign telco bills the foreign caller. Nothing
to do with BT, except that BT will charge the foreign telco a
termination fee. But BT don't need to know who the caller is.

Mike.

brightside S9 wrote:

There is. it is called "anonymous call reject" or ACR. It costs 4UKP
per month. See BT web and look for 'calling features'.


If callers are given the _free_ facility to withhold their identity,
then recipients should be given the same _free_ chance to refuse to connect.

BT making charges for this is crazy.

--
Adrian C

In article . net, Mike
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:30:06 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from
outwith the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so
press 'X' and we can start billing you for this international call at
inflated rates.".

That's an urban myth. There's no key you can press that would result in
you being billed for the call.

Odd that I recall a "You and Yours" programme devoted to warning people
about this, then. The point they made was that pressing a given key accepts
the call on a 'reverse charges' basis. So you then pay. Were they fibbing?

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

In article , Adrian C wrote:
There is. it is called "anonymous call reject" or ACR. It costs 4UKP
per month. See BT web and look for 'calling features'.


If callers are given the _free_ facility to withhold their identity,
then recipients should be given the same _free_ chance to refuse to connect.

Absolutely. Better still not to allow anyone to phone anonymously, but the
current arrangement is playing into the hands of fraudsters.

Rod.

Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article . net, Mike
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:30:06 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

Above said, of late I have been getting automated voice calls from
outwith the UK. Variations on "You have won a fictitious holiday so
press 'X' and we can start billing you for this international call at
inflated rates.".

That's an urban myth. There's no key you can press that would result in
you being billed for the call.

Odd that I recall a "You and Yours" programme devoted to warning people
about this, then. The point they made was that pressing a given key accepts
the call on a 'reverse charges' basis. So you then pay. Were they fibbing?


There is a reverse charge type of call which a caller
can access from a free number, but the called party
must be given an invitation to accept or reject the
call. If the operator is automated, the called party
would press a specific key to accept. This service is
very expensive - £3 to £4 for connection plus £1 per
minute.