Scam call from 08716641448

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:30:27 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

I recently had a call, which I answered (in my usual way) by simply
giving my telephone number. An automated American voice then said "That
is an invalid response. Please press 1 for assistance" (which I didn't,
and hung up). Needless to say, 1471 didn't reveal the caller's number.
Was this a scam?

it was probably an automated sales call. The numbers are called by a
computer, which checks if a human (as opposed to an answering machine)
has answered by telling you to press a key. Those who do so will be
connected to a human sales person or hung up on if there's no sales
person free.

Mike.

"Richard Tobin" wrote in message
...
In article . net,
Mike wrote:

it was probably an automated sales call. The numbers are called by a
computer, which checks if a human (as opposed to an answering machine)
has answered by telling you to press a key.

I frequently get junk calls, but never any on my answering machine.
So presumably they have a way to determine whether it's an answering
machine before saying anything. How do they do that?

I suppose they listen to the outgoing message, or at least the start of it.

Bill

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:40:49 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:

I suppose they listen to the outgoing message, or at least the start of it.

Fifteen years ago, for my first job, I worked as a telesales operator
for Olan Mills photographers. I lasted precisely one week.

We were given a list of numbers to cold call and a script. The script
was based on the assumption that everybody wanted to have the offer,
and didn't allow for any interaction up until asking for order /
payment details. So customers had to interrupt me to tell me to sod
off.

The list of numbers was ancient! Nothing was checked against the
telephone preference service. I phoned people who were ex-directory
and they were understandably considerably narked. If somebody objected
and asked to be removed, we'd say yes but leave the number on the
list; the same if we got "number unobtainable" - the reason given by
the supervisor is that numbers get reallocated over time.

We were warned never to leave messages on answer machines as being
recorded in that way can be used in evidence.

Frequently I'd ring up and I'd get an old lady. They'd not be able to
hear and have to go and turn down the telly or whatever, then they'd
come back on the phone to tell me that they didn't have any family
left for portrait photos etc. I felt awful.

The bloke who "taught" me was a right ******. He told us that the
greatest salesperson in history was Hitler; I think we were supposed
to emulate him a bit! A self-important oafish git. He lost his job
eventually after having his driving license removed for drink-driving
too often.

It was a salutary lesson; I was really concerned that the whole world
of work was like that, having nothing to compare it with. But I just
could not carry on doing it after 1 week. I felt like I was doing a
morally corrupt job for a morally corrupt firm.

--
http://www.kingqueen.org.uk
remove .lartsspammers to reply by email

Jim wrote:

It's a little more complex than that, I suspect. Callers unable to reach
a called party are likely to blame their own supplier rather than the
latter's.

I expect ACR plays a recorded message informing the reason why the call
was blocked - i.e. withhold of identity. Think the caller will be clued
up to know why that happened ...

What about charging - should the originating caller have to
pay for the failed call?

Nope, as with dialing a wrong number there should be no charge.

If not, could the originating network be sure
of getting a refund of inter-network charges?

Are there any inter-network charges for trying to connect a wrong number?

--
Adrian C

In article , Mike Henry
wrote:
In , Jim Lesurf
wrote:

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

Surprisingly enough, "give me a printed list of your tariffs to take
away so that I can check against my bills upstairs" is always impossible
for them. It's all verbal, never any hard figures for you to keep.

I did try asking him for printed details of the tariffs, etc, so I could
examine it later for myself. As you would predict, these were mysteriously
unavailable. :-)

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

If only everyone was as militant as you and I, these companies would be
forced to be honest and upfront.

Don't really feel I was 'militant'. Just not willing to hand him my wallet
and say "Help yourself". :-) More that I am curious to see they show any
signs of being genuine, and how quickly they give themselves away when you
don't follow their script.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
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On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:47:13 +0100, "Bill Wright"
wrote:

"Paul Murray" wrote in message
ng.com...
On 2008-07-21, Mike Henry wrote:
In , Jim Lesurf
[another big snip!]
He was clearly trying to make a commission out of 'switching' us from our
current supplier to his own, without admitting it to me.

Wasn't npower was it?
Sounds very similar to my experience with them.

A friend of mine has a mentally handicapped adult son, who lives alone. He
was pursuaded to sign up for this by someone on the doorstep. Needless to
say his mum went berserk at the company.

I think it was Npower who tried to switch me without my knowledge or
consent, six months after I'd bought my current house. It turned out
that their unscrupulous salesman had called at an old peoples' home
and persuaded the old dear from whom I'd bought the house to switch
the house where she used to live.

Mike.

On 22 Jul 2008 11:26:27 GMT, (Richard Tobin)
wrote:

In article . net,
Mike wrote:

it was probably an automated sales call. The numbers are called by a
computer, which checks if a human (as opposed to an answering machine)
has answered by telling you to press a key.

I frequently get junk calls, but never any on my answering machine.
So presumably they have a way to determine whether it's an answering
machine before saying anything. How do they do that?

-- Richard


When I started to get calls on my ex directory number at home, I
recorded on my answermachine the "The number you have dialled has not
been recognized.." that BT give out when you mis-dial a number, it is
preceeded with the SIT tones, and repeats for 30 secs then hangs up, a
lot of computer dialling systems recognise these tones and therefore
mark the number as an invalid number. People who know about this
ring me at the correct time with their caller ID.

If I see an unavailable or withheld number I just let the machine do
its thing.

Rarely get any unwanted calls now.

[sorry to ride on John's excellent reply, but for some reason I can't
reply to the original]

In article ,
says...

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?

They were wrong. They should have done come fact-checking like perhaps
asking someone from a teleco. No idea why they didn't.

This was reported all over the world, having been spread mostly by one of
those chain-emails that everyone sent to fifty of their closest friends.
It originated in North America. And it was entirely wrong, even there.
Various versions of this rumour included 'press #0', the idea that the
scheme was being perpetrated by prisoners, and other ridiculosities.

Simon.
--
http://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk

In article , Simon Slavin
. uk wrote:
[sorry to ride on John's excellent reply, but for some reason I can't
reply to the original]

In article ,
says...

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?

They were wrong. They should have done come fact-checking like perhaps
asking someone from a teleco. No idea why they didn't.

I note your view. However, can you perhaps give us something like a URL
where a telco like BT explains this? Getting such an official reference to
what the situation actually is may clear up the uncertainty.

Other postings I have read in this thread seem to say that it *is* possible
to agree to 'reverse charging' by pressing a key, but that you are supposed
to be 'warned' beforehand. The other unclear point is *who* is supposed to
give such a warning, and how it is enforced that they *always* do so - even
if they are crooks dialling in from outwith the UK. Again, if you know this
isn't possible, perhaps you could give your source reference so we can
check.

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

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:37:56 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:

Other postings I have read in this thread seem to say that it *is* possible
to agree to 'reverse charging' by pressing a key, but that you are supposed
to be 'warned' beforehand. The other unclear point is *who* is supposed to
give such a warning, and how it is enforced that they *always* do so - even
if they are crooks dialling in from outwith the UK. Again, if you know this
isn't possible, perhaps you could give your source reference so we can
check.

As far as I know, the only company that has an arrangement with BT to
do this is "0800 Reverse". The facility certainly isn't available to
any random overseas cold-calling fraudster. Or to you or me.

May I suggest that you post to uk.telecom if you really want more
information about this.

Mike.