Warning of frightening phone call

Surely we should all know by now that we just have to hung up on these kind of calls.
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When there is so much information in every kind of media, from print, through social media, I am absolutely amazed that so many people, and I am excluding those vulnerable for physical or mental reasons, should still be falling for them.

Most of these scams are so unoriginal in their operation and repeat waves of them are surely instantly recognisable.

It’s been going a while I ve been ‘arrested’ a few times it’s quite silly isn’t it
I did answer an unknown number very sharply this week, luckily I didn’t use a certain four letter word which has escaped my mouth before now but it turned out to be a legitimate call ... whoops

These calls certainly bring out the worst in me ( swearing ) if it happens to be a voice and not a recorded thing. Hateful people !

I agree about there being more of these scams during lockdown and we all might think we'd know who to believe but sometimes they sound so genuine. If anyone mentions Amazon I say its a long river and then there's silence.

I was told yesterday that a warrant has been issued for my arrest. Same voice as before. I didn't answer but he left a voicemail. I wish he'd shut up.

That sounds like the call supposedly from the HMRC in the UK that is doing the rounds , along with an email that says the same thing.
Every phone should have an inbuilt call blocker where the caller has to state who they are for the call to even get through to yourself or the answerphone.
I just feel so sorry for some elderly people - it has been shown time after time that the scare tactics work and before they know it, a scam is in process.

I can’t block ‘number withheld’ calls because our hospital comes up as ‘withheld’ for some reason. They’re very irritating, calling at all hours, but I let them go to the answering machine and they give up after a while.

Thank you for your warning, and hopefully people will take notice.
If a call comes and we don't recognize the number, we don't answer.

It is great that so many Gransnetters are savvy to these scam callers but can I point out that the point of me posting this was as a WARNING.

Sadly, many people aren't quite so alert and if my warning makes just one person rethink and not fall for it my wish is granted!

grahamcluley.com/action-fraud-inaction-fraud/

I had that call but it didn't scare me. I know that I've always paid the right amount of tax.

they get away with it because basically there is no one to do anything about it.
a few years ago something called, action fraud was set up to divert complaints about such scams. those in the know call it inaction fraud. it simply collates details and produces statistics. something would have to be really juicy in law enforcement terms, say loss in excess of 100k to tweek any interest from investigators. or if they happen to be on someone's tail and are gathering intelligence. but nothing gets even looked at in the vast majority of complaints and no way of reimbursing victims.
although in theory numbers can be traced, then what. numbers are often scrambled, difficult to pin down, usually based overseas, people disappear. there is no public funds to effectively police it. the scale is enormous. the majority of crime is now remote.

There was a similar thread a few months ago and I posted that while we GN’s are wise to all these scams - people usually at work, but furloughed are probably not and viewed as ‘fresh meat’ to the scammers.

I had some sort of recorded message on my phone last week and it said my internet connection was being disconnected and my internet provider was investigating suspicious use of the website and it gave another number that would provide internet for me.

That is a disgusting message to put on someones phone and I am the only one that uses my home computer and I do not go on anything suspicious. The only suspicious people are the ones sending these messages and I don't know how they get away with it.

When I see a number I do not recognise on the phone, I pick the receiver up and say nothing. If it is a scam, backed by a recorded message, the message is triggered by a voice answering the phone and because I say nothing, after about 5 seconds it disconnects.

If there is a real voice and a genuine call, the person the other end speaks, and I immediately respond, apologise and explain why I said nothing. Who is at the end of the dud calls I have no idea, since they do not say a word.

I got an 'Amazon Prime' call which didn't threaten but made me a 'special offer' if I would sign up to it right away with my card.

I delayed the person for a couple of minutes by saying I was interested and asking her to repeat things but when I sounded dubious and said I usually pay by standing order, she hung up.

(I don't have Amazon Prime at all. )

Sadly Harrigran, they depend on catching people unawares and any one of us could easily get caught.
Like you I cannot understand how they are allowed to get away with it. Calls should be traceable in this tech age surely?

We have a brilliant call interceptor that interrupts unknown numbers when they ring our landline and it is amazing how many callers don't move on through the process which will get them to us. Obviously morons don't want to waste time pressing zero etc, so move on to some other poor unsuspecting soul. The only reason we received today's call was that it went to my husband's mobile.

Whenever we get any suspect call I check the number on who-called.co.uk/

I agree ExD there are more scams during this pandemic time as there is more chance of finding vulnerable people at home - and more to the point, the vulnerable are lonelier nowadays as well so more likely to 'enjoy' the friendly chat.

Last week I ordered a gift for DGS online, withing minutes I had an email from PayPal telling me to log in to my account as there was a problem with my payment.
I do not have PayPal and the address was obviously bogus. I deleted it and about an hour later got a phone call on my landline telling me my purchase would be cancelled and I would have to pay 200€ in fees if I did not contact them on using the mail they had sent me.
DGS was here or my language would have been choice.
I reported it to the Police and to the company I had ordered from, the company were very happy I had contacted them and the package arrived 3 days later.

Nearly every day there is an Amazon scam, I don't pay for Amazon prime so I knew it was bogus.
The call that says you will be taken to court for non payment of tax is easy to spot because they say you will be arrested and taken to the county court house .... really ? in the UK.
I am amazed that anyone gets taken in by these scams especially when they start with " good morning ma'am how are you today, my name is Peter " when they are very clearly not British.

We also got that `threatening` phone call and hung up.

I really do find it difficult to understand how these scammers get away with it.

In this day of advanced technology, how can it keep happening and no-one is brought to justice?

Yesterday had a follow up call regarding my washing machine which I had not made. I just told him I did not have one and hung up!

Is it me or there more scams than there used to be before the pandemic?
I also notice more cheap nasty rubbish being sold online and I've had some very poor quality clothes (raw edges, seams coming apart) from what I used to call quality firms, recently.
That Amazon phone call is a nuisance, I also get one 'from' Microsoft. I don't seem able to block these.
Its not good for people who struggle to get out of their chairs to get to their phone and answer it either.
Thankfully the one from Nigeria supposedly from a friend who has run out of money and needs it for fixing a broken leg has died.

Yes i had one too. Supposedly from HMRC. I sent them details of the phone number.

I had a call like that last year, quite unsettling, but blocking the number helps.

More recently, I received recorded calls to my landline, claiming to come from Amazon Prime, saying that they were going to debit my account by £79. I hung up each time without responding. I pay my A.P. account by monthly direct debit, so I contacted Amazon through my account and they got back to me right away to say that it wasn't them, they never contact like that.

It seems that every time you deal with one scam, another appears. Just keep hanging up and blocking.