New telephone scam (at least I have never heard it before)

Because you had the sense to realise it was a scam and hang up, no harm was done M0nica - we can't all be aware of all the scams out there, and new ones every day. But a bit of common sense goes a long way.

That's rather mild numberplease in comparison to what I tell them to do.

A lot of the ones I get start with "This is an important announcement." I used to listen, but now I just shout "Sod off!" and hang up.

Well, I had never come across it before.

I have noticed a subtle change in these calls over the last few years. For many years DH was targetted by boiler room phone calls trying to sell him shares in dud companies plus other random callers. I rarely if ever got scam calls and if I picked up the phone if the scammer wanted to speak to DH, I was not considered an adequate substitute. The boilere room calls stopped after a big criminal case a couple of years ago when lots of people went to prison.

Now, all the scammers ask for me. To be fair I get very few scam calls, maybe only one a month, presumably the scammers think a woman is a softer touch than a man.

Your well informed Anya I'm sure I would have remember if I'd read this.

I'm even more vigilante since a friends vulnerable brother lost thousands to the "this is the police" scam.

Wow! Has that been resurrected?

Here's a government warning about it.

Thanks Monica , I just tell them I am not daft !