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Telephone Preference Service is this a scam

(15 Posts)
Hilltopgran Fri 17-Feb-17 10:32:23

Just had a call that claims I am being sent a gadget to stop all unwanted calls to my phone. The person who was at the other had our name, address and phone number, and claimed the card I paid my BT direct debit with was going out of date. They wanted me to give them a number from my bank card! Obviously as a direct debit is arranged direct through payee and bank I assume was a new way to scam. Makes me so cross, people at home at this time are likely to be older people, and the amount of information they had on us is frightening.

I did the same as I always do, I asked them to send me the information in writing so I can respond after seeing properly what they are asking, lost patience with their performance in the end and put phone down!

Any one else had one of these calls?

fiorentina51 Fri 17-Feb-17 10:51:44

Not yet, but I'm sure I will. I keep a very loud whistle by the phone. If I get a human at the other end, they get their eardrums blasted. Probably won't stop the calls but it makes me feel better!

Luckygirl Fri 17-Feb-17 10:52:00

Not yet!

annodomini Fri 17-Feb-17 11:26:10

I don't get many of this kind of call. I wonder if the reason is that I have a Virgin line rather than a BT line. What do other Virgin subscribers think?

Corncob Fri 17-Feb-17 14:11:30

I have a virgin line and get at least three cold calls a day.I just hang up on them now.

Izabella Fri 17-Feb-17 14:14:54

DOes Virgin have to use BT lines anyway?

Maranta Fri 17-Feb-17 14:35:15

annodomini I too have phone with Virgin, but it is via cable, together with TV and broadband. I never have unwanted calls and I have often wondered why. smile

PRINTMISS Fri 17-Feb-17 16:05:31

We have EE supplying us, and regularly every lunch time we get a call about windows, (the sort you look through!) and another which cuts of immediately you pick up the phone. We are looking into getting rid of these if we can.

Ankers Fri 17-Feb-17 16:14:19

www.gransnet.com/forums/technology/1233432-Block-nuisance-calls-for-free-new-service

stillaliveandkicking Fri 17-Feb-17 20:08:42

I don't ever answer my home phone these days due to all this sort of thing (Im with sky but i don't really think that matters). Gone are the days of being x-directory.

Yes it was definitely a scam!

Just put the phone down.

merlotgran Fri 17-Feb-17 20:14:55

I let everything go to answerphone on our landline. The family know I'll get back to them or I pick it up mid message. We give our mobile number to delivery firms etc., so every now and again I go through the messages happily deleting the rubbish.

stillaliveandkicking Fri 17-Feb-17 20:16:26

Im with you merlot, I only ever answer a call from someone I know.

Hilltopgran Fri 17-Feb-17 23:52:27

Thanks for comments. I logged onto TPS Web page and useful information there.

I still find it unsettling that people can phone us from abroad and have so much information, luckily I gave them none, but they tried to be so convincing someone with dementia could have complied.

00mam00 Sun 05-Mar-17 17:29:10

We have virgin media and get 2 or 3 cold calls a day. I like to lead them on if I've got time and play ignorant asking them to explain in great detail what they are calling about until they get fed up. Other times I say I am a lodger and the owner doesn't live at this address. It doesn't stop the calls but I have a bit of fun.

I did look into having nuisance calls stopped through virgin, but the cost simply wasn't worth it.

Welshwife Sun 05-Mar-17 18:35:00

I have not managed to stop the calls entirely - the TPS used here in France worked for a while then seemed to make no difference. We were getting a few calls daily - I was talking to a friend about it and she commented that she got very few as she told them she rented her house - so now I let them do a bit of their speech and then tell them I am renting the house - the phone goes down their end and I must say the calls have greatly diminished.