Texts from Sarah/Emma

[stuart]

Just got a text purporting to come from Sarah on 07977 023227 purporting to have fallen and in hospital and requiring help. Its a scam: http://who-called.co.uk/Number/07977023227

Worrying if you really have a friend called Sarah or Emma. Don't respond or you may go onto their list of verified numbers.

Stuart

[Ronski]

that's a good site thanks for the link.

I had a call this week from a insurance company asking about if I wanted to take my car accident further, er what accident? promptly hung up but they came up on this site as a persistent scam caller so blocked their number.

[mosy]

In similar vein, I learn that an email I received from Cheaper Travel Insurance about "my booking" is more than a scam, being a trojan if you open the attachment. I knew it wasn't any booking I'd made but a relative is booking travel and I was thinking it might be important. Good job I'm cautious and "attachment savvy".

A worse thing is that seemingly such trojan installers can hide or go behind or purport to be from legitimate innocent company names.

[Manwithaview1]

that's a good site thanks for the link.

I had a call this week from a insurance company asking about if I wanted to take my car accident further, er what accident? promptly hung up but they came up on this site as a persistent scam caller so blocked their number.

I ask for their company address. They ask why, I state that I need it to send them an invoice for my time. Usually results in them hanging up.

[Parker1970]

that's a good site thanks for the link.

Pro-tip, if you forget the site url you can just google the phone number, if it is listed on any of the "Who called me" type sites, google will list it as a result.

Also for those not aware, TPS (Telephone Preference Service) where you can register your landline not to receive un-solicited calls can now also regsiter a mobile number. My nuisance calls have been virtually non-existent since a few weeks after I registered with them. Whilst some marketing/sales companies ignore the TPS register, a stiff reminder to them that they are breaching regulations usually gets rid of them.

Telephone Preference Service
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

[chrisj1948]

We have two landlines. Both have been registered with TPS for some years. In 2015 we received over 2000 cold calls; 7 or 8 every day! The vast majority are for 'marketing surveys' and appear to originate from India using Internet telephony with spoofed caller ids. We learned very quickly not to answer the surveys since the result was further cold calls from firms who felt we matched their profile. The most irritating variant on them is when the originators are using cluster dialling software, where they dial a bunch of numbers simultaneously and then pick up on the first to answer. Other dialled numbers which pick up a few seconds later are treated to several seconds silence, and then a recorded 'goodbye'. Answering the phone as 'Acme Ltd' gets them off the line immediately. Friends and family have learned to expect this!

Regards
Chris

[Manwithaview1]

We have two landlines. Both have been registered with TPS for some years. In 2015 we received over 2000 cold calls; 7 or 8 every day! The vast majority are for 'marketing surveys' and appear to originate from India using Internet telephony with spoofed caller ids. We learned very quickly not to answer the surveys since the result was further cold calls from firms who felt we matched their profile. The most irritating variant on them is when the originators are using cluster dialling software, where they dial a bunch of numbers simultaneously and then pick up on the first to answer. Other dialled numbers which pick up a few seconds later are treated to several seconds silence, and then a recorded 'goodbye'. Answering the phone as 'Acme Ltd' gets them off the line immediately. Friends and family have learned to expect this!

Regards
Chris

I used to answer my phone Battersea Dogs Home... used to result in many dead lines...