Scams

Jan L

Registered User
Mar 26, 2020
96
0
Hello Everyone.

Just received my daily scam call telling me that money has been taken from Amazon account! I am pleased to know that I have an account with Amazon!

MaNaAk
I have the facility on our phone to screen calls so when anyone calls, if they aren't on the VIP list I have set up, they have to say who they are, the phone then rings again, and I have the option whether or not I want to accept the call. With these scam calls the phone rings once, they obviously don't say who they are so it doesn't come through and the number gets registered as a missed call. I check this list most days, and if it is a recognisable number , ie a local code I may call them back otherwise I just ignore them. Looking at the list earlier today I have had 16 calls since Monday morning.

It was very useful in the days when my Husband may have answered the phone if I wasn't at home, as I know he wouldn't have been able to press one when the call was announced to put them through. The scam calls don't even bother to announce themselves, a very worthwhile piece of kit saves a lot of time answering the phone to these scammers, I was getting so frustrated when I was interrupted what I was doing to find it was a scam call.
 

Dimpsy

Registered User
Sep 2, 2019
1,906
0
The old " you've been involved in an accident" scam; I say yes, it's very sad, I died. Please help me.
The phone call always ends there!
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
We still haven't been bothered by the Jehovah's witness people since dad decided to argue with them pre-Alzheimers. I did try to intervene but dad looked annoyed with me so I let him get on with it and he enjoyed himself!

MaNaAk
 

jennifer1967

Registered User
Mar 15, 2020
23,131
0
Southampton
We still haven't been bothered by the Jehovah's witness people since dad decided to argue with them pre-Alzheimers. I did try to intervene but dad looked annoyed with me so I let him get on with it and he enjoyed himself!

MaNaAk
my husband lets them rattle on for a while and tells them hes catholic they disappear. those people in particular i get very annoyed with when they bring the children around as well like they are using them.
 

jugglingmum

Registered User
Jan 5, 2014
7,085
0
Chester
We don't get that many calls. I put the phone down asap and never ever engage. That seems to reduce the amount of called get.

OH isn't that good at spotting scams and does engage. Ultimately it gets to a point where he doesn't know answer as I deal with finances and IT. He passes phone to me and I put it down. We then get lots of calls for 2 or more weeks. I got in one day and he told me I needed to sort out Amazon account! (My mum and MIL have dementia OH doesn't just not aware if scams). Think he is alot wiser with working from home in lockdown. I use my mobile for most things and have never had a scam call. I also never fill in surveys etc.
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
I used to call out to dad who's on the phone and he would turn to me with the receiver in his hand and say 'scum' meaning 'scam'!

MaNaAk
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
I probably shouldn't say this but I once did something very naughty when I was called by my 'accident' I said yes I was injured when I attacked someone. I was then going to ask about compensation but the young lady said don't worry I'll take your name off the list.

MaNaAk
 

Lynmax

Registered User
Nov 1, 2016
1,045
0
I have to answer all calls in case it is someone calling about mum as I am her main contact. Once, I was very rude to someone who called with a strong foreign accent and was just about to hang up when the person managed to get a word in through my ranting to say it was mums new social worker! I had to apologise and luckily she was amused rather than offended
 

imthedaughter

Registered User
Apr 3, 2019
944
0
My friend put a message out on Twitter to his bank. Unfortunately scammers picked up the message and found his phone number to discuss his problem. They then 'upgraded' him to a new account and got him to transfer his full balance over to this new account.

This sounds like you wouldn't be taken in but they were very convincing and they did this at the end of the working day when the real bank's fraud and social teams had logged off for the weekend (this bank didn't have 24/7 customer service).

He was on the phone to them for something like 90 minutes discussing in detail the pros and cons of the account. It was a paid for account apparently but would give him greater access to detailed reports and so on.

Of course he wasn't able to get his money back as he had authorised the transaction.
Scammers can be very convincing and anyone can fall for them, dementia or not.

Lesson learned as well - don't talk about or to your bank in public, do it privately. If you are a consultant who has their phone number on the internet have a work and personal number and keep your bank on your personal one.
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
I have to answer all calls in case it is someone calling about mum as I am her main contact. Once, I was very rude to someone who called with a strong foreign accent and was just about to hang up when the person managed to get a word in through my ranting to say it was mums new social worker! I had to apologise and luckily she was amused rather than offended

Dear @Lynmax,

I bet you felt you wanted to be swallowed up by the ground.

MaNaAk
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
My friend put a message out on Twitter to his bank. Unfortunately scammers picked up the message and found his phone number to discuss his problem. They then 'upgraded' him to a new account and got him to transfer his full balance over to this new account.

This sounds like you wouldn't be taken in but they were very convincing and they did this at the end of the working day when the real bank's fraud and social teams had logged off for the weekend (this bank didn't have 24/7 customer service).

He was on the phone to them for something like 90 minutes discussing in detail the pros and cons of the account. It was a paid for account apparently but would give him greater access to detailed reports and so on.

Of course he wasn't able to get his money back as he had authorised the transaction.
Scammers can be very convincing and anyone can fall for them, dementia or not.

Lesson learned as well - don't talk about or to your bank in public, do it privately. If you are a consultant who has their phone number on the internet have a work and personal number and keep your bank on your personal one.

Thankyou for the warning @imthedaughter

MaNaAk
 

My Mum's Daughter

Registered User
Feb 8, 2020
438
0
I had a scammer who informed me the police were coming to arrest me for unpaid tax.

Knowing that I don't own tax and the Inland Revenue would never make such a call, I wasn't taken in but they were very convincing.
 

jennifer1967

Registered User
Mar 15, 2020
23,131
0
Southampton
I had a scammer who informed me the police were coming to arrest me for unpaid tax.

Knowing that I don't own tax and the Inland Revenue would never make such a call, I wasn't taken in but they were very convincing.
they were going to arrest me as well, but i asked for evidence. i think it was the language they used that scared me a bit. there would have been a lot of people in the cells
 

Jan L

Registered User
Mar 26, 2020
96
0
We still haven't been bothered by the Jehovah's witness people since dad decided to argue with them pre-Alzheimers. I did try to intervene but dad looked annoyed with me so I let him get on with it and he enjoyed himself!

MaNaAk
[/QUOTE We haven't seen any Jehovah's Witnesses for some time, but pre dementia my Husband just used to stand, make eye contact and politely quote how many pints of blood he had donated (it was 95 pints when he had to give up). They would just turn and walk away, my Husband is a gentle mild mannered man, but he was appalled that people were dying because they were denied a blood transfusion and would have let them know how he felt about it particularly when it was a Mother with young children or children died unnecessarily.
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
Hello Everyone!

I just want to warn you that if you have a text from 'EE' saying that they have noticed an inconsistency when constructing your bill don't fall for it it's a scam. I started to feel the link in before I smelt a rat. My local EE store confirmed my suspicions and I deleted the text and blocked the number. The whole thing looked very convincing.

MaNaAk
 

Jale

Registered User
Jul 9, 2018
1,137
0
Also a current scam regarding Amazon Prime
1st Phone call to say that my Amazon Prime account had encountered a problem, so press 1, this was then followed up a couple of hours later saying that £7.99 had been taken on my credit card and if I didn't want this then please press 1.
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
Yes I've had this and I didn't know I had an Amazon Prime account. I still remember the phone call where I was told there was something wrong with the computer (the computer was being repaired!) and I said I know there's something wrong with my computer that's why it's on the shop. I don't think they believed me but I thanked them for telling me something that I already know!

MaNaAk
 

hooperswan

Registered User
Dec 22, 2016
108
0
I got rid of our landline years ago and it removed all of those problems and the sign on the door has stopped door knockers too