A scam phone calls and emails discussion.

[greatvoyager]

I’m getting so many silly phone calls like this from mobile phone numbers this week that it’s driving me up the wall.
I’ve got a vehicle for sale on eBay at the moment and every time the phone rings I’m hoping it’s someone interested but of course it’s not!

For some reason, it’s always worse from mobile numbers.

 

[A Challenge]

Prompted by the last post and taking the question in reverse, although not enough for the Mods to want to start a new thread (I hope). How often have you either ignored or quickly terminated a call as it appears dodgy, but later discovered that it was genuine?

My bank - conducting a random security check on my account last year calling me from a withheld number and asking for my details (surely they particulatrly shouldn't be doing it?)

 

[najaB]

My bank - conducting a random security check on my account last year calling me from a withheld number and asking for my details (surely they particulatrly shouldn't be doing it?)

No, definitely not! That sounds more like it was a security check of their customers.

 

[Gloster]

My bank - conducting a random security check on my account last year calling me from a withheld number and asking for my details (surely they particulatrly shouldn't be doing it?)

So that if you get taken in by a real scammer, the bank can disclaim liability because your replies to their call show that it was your slackness that caused the loss. Or so they will claim, given half a chance. (I am only being slightly facetious.)

 

[pdeaves]

I once had a call from my bank. The assistant asked all sorts of 'security' questions. I stopped them, 'you <bank> tells me never to divulge such information'. The caller accepted that and the call continued as if nothing happened. I know of scams where the 'assistant' asks for certain numbers, pretends not to hear and asks for different numbers, thus putting them together to get the important information. I have no way of knowing, but I wonder if the caller was trying something like this (an 'inside job', as it were). Still, no further issues accrued.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

My bank - conducting a random security check on my account last year calling me from a withheld number and asking for my details (surely they particulatrly shouldn't be doing it?)

How did you work out it was actually your bank, rather than someone from Bangalore on a phishing exercise?

 

[greatvoyager]

There have been a few dodgy e-mails supposedly sent from eBay. I don’t even have an eBay account, and the spelling of the subject is terrible.

 

[swt_passenger]

I was wondering whether to just block the domain gmail.com.

Almost every one of these “genuine offers” that BT fail to filter out come from gmail accounts. Can Google not sort it out?

 

[greatvoyager]

I was wondering whether to just block the domain gmail.com.

Almost every one of these “genuine offers” that BT fail to filter out come from gmail accounts. Can Google not sort it out?

It’s interesting you say that, as I have a gmail account and the spam I get seems to be from mail.com.

 

[Domh245]

I was wondering whether to just block the domain gmail.com.

Almost every one of these “genuine offers” that BT fail to filter out come from gmail accounts. Can Google not sort it out?

I'd suggest that's a bit cutting your nose off to spite your face, though if you're not expecting many emails from people with a gmail address (which come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I had an email that wasn't from a business!) it probably won't hurt

Googles problem is that gmail is open to all, and one of (if not the) most popular service, so is a prime target for scammers to use for their purposes. Asking google to vet every single gmail account would be utterly impractical

 

[swt_passenger]

I'd suggest that's a bit cutting your nose off to spite your face, though if you're not expecting many emails from people with a gmail address (which come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I had an email that wasn't from a business!) it probably won't hurt

Googles problem is that gmail is open to all, and one of (if not the) most popular service, so is a prime target for scammers to use for their purposes. Asking google to vet every single gmail account would be utterly impractical

I wonder if they could put a reasonable limit on ability to send, not so many per day. Or would scammers just automate proportionately more accounts...

 

[Domh245]

I wonder if they could put a reasonable limit on ability to send, not so many per day. Or would scammers just automate proportionately more accounts...

They can't realistically limit the amount that they can send, as it could impact any personal (or small business!) users, though I guess even the most enthusiastic emailer will only be able to send so many genuine emails in a day. Though if they did limit it, scammers would just set up more accounts as it takes seconds to do. Realistically all they can do is ensure they shut down any fraudulent accounts that are identified (either through monitoring or being reported), but even that's not without it's flaws - there's many examples of google users being locked out of accounts after algorithms got a little carried away

 

[najaB]

I wonder if they could put a reasonable limit on ability to send, not so many per day. Or would scammers just automate proportionately more accounts...

You're assuming that the messages are actually being sent via Google's infrastructure.

I can pretty much assure you that they are not.

 

[swt_passenger]

You're assuming that the messages are actually being sent via Google's infrastructure.

I can pretty much assure you that they are not.

Oh right. So going back to the possibility of blocking the domain, would that mean my ISP reading the sender address, or just something else? I’m pretty confident no one I actually want emails from actually uses gmail...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In those now far-off days, when you had to walk to the nearest red telephone box, dial the number, putting your four pennies in and pressing "button A" when needed, no one seemed to be suffering from scam calls of any sort. I am 76 years of age.

 

[najaB]

I’m pretty confident no one I actually want emails from actually uses gmail...

Many businesses use Google Workplace though (the old G-Suite), so send using Google's servers.

You can block based on the from address header if you are sure that you don't want to receive messages from @Gmail.com addresses.

 

[A Challenge]

How did you work out it was actually your bank, rather than someone from Bangalore on a phishing exercise?

Because they phoned my home phone and left a message after I got cut off (which was genuine as I went through a blackspot), and I phoned them again later (waiting ages to speak to someone) at which point it was explained why they were doing it.

 

[greatvoyager]

Many businesses use Google Workplace though (the old G-Suite), so send using Google's servers.

You can block based on the from address header if you are sure that you don't want to receive messages from @Gmail.com addresses.

That’s the problem, so many people and businesses use gmail and therefore most people would be more reluctant to block the address.

 

[3rd rail land]

That’s the problem, so many people and businesses use gmail and therefore most people would be more reluctant to block the address.

I've had so many spam/scam emails from Gmail addresses in recent weeks it's getting ridiculous. I am sorely tempted to block the gmail.com domain but I do occasionally get genuine emails from Gmail addresses so can't.
Blocking individual addresses is becoming tiresome and is no deterrent as a new address can be set up in no time at all. Blocking individual addresses is doing nothing to reduce the volume of spam/scam emails either.

 

[Westcountryman]

my wife got a txt message from HSBC. Apparently someone has set up a payment from an account we don't have with a bank we have no dealings with.

 

[najaB]

Apparently someone has set up a payment from an account we don't have with a bank we have no dealings with.

Sneaky!

 

[PeterC]

In those now far-off days, when you had to walk to the nearest red telephone box, dial the number, putting your four pennies in and pressing "button A" when needed, no one seemed to be suffering from scam calls of any sort. I am 76 years of age.

Mainly because trunk calls were so expensive then. I could never make my late mother understand that the callers weren’t locals.

 

[greatvoyager]

Mainly because trunk calls were so expensive then. I could never make my late mother understand that the callers weren’t locals.

There have been some imaginative calls in the past, one I received a few years back was about a supposed order for 300 pasties.

 

[Lucan]

when you had to walk to the nearest red telephone box, ... no one seemed to be suffering from scam calls of any sort

Except the operators. Kids I knew (not me of course ) would dial the operator (cost nothing) and tell them to "Get off the line, because there's a train coming!"
Of course, some kids, including Steves Jobs and Wozniac, raised this to the fine art of Phone Phreaking.

 

[GusB]

Except the operators. Kids I knew (not me of course ) would dial the operator (cost nothing) and tell them to "Get off the line, because there's a train coming!"
Of course, some kids, including Steves Jobs and Wozniac, raised this to the fine art of Phone Phreaking.

Kids were the bane of my life when I worked at directory enquiries, especially in school holiday times. Calls to 192 were still free from call boxes when I started, although the charge was introduced a few months later. If I had a pound for the number of times I heard "what's the time, mister?" of an evening, I could have avoided doing any overtime!

 

[Bevan Price]

I've had so many spam/scam emails from Gmail addresses in recent weeks it's getting ridiculous. I am sorely tempted to block the gmail.com domain but I do occasionally get genuine emails from Gmail addresses so can't.
Blocking individual addresses is becoming tiresome and is no deterrent as a new address can be set up in no time at all. Blocking individual addresses is doing nothing to reduce the volume of spam/scam emails either.

Have you ever thought of creating a new email address/account ? Notify relevant people of your new address, and then delete your old address.
Repeat in a year or so if your new email adrress starts getting swamped by spam.

 

[3rd rail land]

Have you ever thought of creating a new email address/account ? Notify relevant people of your new address, and then delete your old address.
Repeat in a year or so if your new email adrress starts getting swamped by spam.

It's only started happening in very recent times. I have had the email address for something in the order of 22 years. haveibeenpwned.com shows 10 data breaches for this email address so the spam is no surprise at all. I have 2 other email addresses I hardly use and as a result they don't get spam aside from marketing emails whereby I forgot to tick a box saying don't spam me with marketing emails I am not interested in.

 

[najaB]

It's only started happening in very recent times. I have had the email address for something in the order of 22 years.

It likely will die out after a while - might be days or weeks.

 

[3rd rail land]

It likely will die out after a while - might be days or weeks.

Most probably. Easier to wait it out than use an alternate address.

 

[Westcountryman]

I wonder how some mobile numbers get circulated. We went to a car agent that we have never dealt with in a group we haven't (to the best of my recollection) dealt with, selling a brand of car we have never dealt with. The salesman wanted some details. He entered my name on the system, put in our postcode to obtain our address, then he quoted me my wife's first name and her mobile number that came up on their system. I've no idea where they got her number from; if we give a number it is almost invariably mine.