Mcr Warrior
Veteran Member
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Anyone else had an e-mail recently, purportedly from Amazon, asking you to watch out for scam tactics, such as (supposedly urgent) membership fee / account suspension issues?
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A scam phone calls and emails discussion.
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R
RailUK Forums
Yes this morning. Looks genuine.
Other credit card providers are available.
Especially for those of us who don't use iCloud.
This is where most of these come unstuck - they send you something about 'iCloud' or one of the banks you don't use, so you immediately spot it. The problem is they only need to hit a person who's not particularly tech savvy and who uses iCloud or the bank its purporting to be, to get lucky.
Hence the origin of the term "phishing" - you have to cast a lot of rods to eventually hook someone.
Yes.
The one I received started:
Agree.
Although there are links which recipients might find suspicious, I've had a quick look and the ones I was looking for can be easily be found from the Amazon website.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Quite some time ago, one of the neighbours who has the type of landline phone "number displayed" was fed up with such cold-call scam calls decided to answer that "this is the ----- cemetery and we are currently carrying out an interment". The phone line went dead and he tells me no such calls have been received since.
3141
Established Member
Not currently, but about three months ago I was getting them quite frequently.
It seems likely that when scammers have exhausted the possibilities of using their scam on their current list of potential victims they buy another list and try it on with them.
In fairness, you could speak gobbledycock with the same effect - might be even better if you just chanced upon a Spanish speaking caller.Someone tried to call me today so I answered in Spanish. My policy now is to answer in Spanish as my theory is they will take me off the list. It certainly seems to get rid of them
(I only speak a little Spanish but it's enough!)
Someone tried to call me today so I answered in Spanish. My policy now is to answer in Spanish as my theory is they will take me off the list. It certainly seems to get rid of them
I answer in Black Country. They don’t have a chance.
I've been getting quite a lot of phone calls from "EE" offering to save me money on my contract and get me the latest handset in the deal to boot.
I assume this is the scam where they'll take enough info off me to set up a new contract with EE but direct the phone to a mule.
I assume this is the scam where they'll take enough info off me to set up a new contract with EE but direct the phone to a mule.
I get a lot of those as well. It seems to be related to EE taking over BT Mobile and trying to get people to change their contracts, but whether scammers have jumped on to the same bandwagon or not I don't know.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Are EE now part of the BT organisation?
swt_passenger
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Since a “merger” in about 2016, but I think they are about to drop the BT mobile branding. Then at the same time EE customers internet will be rebranded to BT. Aren’t all the high street shops already dual branded?
Yes. As @swt_passenger noted, BT bought EE back in 2016. It was probably the high-point of BT's fortunes, before Gavin Patterson started the destruction of the good work done under Iain Livingston.
My mum got hit by this one - with her, the process seemed to be
1) Fish out the information they needed for a new contract
2) Ask whether she wanted a Samsung or an iPhone
3) Renew contract, but order the wrong phone to be sent to her address (presumably to cover their tracks)
4) Contact her again, telling her that there had been an error on their part, and that she needed to send the phone to a particular address.
5) Cash in she sends them the phone that she received
In her case, me and my sister realised that it was a scam before the phone turned up at her house, and we were able to resolve things with the fraud department at her network (O2).
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
If it would have been me, I would have responded by saying I preferred the Nile or the Ganges...
Very good. I didn't think if that. It was a work e-mail account though so I definitely had to play it self.If it would have been me, I would have responded by saying I preferred the Nile or the Ganges...
I would imagine it is a large or largish organisation (the organisation I worked for for some time had about 200 - 300 people - there was a phone/e-mail directory, which I can't find, unfortunately but I would know most of the names, and those I didn't I could find someone to put a face to a name - security or 'domestic' staff are good for that). Is it just you who received this? Depending on their department, it might be if they were going to offer Amazon vouchers, say, at Christmas or for 'employee of the month'. It could be some employee has some they want to sell or use your house as a delivery point (I would be wary). A 'safe' answer is probably the best.
I personally don't like it - I would want them to talk to me to explain why.
Well it came from a live.com ending e-mail address.
Sorry, by 'work' e-mail I thought you meant something like a.worker@jones_ltd.co.uk where you worked for Jones Ltd. If it is some other company, I would give it a wide berth.
live.com is an evolution of the free Hotmail service provided by Microsoft and is now known as outlook.com - so not in any way a corporate email address
I was listening to a cyber security podcast today where the strong advice from a retired law enforcement officer was to resist temptation and not engage in any way with a scammer. While it may have entertainment value, there is little upside and considerable downside risk. He pointed out that you don't know who is on the other end of the communication, but the scammers have your contact details, and if suitably provoked could retaliate and make life more difficult for you than you can for them. So unless you're a Jim Browning or similar, best not to go there!If it would have been me, I would have responded by saying I preferred the Nile or the Ganges...
Indeed not so I knew it to be spam.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I wouldn't reply to an e-mail but I do keep them on the phone. The only details they have from me on the phone is the number they ring me on.
Everything else is fake.
mike57
Established Member
The latest scam, for me anyway, the one ring scam. A missed call from an unknown International number, in this case +221 Senegal. If you ring back the missed call it is apparently an International premium rate number and you will get charged accordingly. I didn't ring back, but if you do either the call is answered with silence or some story about trying to reach a person, no threats or attempts to gain any more money, but of course a nice fat charge on your next bill.
I'm about 99% sure that no such thing exists. Call rates to international destinations are defined as 'fixed' or 'mobile'. I'm not aware of any rates defined for premium services.
Last place I worked, somebody hacked the phone system and spent the weekend making calls to a pair of international numbers (Gibraltar?). We assumed they were somehow getting a cut of the charges.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
One of my sons took a call last Friday with a query about "his card" being charged to a firm he has never heard of and told the Indian woman on the other end of the phone that he had 52 cards and asked which was the card referred to. He was told it was his usual card, so he responded (knowing full well that it was a scam call) that his usual card was the four of spades....the line went dead.
mike57
Established Member
I didn't answer obviously, so cant say one way or the other. I did a check on the +221 country code, and 'return call scam' came up loads of times. It has to be some sort of scam as I dont have any connections or know anyone in Senegal.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
I received a purported email at mid-day supposedly from the "TV Licencing Authority" stating thay my bank had declined the latest direct debit payment which would mean that I would be unlicensed. I was then asked to click on a link to set up a new direct debit payment.
How very strange, thought I, considering that my TV licence is not paid by direct debit, but by £159.00 in cash at the nearest Co-op on 11th July 2023 using the single annual payment documentation that is posted annually to me that confirms my TV licencing number and colour licensing type and confirms the new TV licence would be valid until 31st July 2024. The Co-op staple their receipt to the licence renewal having scanned the paperwork.
It went straight into the spam box having sender and domain blocked.
How very strange, thought I, considering that my TV licence is not paid by direct debit, but by £159.00 in cash at the nearest Co-op on 11th July 2023 using the single annual payment documentation that is posted annually to me that confirms my TV licencing number and colour licensing type and confirms the new TV licence would be valid until 31st July 2024. The Co-op staple their receipt to the licence renewal having scanned the paperwork.
It went straight into the spam box having sender and domain blocked.