Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I know shedloads about scams, having worked in consumer protection and good friends with a person who got very involved in countering some big ones in the 00s - clairvoyants, lottery scams, time shares and the like.


I am TPS and occasionally get the 'government grant', carrying out a survey, you've won the Canadian lottery scam. I was an early activist getting into the dialogue with the Nigerian safe deposit box scams. I've pretty alert to the mock web sites for DVLA, HMRC the banks etc. This is a topic in its own right,


So please try to stick to my question here. The one that really f's me off is the "I understand that you have been involved in an accident'. Geographical numbers, nicely spoken. On my work mobile so hardly something that should be sold on my ambulance chasers....


YOUR ASKING ME TO COMMIT FRAUD. YOU ARE MOST LIKELY BREAKING THE LAW. YOU ARE AN EDUCATED PERSON PLEASE DO SOMETHING THAT HELPS SOCIETY.


Grrr. They put the phone down as soon as there is a sniff I may question their ethics. I tried to put one onto speaker phone so that the whole office could join in.


Practical suggestions. No comments on the demise of society please. There has always been scams, just changing is their delivery and sophistication.

Yes i've had them too, 'You had a car accident outside your house three years ago, your address is ***** isnt it'. They say the name of the company but it's too garbled to understand, when i keep asking who it is , they put the phone down.


I don't have a car and have not had an accident, except wetting myself as I put the key in the door.


They phone every three years, and say the same thing. Last time I said 'shouldn't it be six years now, please get your facts right' they put the phone down immediately, as they have no sense of humor. Robots !

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> So please try to stick to my question here.


As Alan Medic said, what is it?


> They put the phone down as soon as there is

> a sniff I may question their ethics. I tried to

> put one onto speaker phone so that the whole

> office could join in.


Why on earth do you waste your own time staying on the phone once you've realised it's a scam? What do you expect to achieve by that?

Practical suggestions. No comments on the demise of society please. There has always been scams, just changing is their delivery and sophistication.


They are ringing me on my work phone. I have a work phone so I can take work calls. I'd like them to go home that night and perhaps change their jobs. I'd like the authorities to take action and prosecute. I'd like a world where everyone is nice. But that is capitalism for you.


Not helpful RPC or AM. If you haven't got anything to contribute just butt out.

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Practical suggestions. No comments on the demise

> of society please. There has always been scams,

> just changing is their delivery and

> sophistication.

>

> They are ringing me on my work phone. I have a

> work phone so I can take work calls. I'd like

> them to go home that night and perhaps change

> their jobs. I'd like the authorities to take

> action and prosecute. I'd like a world where

> everyone is nice. But that is capitalism for

> you.

>

> Not helpful RPC or AM. If you haven't got anything

> to contribute just butt out.


I have to answer my work phone unlike my personal one - although external calls is questionable - I usually can see who is calling but you never know - but I hang up the moment I hear it starts the usual.


Ti be honest I dislike the ones trying to get my bosses name worst.

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Practical suggestions. No comments on the demise

> of society please. There has always been scams,

> just changing is their delivery and

> sophistication.

>

> They are ringing me on my work phone. I have a

> work phone so I can take work calls. I'd like

> them to go home that night and perhaps change

> their jobs. I'd like the authorities to take

> action and prosecute. I'd like a world where

> everyone is nice. But that is capitalism for

> you.

>

> Not helpful RPC or AM. If you haven't got anything

> to contribute just butt out.


How pompous and long-winded that sounds. Adding clarity would actually help the discussion, you know.

Surely if it was a genuine work call, but the contact name doesn't come up or you don't recognise the number, you could just let them leave a message? And then you can call them back?


If no message is left, google the number. Usually if it is a spam call the number will come up on one of the many sites which monitor spam calls, then you can just put it in your contacts as spam so you will know the next time?


I rarely use my landline but I have it for broadband. I never answer it. It is on permanent voicemail, but I have the speaker on so if it is someone I know I can then just answer it.


If it isn't, and it's spam, they usually hang up as soon as the recorded message starts.


I am supposed to be registered on the TPS scheme for both the landline and mobile. I rarely get spam mobile calls any more, but I do still get a few on the landline.

I'll tread carefully and try not to offend (waving my white flag/olive branch).


The starting point should be where have you got my number (it's unlisted being a work phone).


[cue the phone going dead]


On chatting with an ex-cop (which was what she recommended) she told me about a friend who entered into the spirit and tried to lead them on before telling them what she thought on con artists trying to trick the vulnerable. She then got abuse and was told that they knew where she lived. Come on down she said.


On further reflection, my callers are all well spoken younger women. I'd assumed that they may be innocent but that is me being naive. Anyone can be greedy.


And this may well be an overseas scam.

These kind of calls are not the same as consumer scams, nor are they necessarily a sign of actual or intended fraud (though there's obviously a risk of that). They are a consequence of the boom in PI claimant firms and the ban on referral fees.


Before mid 2013 if you wanted to find out the details of people who had had an accident (potential clients) you could buy them - from insurance companies, car hire companies, anyone who knew - and consequently there was an active market for them. After the practice was banned claims companies had to choose either or both of finding a different way to get details of people who had had an accident, or cold call people on the off chance that you find someone who has, or is willing to say that they have, and is not obviously lying. There are relatively few outfits (I believe) who are primarily in the business of manufacturing wholly fraudulent claims, although I have heard recently about some Spanish based Brits who are openly touting for post holiday food poisoning claims that are largely dishonest.


There is a regulator for claims management companies (link below), they do take complaints, and they do take action.


https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/claims-management-regulator#guidance-for-consumers

Sorry i have to disagree. If they called and asked if you had been in an accident yes, fine, Well no, I don't want cold calling but they are asking me not encouraging me,


The fact that the phone goes down so quickly, ie when I question them or it looks like I may be giving them some grief it hss to be an organised scam. it is not "have you had an accident", "no", "if you do then come to us".


Watchdog years ago reported on claims companies. A bus would crash into a lamppost with 5 people on board. 73 people would put in claims after being contacted by ambulance chasers.


Anyway happy to debate further.

I always say when asked about the accident I was in ? what the one I died in? yes that wasn?t good? and the other week a lady actually said ?this is serious you know? to which I replied ?yes, so is being dead? to which she put the phone down.


Bloody cheek, I nearly rang her back.

Whenever I get calls like these I just very quickly say thanks but it's not for me and put the phone down. Life's too short to make a hobby out of them with trying to think up different ways of annoying the callers. It's a shame but they are only trying to earn a crust.

Seabag Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I always say when asked about the accident I was

> in ? what the one I died in? yes that wasn?t good?

> and the other week a lady actually said ?this is

> serious you know? to which I replied ?yes, so is

> being dead? to which she put the phone down.

>

> Bloody cheek, I nearly rang her back.



Like it! I'll try this one.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Where did I say he did a good job? Yup and Corbyn was very close to Len McCluskey and funded by Unite wasn't he...they're all as bad as each other... Labour have to purge their party of the far-left - they're a disaster. Allan Johnson summed it up so well on election night in 2019....  
    • Thank you for the detailed advise @trinidad It is definitely damage we are concerned about. I don’t think Evri would agree to pay the bill to fix our gate or letter box if they were to be damaged as a result of their delivery drivers helper. Our doorbell can be heard from outside when rung so we don’t quite believe the aggressive simultaneous door/letter box banging is necessary. It can be quite a shock it is done very aggressively.  I’ll definitely action the steps you’ve kindly provided along with a phone call tomorrow. I do sympathise with the role drivers have and how busy they are, which is why we tried communicating directly with her but sadly we haven’t succeeded 
    • What outcome would you like? Disciplinary action? Not to have the driver back? Retraining? I know there is alot of pressure on drivers to deliver within a set day. if he slams the gate, is it evidence he is causing damage, or is the noise a irritant to yourself? You could put a sign up or buy a signing asking to close the gate gentle???? can you hear the door bell from the door? he might be ringing, not hearing and therefore knocking. In trhe notes section of the be livery page, there is a note section, although there is not 100 per cent these notes would be read as these drivers are constantly rushing.  I did a google search for you, i found this and you can try the envri website Contact Us | Evri   To complain to Evri, you can follow these steps: Contact Customer Service: Call Evri's customer service at 0330 808 5456 for assistance with your complaint.    1 Write a Letter: Address your complaint to Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0WH.    1 Use the Official Website: Visit the Evri complaints page on their official website for detailed instructions on how to submit a complaint.    2 Email or Call for Specific Issues: For issues like missing or damaged parcels, you can email or call 0800 988 8888, which is free to call.    1 These methods will help you effectively communicate your concerns to Evri.   My driver is called anthony, he is brilliant to be honest. I cant fault him.
    • When I have more time and energy, I will look up the actual number of votes cast for each party in that election, rather than the number of seats won. I'm interested to see that you apparently  think that  Boris Johnson did a good job of "leading the country through Covid." Is your memory really that short? I won't stoop to calling Johnson and his cronies names in the way that you seem to think is appropriate for left wing politicians. At least the left wing politicians have some semblance of morals and a concern for people who aren't in some over privileged inner circle and/or raking in money for themselves on the back of an epidemic. I'm not going to open a can of worms on here  by commenting on the disgraceful so called "purge". 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...