Fake market research phone calls

[mitasol]

Plum that's just heartbreaking and dreadful for your mum to lose her telephone number. If all the calls are from abroad can you not get the telephone company to stop international calls both in and out. It's outrageous if there is no form of protection for the vulnerable particularly if they are being targeted.

[Marylou]

Plum that's just heartbreaking and dreadful for your mum to lose her telephone number. If all the calls are from abroad can you not get the telephone company to stop international calls both in and out. It's outrageous if there is no form of protection for the vulnerable particularly if they are being targeted.

That's dreadful, Plum! Good idea about stopping international calls - and I think it's high time national governments got together to cooperate in combating this kind of fraud, just as they do for other forms of criminal activity.

[pheasantchick]

Today I was chosen, at random, to win a holiday to Florida...!

[rosered100]

I've been having these. Last month they were from Microsoft about my computer running slowly. I said I didnt have a computer. This week it was to give me free advice about some Govt legislation to help me deal with debt. I said I didnt have any debt. Seems to work.
Previously DH would get really irate with those calls & ask where they got our number as we are ex-directory ,but that only made them call more often.

[doodles]

So sorry to hear about your mum Plum - that is really horrible for you all.

Please don't fall for this one I nearly did. Recently I have twice had a "security" company on the line telling me about the increase in burglaries in the area (they quoted the area very accurately) and how I have been selected to receive a "free" alarm system if I didn't already have one. They even said they were working in conjunction with the local police. I was really scared the first time when they said they would have to come around and measure up for the alarm and they asked whether my husband was at home (I stupidly said he had gone out for a walk, because I didn't want to admit he was at work at 8p.m. at night and they then asked me if he was taking our dog for a walk!!!) The penny suddenly dropped and I said that yes he was out walking our two alsatians!!!

I then called the local police station and guess what - they were not aware of any such crime prevention initiative.

I don't want to alarm anybody but please be very careful - I thought I was quite savvy but it is amazing how clever these horrible people can be. They seem to be able to winkle out information very cleverly and in what seem to be harmless "light" conversations.

Of course they may be genuine but if they are I would suggest they need to review their marketing tactics!!!

[andyb]

We are now going to have to change her number - this is something we didn't want to do as she's had it for over 25 years and knows it. She will never remember a new one. Also, all the extended family and friends know it, so we will have to contact everyone.

Have you asked BT to block calls from the malicious caller? A few years back we were getting prank calls several times a day all from the same number and BT did "something" so that the caller got a recorded message saying we were refusing to accept calls from their number. I think they ran it for 3 months for free & we could have paid to extend it. Fortunately the caller got the message.

They may offer a service where all calls to your Mum's number go via an operator who then forwards only the genuine ones. I would expect some kind of service like this for their vulnerable customers.

I hope you manage to get things sorted for your Mum. I just wish these people could see how much distress they cause and how far the repercussions spread.

AndyB xx

[bromley mum]

I had once said to the caller that I couldn't talk as I was getting the tea ready but if he would give me his number I would ring him. Needless to say he did not! He said, "Madam we are not allowed." Fancy that!!

[scary mum]

My DH likes to draw these awful people into a conversation and wind them up until they realise what's going on. This is more annoying sales call (sorry, we're on the telephone preference list so I should the people wanting complete a survey) than people trying to get at your bank account.
He then likes to leave the phone lying around off the hook for a while and make a cup of tea etc. All designed to irritate and stop them calling someone else for a few minutes. A far cry from sinister stuff like poor Plum's mum. And yes, BT should surely be able to do something.

[cinnamon]

Plum, I hope you are able to find a way to stop this, it must be such a worry for your family. At least, given the circmstances, it sounds unlikely that your mother will lose any money.

I've given up taking part in telephone surveys (tedious and not worth the risk that it's a scam) or listening to sales calls from people with inpenetrable English (especially as we're registered with the TPS). They usually get off to bad start anyway by asking if I'm Mrs X. I tell them I'm not (I don't use my husband's surname), they ask to speak to her, I explain there isn't a Mrs X at that number, by which time they're fairly flustered and ask who they're speaking to and I'm feeling it's none of their business what name I use, say goodbye and end the call.

Incidentally, does anyone know what's behind the 'accident' calls? Caller says they understand someone in your house has had an accident recently. The first time this happened I just thought it was a wrong number, by call number 4 a few weeks later it clearly was not. When I asked where their information came from I was told "the police or the hospital" (both well known, of course, for giving private details to random 3rd parties and having little else to do with their time). I told them that was rubbish and hung up but still don't see what they're after. Is it as simple as calling on the off chance they will reach someone who has had an accident a la Claims Direct? Seems rather a scattergun approach. Any ideas?

[Snowdrops]

I had that call about 18 months ago Cinnamon. They almost caught me out though because it wasn't long before the call that we had been at A & E. Thankfully I clicked to what was going on, I can't remember what I said but the caller turned abusive

I 'phoned the local health authority and notified them, but haven't heard of any major scam involving them. I think it's probably just insurance/solicitor no win/no fee sort of thing.

I always go with the premise these days that, if I'm not expecting the call, didn't ask for the call/goods, then I don't want it.

What a world it's come to when we can't trust most people these days eh