O/T Telephone scam

judimac

Mad old Bat with Attitude
This was sent by a friend


The new telephone 'scam' has arrived in Medway.

I received a call from a 'representative' of BT, informing me that he was
dis-connecting me because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment
immediately of £31.00 , or it would be £ 118.00 to re-connect at a later
date.

The guy wasn't even fazed when I told him I was with Virgin Media,
allegedly VM have to pay BT a percentage for line rental!

I asked the guy's name - the very 'English' John Peacock with a very
'African' accent - & phone number - 0800 0800 152.

Obviously the fella realized I wasn't believing his story, so offered to
demonstrate that he was from BT. I asked how & he told me to hang up & try
phoning someone - he would dis-connect my phone to prevent this.

AND HE DID !! My phone was dead - no engaged tone, nothing - until he
phoned me again.

Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was
with BT. I asked how the payment was to be made & he said credit card,
there & then.

I said that I didn't know how he'd done it, but I had absolutely no
intention of paying him , I didn't believe his name or that he worked for
BT.

He hung up.

Did 1471 & phoned his fictitious 0800 number - not recognised.


I phoned the police to let them know , I wasn't the first! It's only just
started apparently but it is escalating.


Their advice was to let as many people know by word of mouth of this scam.
The fact that the phone does go off would probably convince some people
it's real, so please let as many friends & family aware of this.
 
thanks for that! i'm just outside medway, in swale, so will tell everyone i know!!!
 
I don't know how people think they can get away with these scams (I know a lot of poor people do fall for their traps) Nasty people.
 
Thank you for that, I know of quite a few people who will be taken in by that and will warn them -I know I am quite a way from Medway but forewarned is forearmed and all that.

Liz
 
Ok...heres from someone who works in telecommunications:
BT cannot disconnect and reconnect any phone to prove a point, its against Oftel's operating proceedure.
Firstly when a phone call is made the line is essentially "opened" between both parties. If the called party hangs up, the line is still held open by the caller. This is why the other person could not call out. The caller had just muted the line. - Try it at home ... dial someone, get themto hang up and then try and make a call. when they lift the reciever, you will still be there.
Its not a new scam, its ages old. The only way a call can be disconnected like that is actually having an engineer on the switch and physically or logically undoing the line.
Just another Nigerian 419 type of scam. If they call again, ask them to put a bill in the post to the address registered on the account with a Girobank paying in form and you will take it to a post office.
 
just posted this on another forum I go on and the reaction was "Don't believe it!" "it's just a scare tactic." "Can't find anything about it anywhere else."
I was just trying to be helpful and all I got was c**p, I swear some people just deserve to be ripped off.


*Someone else just posted a link to the newspaper article about it which proves it was true, lets see how many of them actually thank me and apologise for saying I was lying.
 
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Thank you for the warning Judi, as SarahSez says I wouldn't fall it myself - but my 89 year old mother is very gullible and gets flustered very easily, and it would upset her to think that she owes money to anyone, so she would pay up immediately - I have already phoned her and made her aware of it, many thanks to you. X
 
They covered this last week I think it was on Radio 4 you and yours program. It is a scam and even if you try and ring them back (as if you were trying to ring BT to verify this) they have it set up at their end so the calls go to them.

DO NOT BE FOOLED, IT IS DEFFINATELY A SCAM AND THE POLICE ARE INVOLVED WITH IT TOO.
 
Sounds like yet another Urban Myth to me. If you google it there only seems to be one email about it, the one posted here, its the only thing that comes up. Im quite sure if it was a new scam and so many people were being hit that there would be loads of references and reports of it.

Although if it did happen whats more likely is the person calling has said theyll hang up and doesnt. That would mean when the person being called lifts their handset theyre still connected and their phone line wont do anything, wont let you call out and you wont have a dialling tone, so it would sound like your line was dead when in fact someone was just keeping it open
 
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thanks for this, whether it's real or not the warnings are always good to have, thanks again and I've told my mum and that :)
 
thnks for the warning i let my family know asap. i never heard about this i personally tell em to take a hike but my father and sister might not. thanks again for heads up xx
 
Thanks for posting that very intresting to know.

x x x sam x x x
 
Sounds like yet another Urban Myth to me. If you google it there only seems to be one email about it, the one posted here, its the only thing that comes up. Im quite sure if it was a new scam and so many people were being hit that there would be loads of references and reports of it.

Although if it did happen whats more likely is the person calling has said theyll hang up and doesnt. That would mean when the person being called lifts their handset theyre still connected and their phone line wont do anything, wont let you call out and you wont have a dialling tone, so it would sound like your line was dead when in fact someone was just keeping it open


Hi, don't always trust to google to find what you want.

Here's a link to the newspaper article: http://www.darlingtonandstocktontim...Homeowners_warned_about_telephone_fraud_scam/
and someone above mentions it was on radio 4.


Also to the Op was so annoyed at the other forum earlier forgot to say thanks, so thanks. xx
 
Im still sure if it was so 'wiidespread' there would be loads of reports about it. Just cos it was on Radio 4 doesnt make it fact, nor does a police reference. Theres a well documented email doing the rounds which quotes a cop from my force who has no knowledge of it and has never ever heard of the scam in the line of his work

Still I suppose its always better erring on the side of caution.
 
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