I am sick of them too Mups - I’ve had several phone calls this week from foreign sounding men saying they are from BT, each one on a different number. Then there are those saying they’re from Amazon … I wonder how many folks fall for them? Some must or else they wouldn’t keep the scam going.
I got a letter from BT saying that someone had applied to take over my line (as if I was moving house) I phoned them and got it sorted immediately. No hassle. Next day I got a phonecall from BT saying the exact same thing (Asian accent). I explained that it was a mistake and had been sorted. He replied no it hadn’t and it would go ahead, unless I took out a new contract, and can-I-have-your-bank-details. I have never slammed the phone down so hard! Also…still online, so…there ya go. Weird.
They are devious blighters aren’t they? If they say to me that I am going to be cut off within 48 hours I simply tell them to go-ahead and then put down the phone - I’ve done that several times but am still online. As you say Pixie Knuckles very weird!
Latest one I had yesterday was a recording saying that my National insurance number has been used etc, and press 1. Being bored I did. Foreign guy claiming to be a young William (old bill to you).
Wanted my name, so I used yours. Then I said “do you want my card details next” yes he said. So I told him to go forth and multiply.
I have to say that I’m pleased and relieved to hear that so many people, at least the ones on OFF, know better than to fall for these scams.
Hopefully, as they become more and more commonplace, more and more people will become wise to them.
Sadly, there must still be many, probably the oldest of us, who are unaware and are still easy targets. Perhaps a series of government TV adverts explaining in the simplest terms what to watch out for might be of some help.
Best to have one of the phones that show the number ringing, then if you don’t recognise the number, don’t pick up, just leave it on answerphone.
The scammers rarely talk if it’s just an answerphone.
You can then look up the number and block it.
I know they change their numbers, but I just keep blocking the new numbers.
If they are not on the phone, they are at the door, or else trying their luck on our internet.
What a low life they are.
Exactly what I do.
I don’t bother to block their numbers, though, for the reason you give.
As for t’internet, I have an ad blocker and junk mail goes straight to my Spam folder.
Our council has provided us with a special blue bin for junk mail.
What annoys me is that even though I’m on the telephone preference scheme, and ex-directory, nothing seems to bloomin’ work…they still get through!
Me too, and as you say, it’s not much help.
I phoned the TPS a long while ago, and asked them why nuisance calls were still getting through, and they said at the time, that unfortunately they can’t stop calls from abroad.
I reckon the scammers are outwitting the TPS from this country too!
Me too. The TPS is a waste of time.
The only answer is an answer-phone.
Yes, it seems the best way doesn’t it. 
Last friday morning I had 4 phone calls ,all from 0208 code the other 7 digits were slightly different each time,I lifted the receiver once and a recorded message was saying my telephone line and internet was being cut off in the next 30 minutes, but hey ho it’s still working…
All on the same day and within an hour or so!
• A text message from HSBC telling me that a payment higher than my authorised amount allowed is about to be made from my account. Please contact us using the link below: … … … … … …
I don’t have an account with HSBC and never have had!
• A call on my mobile from the Investigations department of the National Crime Agency …
That lasted exactly nine seconds before I ended the call!
• Two calls, one after the other on my landline from the usual international number.
Obviously a scam as I don’t know anyone from abroad.
Both calls went to answer machine as do all calls to the landline. People who know me will either leave a message or I will recognise their number and call them back. Anyway all of them know incoming calls should be made to my mobile as I never answer the landline.
I am really increasingly sick of all this daily intrusion into my life via my landline, mobile phone and e-mails. Why cannot BT or other service providers stop this? This just gets worse and worse especially as there seems no way to bring these people to justice using the law and making punishments fit this crime. That’s what it is I believe, a crime against society! Just what is it in this country that we have to live in this way while the ‘no-goods’, thousands and thousands of them just stick two fingers up at all of us?
Oh and don’t get me started on those Jehovah’s Witnesses, for 16 years now they have tried to pester me at my front door, now due to coronavirus they are sending their rubbish through the post!
Rant over, thanks for reading! 
A very good question.
I wonder whether other countries throughout the world suffer the same intrusions.
If there are some which, for some reason, are immune to it perhaps our authorities should be looking into the reason why and applying the same safeguards to our telephone system.
Hi
They are not all scams.
One of my accounts was hacked, I was notified by the bank, quite properly and advised accordingly.
I was very happy with that.
They cancelled my card and I got another one 3 days later.
I’ve just had a telephone call from ‘Virgin Media’.
Point 1: The caller spoke rapidly in an Indian/Pakistani accent to the degree that I couldn’t understand a word.
Point 2: He asked me to confirm that I am in Manchester, ‘M1’. I told him I am not in ‘M1’.
Point 3: He asked me how many items I had connected to the router. I lied to him and told him “none at present”.
I kept him talking by insisting, quite correctly, that I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Eventually he hung up.
If scammers want to succeed, they should surely make an effort to make themselves sound a little more convincing.
When I get them what I cannot understand what they are saying, after a few tries, I say” hang on a moment whilst I go get an interpreter “. Oh it makes when I am bored at times so exciting.
I just had another call from the people at ‘Virgin Media’. You know, the ones in what sounds like a very busy call centre in India.
Again, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying and, as he was getting nowhere, he said he would get his supervisor to have a word with me.
Suitably impressed, I listened to him as he explained that VM had identified some problems with my router. He asked me how many items I had using the internet, to which I replied “none at the moment”.
He asked me if I could connect one of them to the internet and I suggested I could do that with my computer.
We waited patiently whilst the computer booted (actually, it was already running) and, as it is rather slow these days, after several minutes I announced that I was ready. Could I turn on my browser? Yes.
He then asked me to open ‘Teamviewer’, although as I couldn’t hear him properly, he had to spell it out.
It was pretty obvious by now what he was after, so I asked him if he could prove that he is from VM. In response, he gave me my ‘customer number’, a series of numbers I had absolutely no record of.
I asked him, therefore, that if he is from VM as he claims, could he give me my VM account number?
After several um and ahs and stumbling comments, he announced that he was afraid that he didn’t appear to have that number to hand.
It had been about ten minutes by now, so I laughed and suggested that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this ‘customer’ so perhaps he’s like to try someone else, and I was tired of this game now. He hung up!
Just be aware, people, that Teamviewer is a means of accessing other people’s computers, probably for honest reasons… but not always!
Remote access is something I have only experienced at work, when the tills have gone down, so this is interesting, JBR, thanks 