Just had a phone call making sure I had bought a train ticket from london to manchester with a credit card for around £80. if this was incorrect press 2 on the phone for the fraud dept, which I did.straight away an Indian sounding voice answer asking if he could help. I SLAMMED DOWN THE PHONE
I had a similar experience a few years back. An Asian sounding lady called on the landline advising me that she was from Microsoft and that there was an issue with my computer.
I simply told her that I have the number she was calling from and that I’d report her to Microsoft.
I’ve never known anyone hang up on me so quickly! 
1 Like
The fact that that it was an Indian or Asian voice on the other end of the phone proves nothing of course.
Most of the legitimate(Banks,Insurance,power companies,Internet providers,etc…)tele sales here are Indian/Asia people.
I was able to check the code/ prefix of the call I received. It was India. In retrospect I wish I had sent that number to Microsoft.
Does anyone still have a phone to slam down? Difficult to slam down a mobile phone.
I just enjoy wasting their time.
I’d put the phone down regardless of the accent and phone my credit card company using the number I have on the card.
most of these such calls are obvious scams and I just hang up.
Accents are no help in determining that here as both legitimate callers and scammers have various different accents here
if there is a call that could be genuine I ask for their name and ring back the bank or company myself on their listed number.
If anyone is thinking of ringing their own bank or credit card company, just to check all is ok, after receiving one of these suspected scam calls, be careful. The scammer may still be holding the line open and could intercept your call, fooling you into believing you are talking to a member of bank staff on the number you have just dialled.
- Check the line: Be aware that scammers can keep your phone line open even after you’ve hung up. Use a different phone or call someone you know first to check the line is free, or wait at least 10 to 15 minutes between calls to make sure that any scammers have hung up.
1 Like
Not only that they also hijack legitimate numbers so it looks like they are a local call. I get them occasionally and used to block the number but have since discovered that is a total waste of time. because their number is never real.
The only numbers I block now are charities that ring - when I donate to charity I have learned never to give my phone number.
BTW that only works on the old step by step land line system where the caller can block a line, on mobile phones either caller hanging up releases the line and I think that is also the case with the newer computer controlled exchanges.
2 Likes
Thew initial call was from someone claiming to be from the railway company. That raised alarm bells as I only once been on a train for over 30 years at least. Then it was on the
IN Tokyo Japan
I’m not sure if this is still so - but seems good advice to follow just in case.
Ring another number first - even your own landline/mobile if you have both - and/or wait 15 minutes or so before ringing the real bank/company.
Thank you - I will do that in future as an extra precaution.
As I thought caller held lines are a thing of the past. Largely due to these scams.
When I worked in a telephone exchange in the 1960s rivals would phone a business from a phone box and not hang up, in theory they could block the line all day then. However, in the exchange it was pretty obvious as a light came up on the final selector and any passing tech would release the call anyway.