There was a phone call to my parents...

[Lessman001]

trip or a mistake but actually my parents were pressure to hear it. Because they don't owe anyone anything. I felt sorry for my parents.

Any debt agency is required to act in accordance with rules set out by the financial conduct authority. So now a trip or a mistake you better let them know about your parents' situation and make a complaint at scottishtrustdeed.co.uk.

[johnwash1]

Ours has never failed us. Wouldn't be without it.

The problem comes with calls (e.g. the NHS) that are using automated systems. By the time your call blocker has challenged the caller, and tried to alert you, their system has hung up.

You can get yourself on the telephone preference list, but that's useless for the many calls from overseas.

Usually I string the "your internet system has been compromised" callers along for a little, then tell them I know it's a scam. I had quite a revealing chat with one recently. I was asking him why he didn't get a job where he could make some positive difference in the world and what his mother would think. "She is very proud of me!". I got an avalanche of hate, about the British having exploited his country for centuries, about the war in 1947, and that it was a PLEASURE to be scamming the British and recovering some of the money that we owe them.

[tony41]

The problem comes with calls (e.g. the NHS) that are using automated systems. By the time your call blocker has challenged the caller, and tried to alert you, their system has hung up.

You can get yourself on the telephone preference list, but that's useless for the many calls from overseas.

Usually I string the "your internet system has been compromised" callers along for a little, then tell them I know it's a scam. I had quite a revealing chat with one recently. I was asking him why he didn't get a job where he could make some positive difference in the world and what his mother would think. "She is very proud of me!". I got an avalanche of hate, about the British having exploited his country for centuries, about the war in 1947, and that it was a PLEASURE to be scamming the British and recovering some of the money that we owe them.

I usually disconnect the scam calls as soon as I am sure that that it what they are. We are on telephone preference list but that seems to be ignored by some. However, things did improve when we went on TPS. We cannot exclude "number withheld" calls as our local GP surgery and the two hospitals I use withhold their number as do at least two of our friends. We cannot exclude overseas calls as we have friends who live overseas but it would be useful if the telephone screen could tell us the country of origin.

[crafters_corner]

The problem comes with calls (e.g. the NHS) that are using automated systems. By the time your call blocker has challenged the caller, and tried to alert you, their system has hung up.

You can get yourself on the telephone preference list, but that's useless for the many calls from overseas.

Usually I string the "your internet system has been compromised" callers along for a little, then tell them I know it's a scam. I had quite a revealing chat with one recently. I was asking him why he didn't get a job where he could make some positive difference in the world and what his mother would think. "She is very proud of me!". I got an avalanche of hate, about the British having exploited his country for centuries, about the war in 1947, and that it was a PLEASURE to be scamming the British and recovering some of the money that we owe them.

We have our GP and dentist on the 'allowed' list and they come straight through. Hospital also contacts us as we have their number also 'allowed'. My dentist has an automated reminder but as I have a calendar, a diary, and a Google calendar reminder, it is not a problem.

As for friends with number withheld, all we would do is add them to our 'allowed' list.

I guess it depends upon which 'phone you have. Ours is excellent and only around £50 from the river a few years ago.

[johnwash1]

I usually disconnect the scam calls as soon as I am sure that that it what they are. We are on telephone preference list but that seems to be ignored by some. However, things did improve when we went on TPS. We cannot exclude "number withheld" calls as our local GP surgery and the two hospitals I use withhold their number as do at least two of our friends. We cannot exclude overseas calls as we have friends who live overseas but it would be useful if the telephone screen could tell us the country of origin.

I do understand why you'd want to disconnect them pdq, but if you're feeling public spirited, wasting their time for 20 minutes might be the very 20 minutes in which some more vulnerable person would have been tricked out of precious savings.

[madelaine]

I also do the "Why don't you get a proper job?" and "You are trying to steal from me" lines... I've only ever had the mildest fight back and that was from someone in the UK. I also used the fact that I was waiting for hospital appointments and, finally, a surgery date, to say "I'm waiting for a call about my heart surgery and I don't need your call, right now". I don't do it now as I feel it only has power when it is true.

[johnwash1]

I also do the "Why don't you get a proper job?" and "You are trying to steal from me" lines... I've only ever had the mildest fight back and that was from someone in the UK. I also used the fact that I was waiting for hospital appointments and, finally, a surgery date, to say "I'm waiting for a call about my heart surgery and I don't need your call, right now". I don't do it now as I feel it only has power when it is true.

Gill had one today, about her Amazon Prime account. It just so happens that a few months ago she'd inadvertently signed up for Prime (damn those FREE buttons) and only noticed subsequently that there was a recurring charge appearing on her credit card. Obviously only a 30 day free trial.

So she'd recently gone through the rigmarole of terminating the subscription and had even had a confirmatory email from Amazon.

"There's a problem with your Amazon Prime account!"

"No, that can't be true, I unsubscribed from it!"

[slight pause, presumably while the operative searched her script for how to continue]

"Er, it seems there is a hacker in your Prime account and we need to block them!"

[at this point I happen to walk in the front door, Gill realises this isn't Amazon, and hands me the phone]

"What kind of computer do you have?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"So that we can block the hacker for you!"

"OK, we have a Novatech computer"

[pause, seems Novatech aren't a well known maker in India]

"Is that a Windows computer?"

"No"

"Is it a Mac?"

"No, it's a Linux computer"

"Oh!" [pause while she consults with someone in the background] "That would take much too long!" [click!]

Yay! \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ Yet another advantage of running Linux!

[madelaine]

Well, you don't actually have to run Linux... you can just claim to!

[johnwash1]

Well, you don't actually have to run Linux... you can just claim to!

I'd get reported to the open source credibility police and be sanctioned!

I have thought of setting aside a little laptop, installing XP on it and keeping it on the hall table, ready for the next scammer.

There are people who claim to have let these people into their system and then injected a virus into the caller's pc. Sounds a really good idea, but I'd need advice on how to go about that. Best of all would be to hijack the whole call centre and have their PCs doing bitcoin mining for my benefit.

[johnwash1]

Example:
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/201...ng-ransomware/