Think this is a scam :(

[alphaGT]

Lazy policing - tracking down and dealing with scammers is too much like hard work. The only reason so many speeding motorists get caught is because the police have cameras to do the work for them

Actually I know it's not all about laziness, it's more about allocating resources to where it is felt they are most needed. About time the powers that be recognise how serious a problem scammers and cybercrime has become.

As I said in my earlier post, the phone company is allowing this to happen. They are making money off of these calls. They could stop it overnight if they wanted, and the phone company has influence in the government, so the cops don’t interfere.


A friend I spoke to the other day told me when he gets such a call, he picks up the phone and barks, “This is General Wilson in the Pentagon War Room! State your business!”, and they hang up every time! And don’t call back.

Russell

[Marco]

Blimey! Can't he just 'nutshell' them into one slightly longer call?

Ha - that would be great, but not how it works if he forgets to mention something he wanted to discuss, or something new crops up, such as recently his Sky box crashing, so I had to nip over and sort it. There are all sorts of reasons why he would call me...

Del too, from work, if there's something she wants to discuss out with of an email. I could think of plenty of other examples too, of regular callers to our landline who we wouldn't want to continually inconvenience by having to go through a 'verification system'.

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

Ha - that would be great, but not how it works if he forgets to mention something he wanted to discuss, or something new crops up, such as recently his Sky box crashing, so I had to nip over and sort it. There are all sorts of reasons why he would call me...

Del too, from work, if there's something she wants to discuss out with of an email. I could think of plenty of other examples too, of regular callers to our landline who we wouldn't want to continually inconvenience by having to go through a 'verification system'.

Marco.

Sounds like you're his 'go to' guy for everything, as he would have been for you when you were little, and that's a good thing Also some of the calls may just be an excuse for a chat! Make the most of it, you only get one dad.

[Marco]

Exactly, mate... And also *exactly* as it should be [the relationship between a father and son] - and like you say, you repay your parents when they're old, for looking after you so well when you were young

That's a normal thing for me (and my family, including Del's), but sadly these days a dying trait... Stick your old folks in a home, when they become 'too much bother', or neglect them long before then as you're 'too busy' with your own life, is the more likely thing

As they say, if you want something badly enough, you'll MAKE time for it.........

To be close to us, is why my dad moved down from Scotland with my mum (who's sadly passed away since), to live just 5 mins away. And yes, 'just for a chat' is a primo reason for him having a phone and calling me, which is another rather enjoyable/nice 'human' experience that online social media has sadly all but killed!

Marco [embraces old-fashioned values, as they're usually the best].

[icehockeyboy]

I frequently receive calls from "you were involved in an accident recently". I answer......was I ...oh my lord.....was I injured am I going to recover ok. Mostly they hang up by now, but a couple have gone on for a while and I start asking how much compensation am I going to receive and what shall I spend it on. I do pretty much the same with the PPI cold callers. Don't get mad with them, have a bit fun, and if you are in company, put it on speaker phone.

When they tell me ‘our records show’ etc, I usually say, you’re lying to me, why are you lying to me, tell me more about these so called records?

Or, I agree, and then go on to say about having drunk a full bottle of Scotch and sniffed some coke, and how I was driving a mini bus with 12 passengers.
They usually hang up!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[chris@panteg]

Some hilarious comments on this thread, I've had quite a lot of phone calls recently from dubious sources, claiming to be either BT or Talk Talk stating that my Internet will shortly be terminated or my computer has a virus and some even claimed my router had virus also.

I'm thinking these clowns must be getting some success at this, some vulnerable people out there alas.

[Minstrel SE]

The scammers have been filmed on their webcams by you tubers and addresses have been given to the local indian police but nothing seems to be done about it.

Thats the problem with these foreign economies. I get the feeling that the police are in on it for a bung, dont you?

Ive been scammed directly to my face in the UK though so I had a real wakeup call in the 1980s. I dont trust anyone now which is sad. I dont trust garages, car stereo fitting places and most shops. The result of scammers is I now spend quarter of an hour examining factory seals on boxes to the disgruntled looks on the retail workers faces. I get written quotes from the top dog.

I dont trust tradesmen as far as I can throw them...I do the work myself whenever possible and thats most times.

I dont think I can easily get scammed now although Ive recently been employed by someone who screwed me over from the word go.

[Alex_UK]

Just had "Microsoft" call me as my computer has been hacked. Acted all shocked and concerned. Kept him going for 10 minutes faffing around asking stupid questions before asking him why he was calling me from Microsoft when the only computer I have is an Apple Mac. He muttered something angrily in Indian before hanging up on me!

[Alex_UK]

My dad often used to answer the phone to unknown numbers as "Wongs Chinese, can I take your order prease?" or "Hello you've reached 999, which service do you require?" He stopped the last one, when the voice at the other end said "Interesting, this is Norfolk Constabulary and we are ringing you about your recently reported crime..." And then gave him a rather stern warning! (You can tell how long ago it must have been to get a call from a real cop!)

[Minstrel SE]

If you treat the telephone as a nuisance as I do, it needs a giant caller display where only approved numbers ring. This could be set with a filtering system of anti telesales warning messages so genuine callers can leave a message and then get through when cleared. Point is you can check and skip those messages at your convenience so as not be disturbed

All home phones should be like this with minimal cost from the phone companies. There is no reason for anyone else to be ringing anyway. I cant think of many reasons for strangers to legitimately call.

So I would preset it with the girlfriends number, a couple of friends and my parents.

For anyone else it just doesnt ring because there is nothing strange I want to know about by telephone.....Nothing!

There seems plenty of people that want to chat with anybody that rings up...Thats their lookout and I thought they would have had more sense in this cynical world. If a ringing telephone is the highlight of your day, youve got real problems