New scam, please read this!

Cosimo · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:42

knip said:
Because he gave them his switch card number to make the payment with the card details and security code etc. Thats all they need I guess.

I'm sorry to say it but there is one born every minute, just why give these details on a cold call, will people ever learn.

4T5 · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:43

Skyfall said:
haha

Was the line really dead or did the other end just not hang up?

What he said.

knip · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:44

malc30 said:
What he said.

It made the long continous sound a phone number makes if you ring it and its been disconnected.

4T5 · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:45

knip said:
It made the long continous sound a phone number makes if you ring it and its been disconnected.

That was a recording the scammer was playing down the phone to avoid you ringing out to check up. (Mebbe baby

)

SideWinder · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:49

Eeeek, will spread the word.

Azagoth · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:51

knip said:
They said, we get lots of people saying this, so in five minutes we will disconnect your line, and then five minutes after that we will reconnect you and then you will know we are genuine.

Sorry, but your friend has to be somehow mentally impaired to think that a huge company such as BT would phone up, ask for bill payment and then turn his line off for 5 mins to prove they're for real.
.

knip · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:14

Azagoth said:
Sorry, but your friend has to be somehow mentally impaired to think that a huge company such as BT would phone up, ask for bill payment and then turn his line off for 5 mins to prove they're for real.
.

But the line WAS turned off. So there might be a little bit of you that thinks a huge company such as BT might have the power to do that, so you might believe them when it then happened.

LEK-89 · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:17

I hope your mate gets this sorted out & gets his money back! I thought the only way companies like BT could get in contact with you regarding outstanding bills was via post?

Liam

Dist · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:18

malc30 said:
That was a recording the scammer was playing down the phone to avoid you ringing out to check up. (Mebbe baby )

If the scammer was playing that down the phone, only the person on the other end (who thinks the line is dead) would hear it on their home phone. A mobile phone trying to call the home line wouldn't hear it.

willhub · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:18

I think VoIP is the way forward?

OCdude · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:29

lol yeah like BT would just ring you up and go: Pay us!

Even more hilarious thinking that they'd immediately disconnect and reconnect you to "prove it" lol

Azagoth · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:31

knip said:
But the line WAS turned off. So there might be a little bit of you that thinks a huge company such as BT might have the power to do that, so you might believe them when it then happened.

No, not even the smallest part of me would have thought that. I'd have just bid them good day and hung up.

Gilly · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:54

knip said:
But the line WAS turned off. So there might be a little bit of you that thinks a huge company such as BT might have the power to do that, so you might believe them when it then happened.

They do have the power to do it, but no company acts in that manner.

danza · 22 Apr 2009 at 21:13

This has just happened to my inlaws. Same drivel spouted about owing money to BT, even though they don't use BT after changing a couple of months ago to Tiscali. She (mother inlaw) told them this, but they said they still owed them £10 from before they changed to Tiscali.

Cue threats of cutting off and she gave them debit card details. Fortunately she rang BT immediately who confirmed it wasn't themselves (a bit late though), and cancelled her debit card straight after.

They (luckily) only got away with 3 x £30 withdrawals.

Scum.

naffers · 22 Apr 2009 at 23:26

cheers for the heads up

dowie · 23 Apr 2009 at 00:42

knip said:
But the line WAS turned off. So there might be a little bit of you that thinks a huge company such as BT might have the power to do that, so you might believe them when it then happened.

Sorry but this part of the story just sounds a bit BS tbh...

I find it hard to believe it actually happened in the first place - you can't just switch someone's phone off at random, let alone do it to several people as part of a scam - I think your friend is exaggerating - perhpas in embarrassment at falling for someone simply phoning up, pretending to be from BT and merely threatening to cut him/her off

Jez · 23 Apr 2009 at 00:49

Disconnecting the line physically results in continuous ringing, not a bleep tone.

Not sure how they have done this. :/

MikeHunt79 · 23 Apr 2009 at 00:57

That's a pretty crafty scam, hope the phone companies figure out how they're doing it...

Pinter75 · 23 Apr 2009 at 01:02

The key to sussing out how they did this depends on a few points.

a). Did he hang up 1st or did they?
b). When he tried to ring the land line from his mobile what tone did he get.

If he hung up 1st, then they didn't and the line would still be open. They could have easily played any tone down the phone to immitate what ever they wanted to. If he got the engaged tone when he tried his mobile, that is what they probably did.

If he got something else when he rang the land line, they probably had some access to the telcom gear.

dowie · 23 Apr 2009 at 01:09

MikeHunt79 said:
That's a pretty crafty scam, hope the phone companies figure out how they're doing it...

they phone a bunch of people up, pretend to be from BT then get the details from the gullible ones

I'd be 95% sure the bit about the scammers cutting off the phoneline is BS - this scam has been reported in a few places recently and there hasn't been any mention of actually cutting off the line - merely the threat of doing so.