Getting endless SCAM calls purporting to be from TalkTalk

[stockhausen]

Many years ago I was a TalkTalk customer. For a number of reasons I moved away. I am now receiving an endless stream of 'phone calls from people in a call centre who appear to be from the Indian sub-continent - i.e. they don't speak intelligible English.

The most recent one told me that he was calling from TalkTalk and that they were getting regular warnings that there was a problem with my computer. The previous call said that the problem was with my Router.

I said that I wasn't a TalkTalk customer - he asked if I was with BT - I said that I was and he confirmed that that was right - I'm not with BT either.

He then went on to say that there was a problem with my Windows computer - I said that I used an Apple Laptop - he didn't hesitate, "Oh yes, that's right, your Apple computer." Will these Scammers never learn?

I guess that this is happening because the children at TalkTalk inadvertently released their customer database into the public domain a while back.

 

[stockhausen]

Really? I was an unwitting TalkTalk customer a while back (they bought-out the ISP I was with) so I'm very annoyed to hear this.

From October 2015 [LINK]

Police are investigating a "significant and sustained cyber-attack" on the TalkTalk website, the UK company says. The phone and broadband provider, which has over four million UK customers, said banking details and personal information could have been accessed. TalkTalk said potentially all customers could be affected but it was too early to know what data had been stolen.

As it happens, I believe that TalkTalk subsequently announced that next to nothing had gone missing and what had gone missing wasn't really thast important (to them at least). It was because of their carelessness and casual subsequent reaction that I wouldn't go anywhere near TalkTalk now.

 

[stockhausen]

Indeed - extremely misleading thread title.

You're quite right, I really should have titled the thread "Getting endless SCAM calls from someone pretending to be a representative of a high profile communications company that may have managed to lose the banking details and personal information of as many as four million UK customers."

However, that probably wouldn't have fitted and whilst I am quite sure that TalkTalk weren't trying to scam me, the various callers did say that they worked for TalkTalk and I thought that the information might be helpful to someone less well informed than you - or in fact, me.

 

[stockhausen]

These calls purporting to be from someone at TalkTalk continue . . . I have received two this morning.

I played along with the first one to see what he would ask me to do. When he sensed that I was less than cooperative he hung up.

The second one was very convincing, he happily gave me his name and details which sounded plausible and kept asking why I was so suspicious. Since I no longer have a TalkTalk account they would have been wrong. He was not willing to call me back on a number that was not withheld.

I realise that most people on this forum wouldn't fall for this sort of scam. However, the callers can be VERY convincing - they would be even more convincing if they spoke half-decent English and didn't call from what appears to be a street market. It seems quite clear to me that the Scammers have access to a copy of the hacked TalkTalk database since they never suggest that I am a BT customer.

Perhaps Scam calls would merit a Public Sevice "STICKY"? Meanwhile, here is the [LINK] that someone thoughtfully provided earlier.

 

[stockhausen]

I don't understand why anyone would ever entertain Talk Talk as an ISP.

Cost?

 

[stockhausen]

Well no, they don't have the worst speeds - they are on par with most other ISP's at any given exchange. Their customer service is no worse than any other CS and no better.
You can dislike a company, sure, but just saying "They are the slowest, their CS is worse than everyone else and this is a fact" is kind of not being the truthful.

On the other hand, it certainly is the case that Scammers have made use of hacked data:

TalkTalk admits that a data breach last year allowed scammers to prey on its four million customers, using stolen information [Telegraph]

TalkTalk, the phone and broadband giant with 4 million customers, has admitted it suffered a major data breach in which account numbers, addresses and phone numbers have fallen into the hands of online criminals – who have used the data to steal thousands of pounds. [Guardian]

This doesn't really give the impression of an organisation at the top of its game does it?