Scam call - HMRC criminal investigations

Zico

Zico

Zico

Soldato
Joined
15 Jan 2003
Posts
4,947
Location
South East
I had two separate calls earlier this morning (to my work mobile) from two different 0207 numbers (02073126617 and 02078946074) which started off with an automated call stating a criminal investigation was being opened by the HMRC due to tax fraud. The message then states to push 1 to find out more details.

I was up for a little messing around at the first call and pushed 1 but didn't get put through to anyone. By the time of the second call about 1 hour later, I was a little busy but still pushed the button to speak to somebody. Needless to say the 'agent with an accent' from the usual areas answered and I gave them a mouthful.

My reason for posting here wasn't really about the calls themselves but the fact that to report the above numbers to anyone that could do anything, you have to register or make accounts to do so.

If you're vulnerable enough to be taken in by these types of scam calls, how likely are you to sign up to a website to report them?!

I would enjoy it if somebody like Jim Browning were to call them and wind them up along with getting some payback for those who are caught by these scamming scum.
 
There was a spate of bogus VAT enforcement calls a while back, 'an officer is on his way to your premises' garbage. Total losers, just wish the law could track them down, but no chance it appears?
 
I get the automated calls from "internet provider" saying they're about to **** up my connection but press X to talk to someone.

Also had a plague of usual suspects from usual location: HELLO I AM ENGLISHNAME FROM BT/VIRGIN MEDIA HOW ARE YOU. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH YOUR ROUTER SO IM GOING TO START THERE THEN EVENTUALLY GET YOU TO INSTALL SOME SOFTWARE AND SEND US MONEY :)

Had that one three times in a day, seemed to lose connection if I asked them what my name was :p

Not had the HMRC one, maybe they've not got round to calling my area yet.
 
Hotwired said:
I get the automated calls from "internet provider" saying they're about to **** up my connection but press X to talk to someone.

Also had a plague of usual suspects from usual location: HELLO I AM ENGLISHNAME FROM BT/VIRGIN MEDIA HOW ARE YOU. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH YOUR ROUTER SO IM GOING TO START THERE THEN EVENTUALLY GET YOU TO INSTALL SOME SOFTWARE AND SEND US MONEY :)

Had that one three times in a day, seemed to lose connection if I asked them what my name was :p

Not had the HMRC one, maybe they've not got round to calling my area yet.
Click to expand...

Had one from 'Microsoft' one morning, telling me they were detecting errors from my router. Female caller, sounded Indian, in a noisy call centre. As i was just about out of the door to head to work, I replied "Yeah, right." and put the phone down.

Get to work, the phone is ringing as I step through the door; guess who...
 
I have had the HMRC one, and apparently both my Microsoft windows and internet is being investigated as well, I am definitely going to court and then prison if I do not comply. I tell them to try sticking their head up ........
you get the picture XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX the lot of them.
 
A good response to the 'router error' ones is "Yes, I know. I reconfigured the IPX protocols to enhance the DNS trace-routing and execute stop-bit bandwidth enhancement. Could you tell me what port to address for IPV6 please? Will I need enhanced delta-switching?"
(Which is obviously pure nonsense).

Only ever think of these after the event, but there we are..
 
My parents keep getting the Amazon call recently saying that someone has ordered an iphone on your account for £700 or so. Mum just replied "Yes that's right, it was me". There was several seconds of confused silence before they just hung up.
 
Same here, I've been getting the HMRC calls once a week on my mobile phone for the last 6 weeks, I keep blocking the number, but they seem to phone from a different number from the same 0207 dialling code area, its a bit annoying, but I just hang up as soon as I hear its them now
 
Rather than giving them a gobful I like to waste as much time of theirs as possible if I can to tie them up from scamming someone who wouldn't be so aware.

I remember when I was in my teens and someone called the landline saying they were from Microsoft, had them on the phone for 45 minutes sounding confused and really worried about the virus in my system.

Only at the end did I say "Maybe I can't find the buttons you're asking about because I'm on a Mac?"

They absolutely lost it and started shouting at me for wasting peoples time :D
 
LOL, I did the same with the MAC trick, but when they asked how I had pressed the windows key earlier in the conversation I told them my MAC keyboard had broken and I was using a spare, then asked if they had any idea how to fix my MAC keyboard - he was not a happy chap!!
 
Looks like it's on the increase again. I tell people now that any inbound from someone you don't know just ask for a telephone number n tell them you will call back (but don't call back) until I have looked it up first.

It's working so far.
 
TBirdUK said:
LOL, I did the same with the MAC trick, but when they asked how I had pressed the windows key earlier in the conversation I told them my MAC keyboard had broken and I was using a spare, then asked if they had any idea how to fix my MAC keyboard - he was not a happy chap!!
Click to expand...

While they were still a bit of a novelty my mum used to wind them up by throwing in random techie sounding words* and googling stuff to wind them up until they got bored/caught on and disconnected. Now she just doesn't bother though.

* i.e. she'd heard of TCP so just parroted random snippets from related wikis.
 
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