OT: lots of unwanted phone calls

In message , Martin Brown wrote

Have you had the ones attempting to sell Euro Disney? They use an automated message service that continues until the timeout for the message occurs - and then they call again - and again - and........

These messages seem have the sole purpose of annoying people who let the answerphone pick up the message. The technique is to fill up the machines message memory.

Reply to
Alan
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Save even more time by not speaking, just putting the phone down. I think your policy of being ex-directory and witholding your number is what is working, rather than TPS. I don't think it matters what you tell them, because you are probably being dialled by a machine, and the Indians have no idea what you told the previous one. Dave W

Reply to
Dave W

In message , Alan writes

Your not, but far too many people do (see also replying to spammers). Until that changes significantly, they will carry on.

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

In message , Alan writes

Panorama tonight was on this very subject. Worth watching on i player. Shows what a toothless wonder TPS is and how the scammers just ignore it.

Reply to
hugh

In message , ss writes

Cracking one on Panorama program tonight

Click on My computer said scammer How can I click on your computer was the reply

Reply to
hugh

Not my words Dave, just a copy and paste from the TPS site.

From my own experiences and depending on the mood I'm in - those calls that are from the Indian sub-continent I treat in various ways.

From asking THEM to navigate to Event Viewer or Prefetch, and then ask THEM to tell me how many files have error marks etc against them and to give me the relevent info to let me to connect to THEIR computer and allow ME to remotely download software to remove the "malware" on THEIR computer for a £200 fee - to a simple f*ck off, and any bullshit that I can get away with in-between.

It gets very interesting on times, and I've had them in quite a temper before they put the 'phone down on me - and the best yet, was a threat from one, who said that he "was going to come over to f***ing England and give my wife a good seeing-to".

He soon disappeared when I passed the handset to SWMBO - who then threatened to "send him back to India without a rather small part of his anatomy" (not in such a polite way as that though) if she met him - I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of that day.

And believe me, with her being a rather feisty septuagenarian (and a fading red-head to boot), she'd bloody-well do it if he did actually turn up on the doorstep (you could shave with her kitchen knives).

Cash

Reply to
Cash

That could easily have been a scam... The person pretending to be a ex-con to gain your sympathy and the moment you drop your guard he starts talking to you about Jehovah. ;-)

Reply to
David in Normandy

Did you see the tv report a few years ago about the bogus charity that sent young folks out door knocking and "spazzing"? That involved pretending to be autistic to gain sympathy and sales.

We've had lots of charity bags through the letterbox recently which at first glance appear to come from breast cancer charities but on closer analysis are actually from a private Lithuanian company claiming it gives an undisclosed percentage of its revenues to breast cancer care.

It seems that Canada is the only country where the pink ribbon is trademarked by a real charity and everywhere else it's public domain, making it a favourite for scammers who give little or nothing to an actual charity.

Reply to
mike

John Rumm spake thus:

^^^^^ this

Reply to
Scion

I do not understand that either.

I tell SWMBO off for running to get it during meals - that's what the answerphone is for.

It is also extremely irritating when I have popped in to see someone at work to help *them*, then they answer a call and yabber for 5 minutes. That usually gets a "I see your busy, I'll come back later[1]"

[1] for some definition of later...
Reply to
Tim Watts

Unfortunately that seems not to be true in all cases - I've found GPs and hospitals often won't (patient confidentiality, you know...). My dentist seems to have no problem leaving reminders though.

Reply to
docholliday93

On 09/07/2012 11:52, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: I've found GPs and hospitals often won't (patient confidentiality, you know...).

I bet they would if they were calling about an unpaid bill.

Reply to
Andrew May

callers sound Asian. I'm a TalkTalk customer, and their customer service centre is in India I think. Maybe they sell customer contact details? The calls all seem to be scams - "hello this is Microsoft, you've got a virus". "hello have you ever had a loan in the last 10 years". Rinse and repeat, month after month after month.

It's supposed to help cut down on these types of calls. Any thoughts please people? Thanks.

I have a TrueCall device which works very well.

But I wonder if another tactic might work too. I lived and worked in France for 5 years, so my French is serviceable. Would speaking only in a foreign language work with Indian callcentre staff?

So you don't speak a foreign tongue. Then you could recite some local village names rather fast, preferably in the tone of a question. Imagine being asked "Rampisham Frome St Quintin?" or "South Perrott Melbury Bubb Wraxall?"

It just might work.

Hugh

Reply to
Hugh Newbury

Funny how details get around ... a few years ago, I was testing some software which linked to insurers test sites. Mysteriously, we started getting mail, in the names of some of the test data sets at the office. We also had a prepaid cell phone we used for some tests (I know Ofcom has some reserved numbers available for such purposes, but we needed to receive SMSs). That started ringing, with people asking for the test names we used. So it was clear someone, somewhere was illegally selling data.

With the rise of VOIP, maybe there's scope for a sort of central clearing site, where we can transfer call centres, and it randomly connects them to another transferred call. The site could pay for itself by charging for people to eavesdrop to one scammer trying to "fix" a computer talking to another scammer.

Reply to
Jethro_uk

I got a UK based caller the other day, and she was actually most apologetic when I pointed out it was a TPS number.

Reply to
John Rumm

It is.

Whenever I have to provide an email address to a company they get one in the form company_name@mydomain. I've had emails from unique addresses given to 1and1 and Royal Mail. Neither would investigate or admit the possibility of a leak.

Reply to
F

We use VoIP from VoIPfone and we can and have used this;)..

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Whilst on the subject of intergalactic call centres;)

Enjoy:)..

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the best anti telemarketer gag:)..

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a good variation;!..

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Reply to
tony sayer

Yes, I use those too. Must have well over 200 of them now!

Reply to
Bob Eager

Before t'internet, I used to play around with a middle initial to trace junk mail.

In the 1991 census, some friends (students) messed around with their census form, and added a non-existent name (it was a protest against the poll tax). A few months later they started getting junk mail in that name.

Reply to
Jethro_uk

When we first registered with the TPS we did experience a drop in the number of cold calls. Over the years the number has risen so we now get far more cold calls than ever before.

Trouble is that "they" don't (leave messages). I've missed several important things because I do not generally answer withheld calls & no-one has left a message.

It doesn't stop me though.

Reply to
Mark

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