Beware phone number scammers;!...

You are not alone:

From the ElReg article "Watchdog hits 070 swindlers with big fine" on 20 Aug 2008

"In July 2006 Ofcom said it would end use of 070 redirects within three years to clamp down on abuse."

It's not clear if you fell for the scam, or just dialled it in the public interest, so to speak.

That was one of the first hits on a google search for 07053500509.

It's always worth doing a quick google on any such numbers before dialling. It can save a lot of grief. I do the same with those nuisance PPI cold callers before adding them to my incoming calls barred list. I haven't had any PPI calls for a long time now so they've either given up or else they're being rejected by the incoming call barring.

Unfortunately, when the number is withheld, I have to answer the business line before rejecting whatever service they're trying to sell when it is an actual human or otherwise hanging up on the robot callers.

When it comes to 'International' calls, I take some pleasure in letting it time out to the answer machine. To date, not one of _those_ callers have ever left a message. Ah, the joy of Caller display.

The only oddity are those calls that simply display as 'Out Of Area'. I'm beginning to think they're in the same class as 'International' only faked/spoofed at their 'injection point' into BT's network so I'm figuring to let any more such calls ring out to the answer machine just to see what happens.

My rule is simple, if it's a telesales cold call to my business number, I get them to cut to the chase and tell them that I'm not interested and bid them farewell. Most of those callers are usually polite enough to bid me goodbye when they're trying to sell a service related to my business.

The ones that just won't accept 'No' for an answer (usually 'number withheld' or out of area) and insist on trying to sell whatever it is they're trying to sell I simply hang up on with a curt goodbye The more keen they seem to be the more likely it's going to be a scam of some sort.

Life's just too short to try and 'scam the scammers' by stringing them along. Whether it's a scam or not, if you're not interested, there's no need to waste time arguing your case, simply hang up.

In message , at 20:57:41 on Mon, 10 Mar

Perhaps you could try complaining to Phonepayplus instead, because they are the appropriate regulator if the cost is >10p/min.

Oh, I agree, that's why all my marketing calls from are diverted to "Grandpa" (except the one diverted to my son "Janet" ;-)

Nice one. Bookmarked

I had one cold call when I asked to speak to the supervisor. They instead apparently diverted the call to McDonalds.

Chris

Ofcom? = chocolate fireguard;(....

In article , Graham. scribeth thus

Well dialled it without looking too carefully at the number first;-(...

Once bitten however...

In article , Roland Perry scribeth thus

Done...

I thought that revenue share on 070 was a thing of the past.

I've borrowed someone else's tactic for "Microsoft technical support": ask them if they are religious. "Yes" is guaranteed; then find out what; then ask them how ringing people up to steal their money fits in with that.

(Optional - ask them how they are looking forward to eternal damnation / reincarnation as a cockroach / as appropriate).

Niiiice. I like that; like it a lot.

Jon

No, have some fun with

Even more fun if you add in questions about their underwear!

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But you can continue doing something if you put the phone on *loudspeaker*. Asking incredibly difficult questions (Like asking where you buy a camel) or pretending to be totally senile can be *great* fun.

The questions they initially ask often require a 'yes' for them to proceed, just say yes to nearly everything even if it makes no sense.

That can provide an 'alternative amusement / diversion' to daytime TV or video games for those stuck at home with nothing better to do with their time. For people like me (working from home), there's usually something better to do to occupy my time with, hence my advice to keep any such interactions to the absolute minimum.

However, for someone looking to mine such opportunities for 'fun and amusement', and to lend the exercise a semblence of 'legitimacy', I think it might be best to admit that you are also using a script, explaining that you realise their time is valuable and the script is designed to obtain the maximum of information for the minimum use of their precious time, i.e. you're using a script for _their_ benefit.

I would imagine that this alone would result in a rather shorter conversation but... if they want to persist, that's their choice. Also, you could warn them that the conversation is being recorded for training purposes (regardless of whether this is true or not[1]) which should help them to moderate their language.

As long as one party (i.e. you) knows, that is enough.

Does that also apply to conversation recorded at home? Suppose I have a visitor who I suspect will resort to threats. Can I arrange to tape their visit (assuming I know beforehand when they are arriving)?