Getting tired of unsolicited calls

24

Comments

  • hubb
    hubb Posts: 2,482 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    I just had another. Foreign accent. Number blocked. I will just keep blocking.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,551 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    hubb wrote: »
    I just had another. Foreign accent. Number blocked. I will just keep blocking.

    Nah answer it and bore the pants off them.

    A Microsoft scammer phone the FIL about computer problems, he didnt have one.
    I said hang on i will need to start it up, its slow so may take a while. Left the phone on the sofa for about 20 minutes and he was still there.

    I said i cannot find the computer, he asked if it was a laptop. I said no its a desktop a massive beige box. He hung up.

    Wasted about 30 minutes of his time :)

    I have a £25 call blocker on my landline, rarely get any calls now. I do wonder if some of the ebay sellers from China etc try and phone people directly?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • sillygoose
    sillygoose Posts: 4,794 Forumite
    I and my wife have had (temporary thankfully) surges in 'about your accident' calls not long after having body shop repairs, different body shops each time, I suspect its common practice for them to sneakily sell on your details to those companies that call for a fee.

    As to the op, I have never heard of supermarkets really giving away big vouchers for nothing, same as the fake posts that circulate on Facebook asking you to like or comment to enter, all fake.

    As usual if its too good to be true. It is, walk away...
    European for 3 weeks in August, the rest of the year only British and proud.
  • vikingaero
    vikingaero Posts: 10,920 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    There are 3 main ways scammers get your number:

    (1) You do business with reputable company and make the mistake of allowing "approved third party firms to contact you with appropriate sales and marketing thatmay interest you." These third party firms whilst reputable at that time turn disreputable and sell these numbers. These lists are then bought by less than reputable companies such as the PPI/Claims/Microsoft Companies

    (2) You make a mistake in giving details to a competition site.

    (3) As a scammer I program my diallers to dial every number between 07xxx 000000 to 07xxx 999999. Even if you are on TPS, by block dialling I will get either a dead line, answerphone, a missed call or an answered call. I then know if your number is active and to call again or confirm your number as active if you have missed called or answered me.

    What can you do? Firstly change your attitude from annoyed to calm. Don't answer any numbers you don't recognise. If it is important then they will leave a message. Remember to save that number to your contacts for next time.

    Sure it's annoying if they call in the middle of dinner, but if you don't have anything to do then calmly answer the call and enjoy it. Ask them their name, make up a fake name and plausible details, see how creative you can be. Ask them what they are wearing male or female?!

    The best way I have found to counteract spam callers is if you have unlimited minutes on your phone tariff and the number they have is definitely free to call. Call them back. On the toilet - call them. Waiting for a bus - call them. Waiting for Little Johnny to finish football - call them. When the same agent has picked up your call for the tenth time they will definitely remove you from their dialling lists. I tell them that I will call them 100 times for each time they call me.
    The man without a signature.
  • register for TPS telephone preference service
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,640 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Adam85_ wrote: »
    register for TPS telephone preference service

    If you read previous posts you will have seen that registering with TPS has little effect when dealing with overseas nuisance calls, which is where most of the calls come from.
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Photogenic
    In reality, it doesnt have the affect that it is supposed to even regarding calls from the UK.
    We are registered on the TPS at work and i still regularly get calls from IT companies trying to sell me stuff.


    I just tell them we are on the TPS and they more often than not reply "oh sorry, i didnt know"


    I remind them that they are supposed to sanitise their outgoing call list against the TPS at least once a week, hang up and then report them here : https://complaints.tpsonline.org.uk/consumer


    And these are reputable(ish) companies based in the UK .
    As said above, scammers from overseas will pay no care whatsoever to the TPS list


    On another note, blocking their numbers is a fruitless endevor.


    These guys spoof their number to make it look like a number with a local area code to you
    In the assumption that you are more likely to answer.


    When they come into work in the morning, they will simply make up another random number, so blocking the previous one has no affect whatsovevr
  • hubb
    hubb Posts: 2,482 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    It's still absolutely relentless with emails and phone calls. Blocking and deleting from spam filter and still they come, many with the same email header, mostly foreign women offering their services.

    WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP THIS HELL ?
  • JJ_Egan
    JJ_Egan Posts: 20,281 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    hubb wrote: »
    It's still absolutely relentless with emails and phone calls. Blocking and deleting from spam filter and still they come, many with the same email header, mostly foreign women offering their services.

    WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP THIS HELL ?


    Emails as your address is compromised don't use it get another email address.

    If ladies are phoning you up it suggests your number is on a naughty ladies database .
    Either change your number or use a call block phone .
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173.1K Life & Family
  • 247.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards