Ways to stop overseas sales calls discussion

Azari

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

I bet that GCHQ and "Home Land Security" have a method of identifying overseas calls.

BT know where the calls come from. There are two ID's sent with the call nformation packets: The one they use for caller display (which is unreliable and can be spoofed by the originating caller) and the real one that is used for such things as billing purposes.

I don't believe, however, that it is guaranteed that any international call will necessarily have the entire originating number as some backwater exchanges may not have the facility to generate it.

What is certain, however, is that BT have the ability to block either or both:

International numbers without the correct caller ID
All international numbers.

Unfortunately, the chocolate teapot known as Ofcom - which, in reality, works more for the telecoms companies than their customers - will not force them to provide that service.

NonGeographicalMan

bargainbetty wrote: »

Oh, I would not use a whistle on a sales call. it can cause damage and that isn't acceptable to me. Years ago, that advice was given only to people who were receiving heaving breathing calls etc. Bursting an eardrum might well have put a few perverts off their strokes, but it's hardly appropriate for some drone trying to sell you double-glazing.

Betty,

I agree that merely being terse and a little rude and then hanging up on them would be adequate for Indian call centres just trying to sell a service despite your TPS registration.

However I must make an exception for the https://www.careyourpc.com (the website exists as does the London 020 3 number which goes straight through to them in India) mob in India who have now called me three times in the last two week and who rang me again today even though the previous two times I was rude to them about breaching my TPS registration and hung up without getting as far as finding out the full scam.

Today I played along in full and discovered that they try to scare non tech savvy users about configuration errors in the System part of Control panel and then try to get you to click a link on their website to start a Windows remote access session. They pretend they want to clear an error on your PC but they are actually reputed to install a key logger program that steals your bank account and credit card details and for the really stupid they also charge 150 USD on your credit card for their "service".

For these people who are trying to commit the most unpleasant kind of high level computer fraud no form of mistreatment is too great and the whistle treatment would be entirely appropriate (as they are well beyond the reach of the UK law). If everyone did it to them they would soon stop. I only wish I had a whistle to hand at the time

As the scammers use a London 020 3 number and their website is hosted by a US firm (godaddy) its also clear that Ofcom, TPS and ICO are all being thoroughly idle about doing the maximum they can to stop this dangerous scam that lots of people with more trusting and naive personalities and/or limited computer knowledge will undoubtedly fall victim to.

I will make a report to the TPS and the ICO on the 020 3 number but both bodies are so useless that I don't expect it to any good at all.

See https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3192760 for my rather full report on the "I'm a Windows certified technician" who wants to install a virus on your PC scam.

cepheus

I was under the impresson they sold on numbers so only spoke if it was someone I knew. Unfortunately getting the other person to speak first is difficult and has led to problems.

John_Pierpoint

In the good old days I used to answer with my name and number - now I just go "hullo" and wait.

Dave_C_2

bargainbetty wrote: »

Oh, I would not use a whistle on a sales call. it can cause damage and that isn't acceptable to me. Years ago, that advice was given only to people who were receiving heaving breathing calls etc. Bursting an eardrum might well have put a few perverts off their strokes, but it's hardly appropriate for some drone trying to sell you double-glazing.

As I have posted several times on this forum, blowing a whistle or whatever will only deafen you not the person at the other end of the phone. The telephone and the network are designed so that any acoustic shock will not be transmitted.
Dave

bargainbetty

Dave_C wrote: »

As I have posted several times on this forum, blowing a whistle or whatever will only deafen you not the person at the other end of the phone. The telephone and the network are designed so that any acoustic shock will not be transmitted.
Dave

Dave, I was quoting the old police advice - it probably is massively out of date, as you note. My point was more generally about the proportionality of intentionally trying to cause permanent damage to a person not being proportionate to the inconvenience they have caused you.

Scammers are a different kettle of fish on the polite scale.... They get whatever verbal abuse I can be bothered to think up. Still wouldn't try to harm someone though.

Azari

Dave_C wrote: »

As I have posted several times on this forum, blowing a whistle or whatever will only deafen you not the person at the other end of the phone. The telephone and the network are designed so that any acoustic shock will not be transmitted.
Dave

bargainbetty wrote: »

Dave, I was quoting the old police advice - it probably is massively out of date, as you note. My point was more generally about the proportionality of intentionally trying to cause permanent damage to a person not being proportionate to the inconvenience they have caused you.

Scammers are a different kettle of fish on the polite scale.... They get whatever verbal abuse I can be bothered to think up. Still wouldn't try to harm someone though.

Yes, it is true that the modern telephone system will not transmit a signal that is likely to cause damage to someone's hearing. (It's not impossible but it would be the fault of their equipment.)

That does not mean that, particularly if you are wearing a headset, having a whistle blown at the other end will not be moderately unpleasant.

You can adopt that tactic if you wish, safe in the knowledge that you will do no permanent harm to the person at the other end, but you may well annoy them.

hamsterfan1

we used to get the indian virus calls a lot I just used to ask the people I was speaking to if they were aware they were trying to scam me? they always disconnect & I haven't had a call for at least a month

kaya64

I am new to this site and can't work out how to post a new thread so i will have to post mine here sorry.
I keep getting calls from payment protection insurance advisors, asking me if i was wrongly sold ppi, i have never given my phone number to anyone or ever enquired about ppi so i don't know how they are getting my number.

I would take the phone off and do without it but i my dad has Parkinson's and mum has just got over cancer they are both nearly 80 and i need the phone on , but everytime it rings its those idiots telling 'don't hang up blah blah blah '

is ther anyway to stop them other than changing my number which i dont see why i should have to ?

NonGeographicalMan

kaya64 wrote: »

I would take the phone off and do without it but i my dad has Parkinson's and mum has just got over cancer they are both nearly 80 and i need the phone on , but everytime it rings its those idiots telling 'don't hang up blah blah blah '

is there anyway to stop them other than changing my number which i dont see why i should have to ?

1. It sounds like you are possibly not registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) as not wanting to received unsolicited sales calls. If that is the case then you will hear endlessly from these people (even though they are UK based) because the list of non TPS registered homes in the UK is smaller than those that are TPS registered. Register with the TPS at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk If you don't then these people will go on pestering you.

2. Tell anyone making these calls that you are not interested in their service and to take you off their list of people to call and make it clear to them that if they call you again you will have no alternative but to report them to the Information Commissioner at https://www.ico.gov.uk for breaching the Privacy and Electronic Communication Rules and point out that if too many people report their firm they could be investigated and prosecuted and fined up to several million pounds for making these calls like the TalkTalk/CarPhoneWarehouse group have.