Strange Call from the Road Traffic Dept today

BertieUK

My wife has just received a very strange telephone call from someone claiming to represent the Road Traffic Department.

He says that he has a report of a minor traffic accident from this address in the past three years. My wife said definately not - he said it could be a bumper to bumper involving one of your family members. She said that i know for certain there has been nothing and asked him who had told him this. He said they get their infomation from Police Reports, Insurance Claims Hospitals etc

My wife repeated that we had not been inviolved in anything and he said that he would take our name and number off his list.

His accent was of an Indian origin and his call was unavailable.

Has anyone else experienced this type of call before please.

If he had the details of the 'alledged traffic report' then why did he have to ask questions?

sharnad

fishing phon call tell em to !!!!!! off

Ich_2

Personal injuries claim company!!

McKneff

I love these calls,

'Just a moment please' put the phone to one side, go and have a bath.:D

[Deleted User]

Yes I have experienced one like this and yes, why would he need to ask questions? The person who rang me obviously didn't even know my name (automated call) ... needless to say I told him to begone and not return ...

cookie_monster

We have calls regulary from an Indian call centre telling us someone at this address has had an accident recently, I normally play along and tell him I stub my toe or some other daft injury or ask him if he had an accident.

jhp

Thats the old car accident scam been doing the rounds for years.

Eg: http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/02085481588


Some recent advice from Trading Standards Team.

"Car accident scam

A recently reported scam concerns telephone calls from con artists who attempt to gain bank and personal details from victims by claiming they are entitled to compensation following a road traffic collision.
The usual technique is to phone the victims on a withheld number from overseas and tell them they know the victim has been in a car accident in the last few years and that they are eligible to claim compensation if they have been in a road accident.
You should never divulge your bank or personal details unless you are certain you are dealing with a genuine organisation. Never let yourself be pressured or persuaded into releasing your details to someone you do not know or trust.

http://www.merton.gov.uk/advice-benefits/tradingstandards/scams.htm "

BertieUK

Thank you all for your comments also humour. We are OAP's and are not the sharpest knives in the drawer but we have been warned not to disclose any details of anything over the telephone or even the internet.

My wife said that he sounded so convincing and got her a bit confused but then the warnings that she had been told about kicked in and she was ok.

Next time he or his likes calls again she will lead them a merry dance I can tell you:)

Thanks again...

analyst_2

As it is their call, you can hum down the line at them.

I like humming the Star Spangled Banner.
Don't ask me why that one, I'm not a yank and don't even care that much about the country, but it just seems to always come to mind.

By the way, my humming is about as good as my singing, completely out of tune. In fact, it is so good, I thought of entering Britain's Got Talent with it.

Anyway, this doesn't-half get their backs up

I find this is a very useful technique with those scamming debt collection tyrants. They haven't got a response to it, as it isn't on their script. I don't owe any debts anyway.

Buzby

But best of all.... The 'Road Traffic Department' ? A pseudo unlikely sounding name that is designed to sound official yet be bogus.

Suggest they write to you and you'll pass it to your lawyers. If they don't know your address - shame! They're phishing!

Raksha

cookie_monster wrote: »

We have calls regulary from an Indian call centre telling us someone at this address has had an accident recently, I normally play along and tell him I stub my toe or some other daft injury or ask him if he had an accident.

I told them my son had an accident, strung them along for a bit, then told them he had died, I got an amazing shriek from the caller and they put the phone down on me!!!