BT scam calls

Filey

I quite enjoy receiving calls from foreign people purporting to be from BT (my provider) who want to help me because they have detected a problem on my computer, especially those who say they are from Microsoft. Being a l'il ol' lady and having time on my hands it provides a bit of light entertainment.

Actually I have an Apple computer which doesn't 'do' Windows, which tends to eventually result in an end to the conversation. Sometimes I ask if they are OK with Linux!

However recently they have been saying there is a problem with my router. And possibly coincidentally I have been having problems with my router frequently dropping the connection. Today I have had one of these calls. I was eventually put through to a 'supervisor' and said to him that I was suspicious of uninvited calls and if I had a problem I would prefer to phone BT myself and he said good idea.

So my question is this - could there be a problem with my elderlyish BT router or is it just time for a new one? I think my present one is possibly a mk 2 or 3. Are these foreign devils sabotaging my router? (I am not racist as I was married to one.)

Obviously I am not very up to date with computer things, as well as being old and decrepit so would appreciate advice.

Ian011

Routers can go wrong. The most usual fault is them going 'deaf' to the signals on the line after being zapped by a nearby thunderstorm. They can also just 'wear out' after long periods of overheating if ventilation is poor.

Anyone that calls you about a router fault should be ignored. They will be a scammer of some sort.

Filey

Ian011 wrote: »

Routers can go wrong. The most usual fault is them going 'deaf' to the signals on the line after being zapped by a nearby thunderstorm. They can also just 'wear out' after long periods of overheating if ventilation is poor.

Anyone that calls you about a router fault should be ignored. They will be a scammer of some sort.

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Thanks Ian.

Not had any thunderstorms lately. Ventilation is OK as far as I know. Lots of space round router in question.

Will ignore (for now) .

forgotmyname

You were married to a router? Sit in the corner and obey?

Get yourself a call blocker. Mines brilliant no spammy or sales calls since Otb last year i think and that was a one off that got added to the blocked list.

pappa_golf

aren't bt supposed to be bringing in a free call blocker for scam calls?


perhaps the call was from a BT salesman trying to sell you one

brewerdave

Routers do fail randomly -I've had 6 different routers over the past 12 years and three of them have failed,all at about 24 months -differing reasons for failure, for instance, one still worked fine as a router/switch but the wireless side had packed up, another just wouldn't power up at all.
I would think that it is possible for an ISP to infer that you have a problem router if the connection keeps dropping on an otherwise "good"line.

Filey

forgotmyname wrote: »

You were married to a router? Sit in the corner and obey?

Get yourself a call blocker. Mines brilliant no spammy or sales calls since Otb last year i think and that was a one off that got added to the blocked list.

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Actually it was a bit like that!! The sit-in-the-corner-and-obey thing. He"s Scottish!

I'll not be getting a call blocker (yet) as being retired I have time to engage these people in conversation and I find it most entertaining. I believe I can tell when these people are not genuine. I feel (slightly) sorry for them as they are, after all, doing their job, so they will just have to cope with argumentative old biddies like me.

But thanks for the suggestion

Filey

Had these people on the phone again this aft. Major problem is the line is so bad I can hardly tell what they are saying. They are certainly persistent. I said I was occupied at the time but they could give me a number and I would ring back. 020 323 981 72. I rang BT to check that the coincidental problem with my router and the foreign people were unrelated and of course they said yes unrelated. As I expected but I just wanted to make sure.

So I am now looking forward to their next call. As I said, I have time on my hands. Ex has given me one of his surplus routers so I will see how that goes. But thanks to everyone for their input.

brewerdave

Filey wrote: »

Had these people on the phone again this aft. Major problem is the line is so bad I can hardly tell what they are saying. They are certainly persistent. I said I was occupied at the time but they could give me a number and I would ring back. 020 323 981 72. I rang BT to check that the coincidental problem with my router and the foreign people were unrelated and of course they said yes unrelated. As I expected but I just wanted to make sure.

So I am now looking forward to their next call. As I said, I have time on my hands. Ex has given me one of his surplus routers so I will see how that goes. But thanks to everyone for their input.

MAY be a scam -but that number 0203xxxxxxx isn't showing up on the normal sites for reporting scam calls.

lisa110rry

Filey wrote: »

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so they will just have to cope with argumentative old biddies like me.

I love you Filey! Up the argumentative old biddies (like us)!

Miró

Just had one of those calls from 0002078962583, supposedly from TalkTalk, (my provider). Bit worrying as they knew my name! Strangely I was expecting a callback from TT at the time about my ongoing lack of service so it threw me a little at first....soon realised tho!