Was the call I received from a mempool 'Database Officer' genuine?

Eyeful

MrGumby said:

Eyeful said:

Check if any Email address you have used is in a known data breech. Type the Email address into this:
https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Thanks. Did that. Just the 21 data breaches! From Dropbox and Adobe to Twitter and TAPAir. Changing my main email address could be painful though.

If it is going to be painful suggest:
(a) Using Muti Factor Authorisation (except SMS MFA, as it is the lest secure & attacks on it have been increasing).
(b) Using a different long password of at least 20 characters, for each account you have.
(c) Using a reputable Password Manager like Bitwarden.
(d) Change the passwords on all important accounts straight away.
(e) Have a Email address at say Proton Mail, for your financial accounts and transfer those accounts into it over the next few weeks.

Look into security keys (eg Yubikeys) and passkeys, as in the long term they will likely to be increasingly used.

surreysaver

Generally, an unsolicited phone call is going to be either a scam, or if from a genuine organisation, trying to sell you something.
If you wouldn't respond to an unsolicited email, then don't respond to an unsolicited phone call.
Personally, I don't answer the phone if I don't recognise the number. If its important they can leave a message 

Eyeful

MrGumby 
You mentioned Dropbox in your reply.
Suggest you consider using Cyrptomator (its free), for information you are going to store in the cloud.
https://cryptomator.org/

MrGumby

born_again said:

MrGumby said:

Brilliant replies. Thanks, everyone. It's as I suspected (hence my question) but my ignorance of crypto currencies made me want to check.

Do you have any?

No, I don't. Have often wondered if I should. Not planning to though.

jaypers

You’ve done the right thing in putting the brakes on and given yourself time to stop and think but I wish there was something more that could be done in society to get the necessary message across to change the way people think. In my view, the correct way of thinking is to assume that any and all unsolicited phone call, text or email is a scam attempt by ‘criminals’. This doesn’t help what is now the small percentage of legitimate companies, although I am in no way a fan of cold calling anyway. If something comes to you that you think might be genuine, always stop (as the OP has here), and do your own research. Never make contact with the ‘company’ by any number given to you……always find the contact details via legitimate means if you want to approach anyone, which should always be outgoing, not incoming.

This example in the thread here is obviously a scam, 100% but these horrible people are managing to fool enough people to make it worth their while. It’s a vile crime. 

McrRed

Eyeful said:

MrGumby said:

Eyeful said:

Check if any Email address you have used is in a known data breech. Type the Email address into this:
https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Thanks. Did that. Just the 21 data breaches! From Dropbox and Adobe to Twitter and TAPAir. Changing my main email address could be painful though.

If it is going to be painful suggest:
(a) Using Muti Factor Authorisation (except SMS MFA, as it is the lest secure & attacks on it have been increasing).
(b) Using a different long password of at least 20 characters, for each account you have.
(c) Using a reputable Password Manager like Bitwarden.
(d) Change the passwords on all important accounts straight away.
(e) Have a Email address at say Proton Mail, for your financial accounts and transfer those accounts into it over the next few weeks.

Look into security keys (eg Yubikeys) and passkeys, as in the long term they will likely to be increasingly used.

Just to add that I too have been called - by name - by these clowns. Hung up straight away but clearly I'm part of the same data breach. 
Off I go to haveibeenpwned to check...

BarmyArmy1972

I've just been called by them as well, but the scary thing is that I did purchase some bitcoins back in 2019 (to pay for something not very expensive online) and that transaction info was actually on my portfolio on cointracker.info.

They have advised that I set up a coinbase account and transfer £500 to 'reactivate' my account and then I can transfer the £59k to my bank account! 

clairec666

jaypers said:

You’ve done the right thing in putting the brakes on and given yourself time to stop and think but I wish there was something more that could be done in society to get the necessary message across to change the way people think. In my view, the correct way of thinking is to assume that any and all unsolicited phone call, text or email is a scam attempt by ‘criminals’. This doesn’t help what is now the small percentage of legitimate companies, although I am in no way a fan of cold calling anyway. If something comes to you that you think might be genuine, always stop (as the OP has here), and do your own research. Never make contact with the ‘company’ by any number given to you……always find the contact details via legitimate means if you want to approach anyone, which should always be outgoing, not incoming.

This example in the thread here is obviously a scam, 100% but these horrible people are managing to fool enough people to make it worth their while. It’s a vile crime. 

I've assumed for a while now that any phone call I receive is probably a scam. Yet I've had a lot recently that already know my name. So I can see how it's easy for people to be fooled.

masonic

BarmyArmy1972 said:

I've just been called by them as well, but the scary thing is that I did purchase some bitcoins back in 2019 (to pay for something not very expensive online) and that transaction info was actually on my portfolio on cointracker.info.

They have advised that I set up a coinbase account and transfer £500 to 'reactivate' my account and then I can transfer the £59k to my bank account! 

It's a public ledger, so every transaction you make is visible online. There is no need to pay £500 to access anything you left behind, and if they could do that for you they'd have already stolen it.

flaneurs_lobster

clairec666 said:

jaypers said:

You’ve done the right thing in putting the brakes on and given yourself time to stop and think but I wish there was something more that could be done in society to get the necessary message across to change the way people think. In my view, the correct way of thinking is to assume that any and all unsolicited phone call, text or email is a scam attempt by ‘criminals’. This doesn’t help what is now the small percentage of legitimate companies, although I am in no way a fan of cold calling anyway. If something comes to you that you think might be genuine, always stop (as the OP has here), and do your own research. Never make contact with the ‘company’ by any number given to you……always find the contact details via legitimate means if you want to approach anyone, which should always be outgoing, not incoming.

This example in the thread here is obviously a scam, 100% but these horrible people are managing to fool enough people to make it worth their while. It’s a vile crime. 

I've assumed for a while now that any phone call I receive is probably a scam. Yet I've had a lot recently that already know my name. So I can see how it's easy for people to be fooled.

I have a landline that now receives only two types of calls.

1) My NHS Trust, who for some reason are utterly incapable of changing my number on their system to my mobile.

2) Scammers.

So unless a scammer finds a way to scam me by discussing my giblets I'm OK.