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

murder_mittens

I've had exactly the same calls about crypto I supposedly purchased in 2018.

The company mempoolspace.io is a mimic of mempool.space, an "open-source Bitcoin blockchain explorer". The scammers promise to be able to help me re-activate the dormant account.

It's a very sophisticated scam. I've had 3 calls from Alex Green and Eric [forgot] about half hour each. I have the time to try and catch them out, but they are very well rehearsed and have an answer for everything.

I told them I don't have the private keys to the old account and therefore the wallet is lost (a wallet I never had in the first place). But they say I bought the coins through an exchange and the private keys are not required, the exchange is holding my wallet for me. All I have to do is put money in my crypto account (they will guide me to open a new account) I then put 1% of the dormant account (now supposedly worth £50k). Once I prove who I am (!) they can reactivate the old account and transfer the money to me for a fee.

Given that they are going to call back I've reported to Action Fraud and have called 101 - but despite the time I have in retirement, I gave up after half an hour of being on hold.

It's pretty bizarre that a scammer would use the name of someone previously known to be involved in crypto scams! 

https:// www.theguardian.com/ technology/2014/oct/23/british-serial-entrepreneur-missing-bitcoin-apparently-stolen

mebu60

flaneurs_lobster said:

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.

You are not alone. My landline only receives those two types of call too plus my partner's step-mother. 

My NHS dealings with hospitals and GP surgery et al are happy to send me SMSs to make appointments (despite never saying what they are for) but all telephone contact is still via landline despite requests to use the same mobile number they use for messaging. 

At last renewal I asked BT if I could have the landline foc for incoming and PAYG for outgoing (which will be nil). Much to my surprise they said yes. It took two follow-up calls to get it implemented mind! 

boingy

mebu60 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

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.

You are not alone. My landline only receives those two types of call too plus my partner's step-mother. 

My NHS dealings with hospitals and GP surgery et al are happy to send me SMSs to make appointments (despite never saying what they are for) but all telephone contact is still via landline despite requests to use the same mobile number they use for messaging. 

At last renewal I asked BT if I could have the landline foc for incoming and PAYG for outgoing (which will be nil). Much to my surprise they said yes. It took two follow-up calls to get it implemented mind! 

Funny you should mention NHS. I recently had a whole spate of calls from a "private number" on both land line and mobile. It's unusual because we don't get many spam calls but I almost never answer calls without caller ID and assume that a genuine caller will leave a message. Eventually I did answer one and the chap at the other end said "Hello this is <muffled audio> from BRI. Can I take your date of birth please?"

I was just about to have a go at the evil scammer when I realised that BRI is Bristol Royal Infirmary and I have a appointment in a related clinic in a few months time. So I asked him a few questions and the (now genuine) conversation continued.

I pointed out to him that cold calling from a private number and immediately asking for personal details is very similar to scammer behaviour but he really didn't understand...