should I be worried about this?

starlite_2

I have recieved phone calls lately, where an automated message says 'this is first credit' please press 1 to continue the call'
i haven't pressed 1 yet, as i'm worried it's some kind of phone scam..but i find that after i hang up and try to make a call to 1471 it is the same message being repeated, sometimes for up to an hour. then the number is withheld
i have no idea what this company is and haven't been able to find any information on them
what should i do?

Bendybops19

Thats really strange.... get in touch with your phone provider, maybe they can work out who its from and block them?

starlite_2

it is..i wouldn't have thought it would be a legitimate call as it's a strange way to get in touch with people.

seonav

Sounds dodgy. This is one of many similar sounding things which seem to be taking off at the moment, some of which are from international numbers in an effort to make sure you don't identify them. I would say that you have been doing exactly the right thing and should continue to do so. Try contacting your service provider in case they can block it. And coach anyone else in the house, particularly any children to hang up - it's a cunning plan of theirs to catch children who pick up the phone and then, not understanding it they either don't put it down properly and/or they are intrigued and listen on.

ManAtHome

Probably an automated dialer - needs you to hit a key so's they can switch to the sales pitch and/or person. Best just putting the phone down (report it if you're TPS registered) even though you'll no doubt miss out on loads of amazing offers...

BFG_2

You should be really, really careful - this can cost you your house and life savings.

I know a bloke who was telling a friend of mine about the brother of the windowcleaner for the woman who lives beside another friend's cousin's dog walker, and what happened to them is that they had an identical call and (foolishly) pressed 'one and then they were billed at £659 PER MINUTE (can you belive that's legal!!) and the call was the same as yours ie they couldn't hang up or get a line.

They complained to BT and even their MP but (get this!) BT sued them and they had to sell their house and everything - apparently it's all legal, when you press the button you're entering a legally binding contract.

I think it's outrageous that they can get away with it. Grrrrrrrhhhhh!!!!

Rex_Mundi

I know a bloke who was telling a friend of mine about the brother of the windowcleaner for the woman who lives beside another friend's cousin's dog walker, and what happened to them is that they had an identical call and (foolishly) pressed 'one and then they were billed at £659 PER MINUTE (can you belive that's legal!!) and the call was the same as yours ie they couldn't hang up or get a line.

ROFLMAO!!!

Where did you lift this story from? It sounds like it is straight off the urban legends website.

The highest rate in the UK for premium rate phone numbers is £1.50 a minute. There are NO charges that are higher in the UK. ALL stories like the above are complete fiction.

ManAtHome

Come on BFG, last time it was less than £400 a minute - told you a million times to stop exaggerating...

BFG_2

Seriously it's true.....I know a friend of the brother of a man who knows the removal company that moved them out of their house into a council flat...all because they were scammed by these terrible people.

It was also in our local paper, and the local MP said 'Our hands are tied by the law'...what a joke!!

ManAtHome

Sorry, thought you were joking, but the quote from the MP proves it's true, my apologies.

Rex_Mundi

The following is taken from the website of ICSTIS. It doesn't matter how many times people have heard these kind of stories, they are NOT true.

£20.00 per minute and £50.00 per minute premium rate tariffs do not exist - the highest premium rate tariff available is £1.50 per minute. Despite the dozens of enquiries received by ICSTIS about these 'scams' (and most people appear to have heard about them second or third-hand), not one person who claims that it has actually happened to them has been able to produce a phone bill to support their story.
http://www.icstis.org.uk/icstis2002/default.asp?node=-1