What happened when we called the PPI fraudsters who are pretending to be us - MSE News

Former_MSE_Callum · 30 July 2018 at 9:03AM

Fraudsters claiming to work at MoneySavingExpert.com have been cold calling people as part of a new PPI scam - so we decided to take them on, turning the tables by giving them a call...

Read the full story:
'What happened when we called the PPI fraudsters who are pretending to be us'

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karlie88 · 30 July 2018 at 10:51AM

Feel free to post their number on here - I would love to waste their time. When they ask for their £150 (via Western Union, Google Play store voucher, iTunes voucher etc.), I will just give them duff details. I reckon I can keep them on the phone for 60 minutes...

Li0nhead · 30 July 2018 at 4:29PM

What would have been amusing is if when you rang the number the phone in the room next door to you started ringing....

tgroom57 · 31 July 2018 at 6:31PM

What they describe is a variation of an older scam - where someone sends you a cheque and you cash it for them and send them some of the proceeds and keep the major portion yourself. Except the cheque is then returned and you are out of pocket for what you sent them.

Worryingly, as these scammers describe it you're in a win-win position because they only ask for their fee once the cheque has 'cleared'. (see above)

bfgun · 1 August 2018 at 7:13AM

These scams could be wiped out if only people would realise that there is no money for nothing unless you have participated in something to generate the process and have undertaken checks to ensure the people calling you are genuine and relative to any process you have been engaged in.

Mind you, I did enjoy the fun and games I had following the alleged email from my friend who was supposedly in Manilla and stuck with no money or passport due to a theft and needing £2000 to help get a flight back.

I resurrected one of my redundant email address and replied to "friend" expressing sympathy and offering to send the required amount to the Western Union account provided.

After finding the format of a Western Union payment reference number I sent one to the address and waited for the response which I received about an hour later to say, surprise surprise, that it wasn't valid.

"Oh, sorry" says I "In my stress and worry over you I mixed up the last two digits - here's the correct number".

Surprise surprise that one wasn't valid either said the second email.

After the 3rd email from "friend" I think they realised it was all a scam!!

I just loved the image playing through my mind of them on their little moped to and from the local Western Union!!

worried_jim · 1 August 2018 at 7:19AM

bfgun wrote: »

These scams could be wiped out if only people would realise that there is no money for nothing unless you have participated in something to generate the process and have undertaken checks to ensure the people calling you are genuine and relative to any process you have been engaged in.

Still plenty of idiots out there, like shooting fish in a barrel.

roddydogs · 1 August 2018 at 7:59AM

Yes, just like the daft people who took out PPI when they didnt need it!

haras_nosirrah · 1 August 2018 at 2:29PM

wish he had said 'do you mind speaking to my dad for a minute, he has some questions' and then putting Martin on

youreds · 2 August 2018 at 9:26AM

Whilst I admire Martin's stance on this & his efforts to track them down, he won't get anywhere.
Listening to the calls it's obvious to anyone that the scammers are based in India. It's just a variation on the Tech support scam. Put that into youtube to watch loads of people devote their time to wasting these scammers time so that they aren't scamming somebody else.

If Callum hadn't done the reveal so soon, the scammer would have asked him to go to a shop & get £150 worth of iTunes or Google Play gift cards.

It's all well & good contacting Action Fraud etc. but pointless. You need to be badgering the Indian Government to shut these scam call centres down.

bfgun · 2 August 2018 at 9:56AM

A couple of years back I investigated a high level fraud and the process was to report it to Action Fraud. At the time I was told that they were receiving 1,000's of reports of fraud per month.

I can't imagine what that figure must be now.

I never had a response and when we laid hands on the fraudsters no-one from the police came out to arrest due to lack of manpower and we had to let them go!

Wizard_of_Id · 4 August 2018 at 9:37PM

But have you stopped them?

What happened when we called the PPI fraudsters who are pretending to be us - MSE News

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