BT warns customers of phone scams

[karlo]

BT warns customers of phone scams


Scam victim: "If you didn't happen to know the trick, you could easily be taken in by it"

BT is warning customers to be on their guard after a series of phone scams involving people claiming to be calling from the company.

The scammers call up their victim and warn them that their account is in arrears.

They then ask for card or bank details in order to settle the account.

If the person refuses or asks for proof, the fraudsters then offer to prove who they are by disconnecting the phone line then and there.

Once the victim puts the phone down, the scammer stays connected to their line, thus giving the impression that the customer's line no longer works.


Places affected so far

Suffolk
Sussex
Kent
Nottinghamshire
Shropshire
Warwickshire
North Yorkshire
Devon
West Midlands
Pembrokeshire

Almost duped

Andrew West nearly fell foul of the scammers' latest ploy in August.


But he quite quickly became suspicious of the caller's true identity.

He said: "It was the lack of background chatter initially; there was no call centre noise in the background, which there always is when someone from a big company calls you.

"The line wasn't very good quality anyway, which was a bit strange, but it was the trick with the phones that really tipped me off."

Nationwide problem

Evidence shows this type of phone scam has been happening all over the country.

Last weekend a number of elderly people in Suffolk fell victim to the scam; there have also been cases in the past year all over England and Wales.

Graham Preston, the lead officer for scams at Trading Standards, admits this type of phone fraud is around.

"Scams sadly are very common, they are variations of a theme and this particular scam seems to be prevalent at the moment," he said.

He warns people to be on guard.

"In terms of advising people, keep your wits about you, be cynical. If somebody calls you, mistrust them if you have to, or don't trust them," he said.

"Particularly if they are asking for money, if they want your credit card details don't be afraid to say no," he added.

Upsetting experience

Mr West ended up writing about his experience in his blog to warn other people about the trick.

He admits the experience upset him.

"I was a bit unsettled by it. I think it's one of those ones that if you didn't happen to know the trick, you could be easily taken in by it. It just makes you feel a bit nervous, " he added.

BT says it does sometimes make calls to customers about debt - but stresses that it never carries out disconnections during the call.

It advises customers not to give out any banking details over the phone unless they are absolutely certain who they are dealing with.

[V8MoneyPit]

I do find it amazing that people are gullible enough to hand out bank details to someone who calls them. But it must happen, otherwise the scammers wouldn't bother.

[Saffy]

This story is ALL over the internet, yet I have yet to see the offical BT or OFCOM press release....    not saying it doesn't exist just I haven't see it yet and that most of these stories in the past have been viral urban myths that spread like wild fire via email, IM, newspapers, forums, blogs and so on.

oh and thanks to the very next poster who is bound to link me up...  :lol:
edit:
 :oops:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumer/2009/09/scam-alert-beware-of-bogus-callers/

[V8MoneyPit]

It was on the BBC this morning so it must be true  :P :lol:

[gtomo2]

Must say why dont people do the logical thing. If i get a phone call from say bt asking for my details i ask for there name and number with ext number and say i will ring them back to conferm they are real and not a scam. Quck check on google will normal bring up tthe info i need then ring them back on a published number asking for the ext they have given me. job done.

[Bob696]

I just hit the silence button and put the handset the side of the phone. I do that to all call centres no matter who they are or what they are giving away.

It closes one line and costs me nothing.

Forgot once and stayed connected to an indian call centre overnight  :oops: :twisted:

[Disco Matt]

It seems to provoke real bafflement in call centre operatives when you won't give any personal details to a cold caller. Had one a few months back asking me to "confirm the address", my response being a polite "No, I won't as I have no way of knowing whether you're who you claim to be". Cue puzzled silence!

[Llanigraham]

I speak to them in Welsh......totally baffles them

[Saffy]

I speak to them in Welsh......totally baffles them

I speak to them in pretend Welsh..... same effect.

[T30CDB]

If a company i deal with rings me asking for passwords i always tell them that they must have it on the screen in front of them so why not tell it me. SAves me trying to remember what i used as a password. Also gets them really p!"£$%d off so they dont tend to ring back !

[old joe]

Speaking from somebody who used to work for BT all i can say without giving to much away it's a scam and warn everybody you can!!!

Please Just be careful

Any questions then PM me

Dazza

[Disco Matt]

If you really owed them money and your direct debit/card was being refused, you'd be getting a stroppy letter. Not a phone call!

[hairyasswelder]

I speak to them in Welsh......totally baffles them

 :lol: :lol: I pass the phone to my 2 year old, same effect

Had a guy call from SKY the other day, told me the warranty was out on my Sky box, ..... I only had it 9 years, and its not the original one now... started asking for passwords and stuff so I was not amused and let it be known.... he asked why I was not being friendly to him, so I explained that I didnt know who he was, and was asking for my account details for a warranty on a 9 year old box....... HE HUNG UP  :lol: :lol: :lol: