Police Bulletin Re:scams

[net1]

This is not a wind up this is genuine information.
WOULD ADMIN/MODERATORS OF OTHER BOARDS PLEASE BE KIND ENOUGH TO COPY AND PASTE ON TO THEIR OWN BOARDS.THE MORE PEOPLE THAT KNOW ABOUT THIS THE BETTER.

POLICE BULLETIN RE:SCAMS

WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE FOLLOWING SCAM WHICH IS TARGETING FEMALES IN PARTICULAR:
They receive a phone call from the Post Office asking them to confirm their postcode. When this is given, they are told that they have become eligible for some gift vouchers for their co-operation and are asked to provide their home address and postcode in order to receive the vouchers. So far, 90% of the women who have provided this information have been burgled, as it is assumed that their homes are empty during office working hours. The police are aware of this scam and the Post Office has confirmed that they are NOT conducting any postcode surveys.

Also, it has been reported that if you receive a telephone call from a individual who identifies him/herself as being a BT (or other phone company) service technician who is conducting a test on that line, or if anyone else asks you to do the following, DON’T. They will state that to complete the test the recipient should dial nine, zero then the hash key and then hang up. This will give them full access to your phone line tp place long distance, international or chat line phone calls. These are then billed to your account. The information which the police have suggests that many of these calls are emanating from prisons. The information has been checked out by the police and is correct. DO NOT PRESS 90 FOR ANYONE.

Would anyone reading this please pass it on to friends and colleagues, etc. otherwise it could cost someone a lot of money.

 

[Old Fred]

This might be of interest to anyone bothered by unwanted phone calls;

Firstly, BT have a well-kept secret called "Anonymous Call Rejection". You can get the exchange to reject ALL calls from "withheld" numbers by phoning BT and asking for "ACR to be implemented". I think it costs £9.99 per quarter but that's a small price for peace of mind. Why is it a secret? Well of course BT don't WANT you to reject calls because then the caller doesn't pay BT for the call! But European legislation forced BT to make the service available. They just didn't force BT to advertise or publish it. But now you know!

So, with ACR you will never get another "withheld" call. Your phone won't even ring. Instead, the caller hears a message telling him "please unblock your number if you wish to ring this person".

A similar service is available for people connected via other British operators including Hull Telecom.

Secondly, you can buy a little gadget called a "Caller Display". You plug your phone into it and plug it into your phone socket. Fit the batteries then phone BT and ask them to give you "Caller I.D." This costs a few pounds a quarter.

The Display unit will show you the number of the person calling. You'll recognise your friends' numbers and you can answer or ignore the rest.

Alternatively, you can buy a telephone that has the display bult-in. But you still have to pay BT the quarterly fee to make it work.

Thirdly, you can register (free) with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) by dialling this number: (0845) 0700707. I think it's an answerphone system - you don't talk to a human being. Just give your details clearly and hang up. You'll receive confirmation by post, plus a form to fill in if you ever receive an unwanted marketing call. Anyone you report in this way is liable to a fine of up to £5000.

You can also stop unwanted faxes in the same way by dialling this number: (0845) 0700702

I think you can also register mobile phones but I don't bother. If I get an unwanted call I just shout "Hello? Hello? Heck, the signal's bad here!" and switch the phone off!

Finally, if you don't like to give your home address out, you can rent a PO BOX number from Royal Mail for £52 a year. This would mean that you'd have to visit your local delivery office to collect your mail. In practice, your postman will probably deliver it anyway if you ask nicely (and give a tip). If not, then you can pay an additional £52 to have your PO Box mail delivered each day. *Anyone* can use this service. It's not just for businesses.

It does, however, discriminate against poor people!

Hope you find these notes helpful.

 

[net1]

Thanks for that info M8
Regards
Net1

 

[PaulR]

I'm sure I read somewhere that it's now illegal to send out cols call faxes. Can anyone confirm this?

PaulR

 

[rolfw]

Don't think it is yet, but i believe that it is something that they are considering, along with anti Spam laws, like you I remember reading something about it recently.

 

[alec]

This might be of interest to anyone bothered by unwanted phone calls;

Firstly, BT have a well-kept secret called "Anonymous Call Rejection". You can get the exchange to reject ALL calls from "withheld" numbers by phoning BT and asking for "ACR to be implemented". I think it costs £9.99 per quarter but that's a small price for peace of mind. Why is it a secret? Well of course BT don't WANT you to reject calls because then the caller doesn't pay BT for the call! But European legislation forced BT to make the service available. They just didn't force BT to advertise or publish it. But now you know!

So, with ACR you will never get another "withheld" call. Your phone won't even ring. Instead, the caller hears a message telling him "please unblock your number if you wish to ring this person".

There is a simple method which makes the blood run cold in the telephone sales business - it would bankrupt most of them. If only 30% of people answered with "sounds just what I'm looking for - hang on a moment please" then quietly put the phone down (not on the rest) until the caller gets bored, the number of calls made per hour would drop enough to kill any potential profit. It's a lot easier than being rude as well.
If they're persistent and call again, just repeat the process...
The only snag is that the phone is blocked for a minute or so, but why not enjoy the peace!

 

[rolfw]

LOL, yes that'll work.

The other one is "Does it matter if I'm an undischarged Bankrupt?"

 

[dishdoctor]

Sorry to hear that rolf,but it does,nt mean that your not a nice person..........brian

 

[annwe717]

It's a bit of a coincidence, but I received the following e-mail 2 days ago.
I didn't believe it until I read your notice.
Please tell me it's a scam e-mail. If it is, I'm suspicious of your tale as well!!
Here we go

" From NHW Office - addition to Crime Report for Dec 4th. Please note
the following scam is in operation.

NHW Office Coalville

> > > ----- Original Message -----
From: "North CU"
To: <nbwcoalville@ic24.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 12:05 PM
Subject: Telephone scam

> > > For your Information: Please circulate to as many people as possible.

Would all staff members please be aware of the following telephone
scam.

BT confirm that they are aware of the details and are investigating,
The scam relates to home and/or work phones (including mobiles). The
scenario is:- Your phone rings and you receive a recorded message;
"Congratulations. We are calling to advise you that you have won an
all expenses paid trip to an exotic destination. Please press 9 now to
hear further details."

If you press 9, you'll be connected to a premium line that bills in
the region of £20 per minute.
If you press 9 and connect, even if you disconnect immediately, the
other end will stay connected for a minimum of 5 minutes - at a cost to you
of £100 - the message lasts for 11 minutes.
> > >
The final part of the call asks you to key in your postcode and house
number (which has other serious considerations) and then, after a wait
of a further two minutes, responds with the message;
> > > "Sorry, you are not one of the lucky winners." and disconnects, adding
a further £260 to your bill!
> > >
Unfortunately the calls are originating from outside the U.K. and as
such BT and other providers are relatively powerless to act.

The only safe solution is to hang up before the message prompts you to
press 9.

David Rooke

Service delivery manager

Business Systems and Services


Internet email is not to be treated as a secure means of
communication.

Leicestershire Constabulary monitors all internet email activity and
content.
This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. Please
notify the sender if received in error. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the
content may be unlawful. Opinions expressed in this document may not be
official policy.
> > >
Thank you for your co-operation.

> > > © Leicestershire Constabulary

 

[jimbo]

It's a hoax annwe717. See here http://www.satellites.co.uk/php-bin/forum/showthread.php?t=7843

 

[CHAINGUN]

thnx for info guys

 

[Analoguesat]

Im always suspicious of anything that says "copy to as many people as possible" as they are ALWAYS hoaxes. That one with the 20 quid phone call charges crops up every 6 months or so and does the rounds.

The one about the office workers being targetted is an urban legend as well it s been re-appearing since 2000:

hxxp://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/postcode.htm

(site contains pop ups)