I have started getting calls from people about my solar panels. They are using company names which do not exist, and, after telling me he was from National Feed-in Tariff, today's one said he was actually working on behalf of the Government.
They decline to repeat their company name, give a website address or phone number, and are quite prepared to enter into something of an argument about why they should do this. They are often from "unknown numbers". One asked me for my TPS PIN, to be removed from their lists - there is no such PIN.
Virgin tell me they can't do anything about them, and I have inadequate info to report them to the Telephone preference Service.
So later today my mobile went. It was a call from a Birmingham number (0121 923 4299), saying she was from Pearl Advice Services, and asking me when the accident I'd had was. I responded with my usual stuff, checking name of company etc, but I think it was probably a recording, as it ignored me and asked again.
So armed with a time, number and name I reported it via the TPS website. Within about an hour I got what is probably a standard reply saying they couldn't trace it. Sometimes the number is fictitious blah blah.
So I tried calling the number and sure enough it is invalid.
I'm not sure why I'm bothering posting this really except to vent a bit of frustration. I get the solar ones about once a week, and they obviously have details of me from some database, as the one last week got a bit threatening, as in "We know where you live" and "we know your date of birth".
I guess I should not even engage them in conversation. I am not usually impolite because I feel the poor sods are just trying to earn a living. But when they get argumentative over where they work I might think again!!
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They maintain lists. You are never updated as "sweary, difficult, time consuming person". You are updated as "valid number, answers the phone".
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Just don't answer the phone if you don't recognise the number. If it is a valid call they will leave a message on your answerphone.
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And block all hidden numbers.
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Buy a BT landline with a block button and block all calls from them after you have answered them. Same with the mobile.
I did this 6 months ago and never get any 'cold' calls anymore so it was well worth the money.
Pat
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>> Buy a BT landline with a block button and block all calls from them after you have answered them.
Our Panasonic cordless phone can block calls if you put the number into the ignore folder. Mind you, if the person withholds their number, they can get around it. However, like FP has mentioned, we've also got BT Call Protect, which works very well.
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IME there are several different forms of nuisance call. Quite a few recently from people with English names like Kevin or Sophie but strong Asian accidents. They tell me they're from BT but ring off when I challenge them as I'm not a BT customer. Pretty sure their fraudsters.
Others are blame/claim or Solar Panels. The first get the which accident response. I've an issue with government funding, paid for by a levy on bills of all including poorest on pre-pay, that gives cash to owner occupiers with the money to get panels fitted. I explain this.
Anwering the phone with beyond businesslike brusqueness with just my name "Simon Bromptonaut" sees a few off too.
They don't bother me too much but I'm old enough and ugly enough to deal with them. Had a client at work, elderly widow, who'd had a quite upsetting one from a 'foreign' man claiming to be from Inland Revenue. Said she'd underpaid tax and demanded a refund or debt collectors would be involved. She was sufficiently informed about it to see him off but she was shaken enough to raise it with CA.
July is Scam Awareness Month:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/campaigns/current_campaigns/scams-awareness-month/
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>> I have started getting calls from people about my solar panels.
>>
Not had any of those, either landline or mobile.
>> Virgin tell me they can't do anything about them, and I have inadequate info to
>> report them to the Telephone preference Service.
>>
I think both BT and TalkTalk allow you to report numbers to them, and add to their automatic blocking if enough complaints are received about any particular number. Talktalk allow you to block up to 100 (or 200?) last callers.
>> So later today my mobile went. It was a call from a Birmingham number (0121
>> 923 4299), saying she was from Pearl Advice Services, and asking me when the accident
>> I'd had was. I responded with my usual stuff, checking name of company etc, but
>> I think it was probably a recording, as it ignored me and asked again.
>>
I have had calls from 0121 in the last three months - all to one of my mobile numbers that I had given to very few people in connection with a Birmingham property sale to the various parties involved. However, the number is always different and one not on my contact lists. So I ignore it, then google it, just to check if it is from one of the companies who I had given my number to. So far, it has always been the accident insurance chasers. The number is always "not recognised" when I ring back.
>> So armed with a time, number and name I reported it via the TPS website.
>> Within about an hour I got what is probably a standard reply saying they couldn't
>> trace it. Sometimes the number is fictitious blah blah.
>>
Have you tried reporting it via
ico.org.uk/concerns/nuisance-calls-and-messages/report-telesales-calls/
>> I'm not sure why I'm bothering posting this really except to vent a bit of
>> frustration. I get the solar ones about once a week, and they obviously have details
>> of me from some database, as the one last week got a bit threatening, as
>> in "We know where you live" and "we know your date of birth".
>>
Is their number genuine?
>> I guess I should not even engage them in conversation. I am not usually impolite
>> because I feel the poor sods are just trying to earn a living. But when
>> they get argumentative over where they work I might think again!!
>>
I have in the past (two or three years ago when I got calls from "Microsoft") asked them to think about getting some other job, and how they would feel if some scammer phoned their mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter.
I know someone who has time on his hands who makes up fictitious accidents in some location found via google maps and using details of cars parked in the street outside his house. After a while he tells them he has got some details wrong and starts again, until they rumble him and put the phone down. Don't know if the caller is paid by the hour or by the number of customers he/she signs up.
Last edited by: BrianByPass on Thu 15 Jun 17 at 17:00
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We have BT Call Protect, which doesn't actually "block" calls, but routes them to an answerphone without ringing the home phone, if you have blacklisted that number. You can continue to add any numbers that are giving you problems; so far I have 38 numbers blacklisted.
It has certainly reduced the number of nuisance calls, but it obviously won't prevent fresh callers who have been passed your number by third parties.
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My own policy is to simply hang up as soon as I realise that it is an unsolicited call, whether that be scammer, double glazing salesman or whatever.
I normally don't get annoyed, don't shout or swear. Just hang up.
If I were to block 'number withheld' calls, then I would miss calls from the hospital.
Don't make a big thing about it. Hang up.
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I'm with Virgin for landline. They didn't used to have all the blocking etc options but I think they've improved. I don't have caller display either. All these (did) cost extra with Virgin adn I'm tight!!
The numbers for solar panel calls have always been withheld. Virgin said today they couldn't therefore help me. (Someone must be able to track it, maybe I should call GCHQ!! :-) ) The number from B'ham was a fake number.
SWMBO got caught the other week, she was a bit gullible but gave her name to someone with a very thick accent who promised her some Tesco tokens, and obviously unwittingly responded positively to something which gave them permission to add our number to a database of suckers. That resulted in a number of calls in a short space of time. But these solar calls have been going on for months. I think someone has obtained an official database.
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I'm with Plusnet and they've recently introduced a free call rejection service. I have the option to divert calls from withheld, international and anonymous (whatever that means) numbers to a junk voicemail that I can access with a code - they don't ring the 'phone. Plusnet also block calls from known nuisance numbers.
I haven't had a single nuisance call since activating the service.
The one call that went to the junk voicemail was from John Lewis informing me of an imminent delivery! I presume that was from a withheld number.
Edit
As Plusnet are owned by BT it would seem it's an identical service to the one Focal Point's described.
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Thu 15 Jun 17 at 17:30
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Our answerphone is permanently on, and we only pick up if we recognise the number or the voice.
I would say that nine out of ten nuisance / unidentified calls that we receive end within a couple of seconds of the answerphone message.
Easy peasy...
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>>Our answerphone is permanently on, and we only pick up if we recognise the number or the voice.
Same 'ere = no problemos.
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Mine too. It rings for rather a long time, 12 rings I think, before the answerphone takes over. A number of calls I get stop after 5 rings with, of course, no message. I imagine these calls will cut off at the source automatically so than the caller can switch to a hopefully more profitable respondent. Dialling 1471 almost always reveals no number.
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>> Mine too. It rings for rather a long time, 12 rings I think, before the
>> answerphone takes over.
I use my telco's 1571 service set for a long ring. Few leave messages.
As a worker doing pre-booked telephone appointments quite a lot of other folks do same on landline or mobile. I let mobiles ring out until the timeout message just to be sure there's no messaging service.
There's also a filtering service where the caller needs to verbally identify themselves before recipient picks up. That one's often used by people escaping domestic violence or harassment.
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We have had similar discussions on this subject. See, for example:
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=23239&m=514712&v=e
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 17 Jun 17 at 20:45
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>> We have had similar discussions on this subject. See, for example:
Quite so:-
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=23239&m=514603&v=e
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 17 Jun 17 at 20:45
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Must be time for another breadmaker thread, shirley...
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My father does his bit to save the rest of humanity from nuisance calls by keeping them on the line and stringing them along that he's interested in whatever they're selling. One of his recent escapades was to keep a conservatory salesman on the line for an extended period, and agreeing to them coming to give him a quote. When asked for his address, he started with "Flat 22...." and there was a click at the end of the line. I particularly liked that one.
Luckily, despite being 85, he has his head screwed on and hasn't yet been scammed.
Last edited by: Mike H on Fri 16 Jun 17 at 16:35
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That made me chuckle mike.
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I try to string scammers along if I'm in the mood. Most want to fix my Windows. After quite a few minutes establishing that it's not the house windows they're on about ,I make the imaginary trip upstairs to switch the PC on.
After 5 minutes in which I made meself a coffee, I returned to the phone.
Lady scammer....'Have you switched on ?'
Me .....'Oh, is that what you want me to do?'
She........ 'Yes, what have you been doing all this time ?'
Me .......'I made a coffee to drink while I sit here and listen to you telling me a pack of lies '
She.......'F... off you f...ing knobhead !'
How very rude...I thought.
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National company quoted for new gutters and soffits at a friend.
Started off at £11k. Ended at £3.9k. Friend showed him the door, he couldn't deal with such dishonesty, imagine an OAP accepting the first price.
Few days later got a call. Special offer with another £1k off making it £2.9k. Told them to sod off and got a local firm to do it for £1.2k.
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>> How very rude...I thought.
Indeed. Trouble is , they still have your 'phone number.
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Nuisance phone calls - No FM2R
