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telephone Scam?


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I received a call this morning from a lady on 0013344685497, asking me to call 0899253438 to contact the sender of a package for me.

She said that she could not give any further details for reasons of confidentiality.

I'm not sure what the scam is, maybe just calling a premium number, but didn't call to find out.

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Hello nomoss, I started a thread with the same title back on 17th November, we received two different telephone calls, one was incomprehensible, both were pre-recorded messages. We did not answer either call, but both left a message on our answer machine. The call we could understand was advising me that I needed to telephone a number to receive an appointment, as the message did not contain my name we ignored the call. I then searched on the internet and discovered a website that had both numbers listed saying they were both fraudulent, and the website was advising not to telephone either number. I have since had the same the appointment scam call once more, again we ignored it. Not sure if either could be linked to the call you received.

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Hello Grecian.

I Googled the numbers I mentioned above, and both seem connected with calls saying a package, document or message is waiting to be claimed.

I just received an email from my bank to say that new documents (monthly statements) are now on line, so maybe the scammers are timing their calls to coincide with bank activities.

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Quite apart from the usual 'Partenaires d'EDF" and others calls that we get, the number of scam emails and calls that we're receiving is getting over the top just now.

Had one the other morning when I was still in bed with my 2nd mug of tea.

A 'gentleman', speaking in English but with a strong (how can I put this?) African accent, saying that he was from Microsoft.

I immediately suggested to him that he should do something that would be physically impossible to achieve!

Checked out the number afterwards and it was from Senegal.

My take on incoming calls is that the caller is immediately recognisable, whether British friends or family, or the occasional French pal or other bod. If none of those, they get the 'click' treatment or worse if I'm especially grumpy.

It's a daily pain in the ****, but there you are.
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[quote user="Loiseau"]Yikes, Nomoss! Are you sure that the email is from your bank and not ANOTHER scam? Seriously...

Has the bank addressed you by name?

Angela[/quote]

Yes, quite sure. Since I went "paperless" they send an email every month to advise that new documents are available on line. No name, no links.

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[quote user="Gardian"]Quite apart from the usual 'Partenaires d'EDF" and others calls that we get, the number of scam emails and calls that we're receiving is getting over the top just now. Had one the other morning when I was still in bed with my 2nd mug of tea. A 'gentleman', speaking in English but with a strong (how can I put this?) African accent, saying that he was from Microsoft. I immediately suggested to him that he should do something that would be physically impossible to achieve! Checked out the number afterwards and it was from Senegal. My take on incoming calls is that the caller is immediately recognisable, whether British friends or family, or the occasional French pal or other bod. If none of those, they get the 'click' treatment or worse if I'm especially grumpy. It's a daily pain in the ****, but there you are.[/quote]

Its getting very bad I agree.

I block all with-held numbers which stops 80% (I removed the block to see and the phone was ringing all the time), I never get UK calls, I will only speak "Allo!" if I recognise the number as a French landline or mobile, staying silent the call centre software drops the call every time after 4 seconds dead, often with a robotic female voice saying 'Goodbye!".

I then immediately type in *351*# and the number is then blocked from calling me, there are now several thousand on my blocked list, every now and then I make a mistake and block the last missed caller which isnt the same and I end up blocking a friend, with Free I can only empty the list entirely and then the floodgates are once again open.

Worse still with the evolution of  appels illimité to mobile phones I am getting a lot of tem on my mobile, some of them only let the phone ring twice before hanging up, often in the middle of the night in the hope that you will call back the numero surtaxé.

And teh worts of all, the person in office de tourisme who hates the Engish who deliberately changes my telephone number in the tourist brochure so they cant reach me, who will send people anywhere but to myself or other English hébergeurs has now started giving my business cards to démarcheurs who then call me on my mobile.

Did you notice the cold calls stopped dead during the Xmas break and didnt start until a couple of weeks into January?

Have you also noticed that you never get scam E-mails on a sunday? 

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If your mobile phone has the setting (Mine's an Android)

you can block all calls within given hours, I block calls and notifications between 2300 and 0700

You can also set exceptions eg allow calls from people on your phonebook or someone who calls twice within 5 minutes so you can still be reached if necessary

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I have never received a spam type call on my mobile phone, are these common?

Most of those I receive on my land line ask for me by name, so are probably getting information from the directory.

My mobile number is not listed in any directory I know of (are there any of these?), and I don't give it to anyone except for necessary reasons such as to my bank and similar, to enable them to send authorisation codes.

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The landline I am fairly certain that Free.fr sell the détails on to the démarcheurs, many on the Free forums reckon so, I certainly never got any until I ported my number to them when I dumped FT.

The harassment also by post and E-mail really started when I registered my future business name with INPI, I really didnt expect a French government organisation to publish all my personal détails but that was naive of me.

The mobile harassment only started when I opened for business and the website carried my mobile number.

I only have a traditional phone which suits me fine, I can make calls and send texts, it holds a charge all week, I dont want any more especially complication, it would be nice though if I could block more than 10 numbers on it.

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For emails I use MailWasher and have done for years and very good it is to.

Phone calls, well I don't own my house and only speak English. Taking this attitude has decreased the amount of calls we receive by a massive amount. It is not a quick fix. I should add but we only get one every six to eight weeks if that these days. Have to confess I do use a lot of Anglo Saxon expletives as well, I do a very good Mr Angry.

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I quite like the ones that tell me that I have a problem with my Windoze OS. I 'do' all they say, to the letter, and inform them of the result and 'of course they can do a remote connection' to my PC.

They are nomally confusticated when it fails and ask me exactly what I have on my screen. I am quite serious and tell them that the likkle black apple is up in the top left of the screen. They then tell me that my mother was a sport, I'm not too sure what games she used to lay though. I never saw any football boots or the like? And then they ring off [8-)] [8-)]

Well, they are the smartarses aren't they [6]

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