The TPS APP to Block Cold Callers

TPS stands for Telephone Preference Service.

This service was setup by the government to let people register that they don’t want cold calls and any reputable Marketing organisation has to abide by the rule not to call anyone registered on TPS.

Now, there is an APP to make it simpler on your smart phone.

What does the smartphone app TPS Protect do?

For every call you receive, it can give an indication of how trustworthy that call is.

If TRUST = 1 then it has identified the call as untrustworthy or potentially a scam
If TRUST = 5 then it has identified the call as from a trusted caller

You choose the level of TRUST to accept.

You can also choose what categories of calls to accept.

Do you want to block all nuisance calls from accident claims providers?
Do you want to accept all calls from charities? That’s your choice.

If you receive a call you think should be blocked, then you register a complaint on your APP.

Also, by making a complaint you help the TPS and industry regulators to take action against nuisance callers, and help protect others using TPS Protect.

As the app relies on the feedback of its users, the more who download and use this app and report incoming nuisance calls, the better the service will be.

TPS Protect has free services:-

Incoming Call Screening
Number lookup and reporting
Simple TPS registration

TPS Protect also has paid for subscription services

Divert nuisance calls to voicemail
Personal block List
Personal Approved List
Greater control via custom settings

When you first download the app you will have access to the paid-for features, including call diverts to voicemail, manage a Block and Approved List, and Custom Settings for 60 days. Once the free period has expired you can renew your subscription for 99p per month.

It’s a shame you have to pay for those extra services but better than having adverts as the makers have to fund the development somehow.

Do you have an opinion on this matter? Please comment in the box below.

October 2, 2017

The Betting Experts Scam

An email pops up titled something like “The Betting Experts team”.

But it’s from bettingexperts.faith which means it’s a scam as “.faith” internet addresses are obviously meant for Churches and other faith organisations. Betting does not qualify.

The email says
“ I’m so glad you opened this.

The Betting Experts have just opened their doors to new members and you don’t want to miss out.

These guys consistently bring in$120,000 – $160,000 per year – and it’s no surprise with their combined expertise”

It goes on to promise you can make $2,400 in your first week. And they have just 50 spots to release.

So, it’s a typical “Something for nothing” scam but in fact you get nothing for your money.

There’s lots of ways they can make money out of this – the simplest being to take your money and provide nothing but the more cunning ones do give you something.

Imagine you pay just a starter fee and in return get a list of winning bets to make each week. If you lose then tough luck but if you win, then you pay them 10%

Sounds like you can’t lose. Of course you can as it’s really only them who cannot lose.

The recommended bets are just random chance – you can do better on your own.

And paying them 10% if you win – is money for nothing.

No wonder they claim to make $120,000 – $160,00 per year. It’s from idiots who buy into their scheme where the only winners are the scammers.

Do enter your email address and click on the subscribe button on top right to keep up to date with new posts.

October 1, 2017

Talks With a Japanese Cat

The email is dramatic

“You Can Now Communicate Directly With Your Cat”

“Researchers in Tokyo have found this lesson through careful scientific analysis.”

“The Japanese researchers found that cats understand humans, not just by voice tone but also by identifying certain words including their names, the owners name and certain commands”.

Now, if you’re a cat owner then you already know that cats learn their name and certain commands so the above statements are nothing new, just some moron trying to sell junk by making it sound new and exciting when it’s just common knowledge.

How to communicate with a cat

Rattle tins of cat food – the cat can hear this from 8 miles away and will suddenly appear next to you, purring and expecting to be fed.
Shower affection and cuddles and tickles on your cat as they know they are worth it and the cat will be pleased you’re finally treating it as you should.
If the cat does something you don’t want it to – then shout NO or STOP and it will get the message
If the cat rubs up against your leg then it wants to be stroked.

Now is that so difficult it takes researchers to find it out?

I think not. All cats have their owners trained within a few weeks. No problem.

Do Share this post on social media – click on the post title then scroll down to the social media share buttons.

September 30, 2017

Time-Wasters Update

So, what rubbish emails and calls have there been to Brooklands Radio station in the last few days?

An email from Sara asking for full-time work or to be an intern in order to gain experience in the field. But she has no idea who we are or what we do so it’s just a scam.

Another message supposedly from Whatsapp (there’s a few of these every week) telling us our trial subscription has ended. But we don’t have such a subscription so it cannot be ending and the email is from lifeteen.com which always means it’s a scam.

Mr. A James Lyon offering a free mortgage review. But he works for a Marketing company so he’s just trying to find leads to sell to mortgage companies. No thanks.

This email starts ”Did You hear the News?” and goes on about a man assaulted at a bar as he tried to collect his 5^th winnings on the lottery. A surprising but still pitiful attempt to claim someone knows the secret to winning the lottery. It’s simple – the more you play the more chance you have of winning. But also the more you play the more you lose is the general experience.

Now a man who had discovered the secret that Big Pharma has tried to keep from us – the cure for diabetes. Nope. The scammers only secret is their identity while they try to con money from people.

Do click on the Facebook or Twitter icons on top right to follow Fight Back Ninja

September 29, 2017

Research on Mass Marketing Fraud

There is a project led by Professor Monica Whitty of the University of Warwick and it involves a number of Universities, enforcement agencies and private sector businesses.

Project Outline:

The DAPM (Detecting and Preventing Mass Marketing Fraud) project will develop novel techniques to detect and prevent online mass marketing fraud (MMF), a major and growing problem that generates significant social anxiety and psychological impact. DAPM will establish new foundations for:

Detecting assumed identities and persuasive messaging used by fraudsters
Delivering much needed insights into the psychological and technical factors that lead to poor decision-making on the part of existing and prospective victims of such frauds

Through a multi-disciplinary approach and close focus on co-designing solutions collaboratively and testing them ‘in the wild’, the project will generate not only new scientific understanding of the anatomy of MMF, but also tools and techniques that can form the basis of practical interventions in tackling such fraud.

Importantly, this work brings together academic and non-academic partners. Each organisation has different knowledge to share and can tackle the problem using different methods. Combining academic research with technical knowledge provides much greater capability to prevent and detect MMF.

The outcomes of this project will enable:

Increased trust in the digital economy by citizens due to developed science around MMF detection and prevention
Improvements in public safety and fewer victims of MMF crime.

Changes in industry tactics and public policy around detection and prevention of MMF

This sounds impressive and potentially very useful in the fight against scammers.

Background

Mass Marketing Fraud is a serious, complex and organised crime. Examples include foreign lotteries, advanced-fee scams and romance scams. Some are low value, one-off scams involving large numbers of victims; others involve developing a relationship where money is defrauded over time. The internet has opened up a vast array of opportunities for criminals to target potential victims and to trick people into making financial transfers in the name of charity, investment or love.

In the UK Action Fraud estimate that less than 10% of victims actually report this type of crime. Victims are unlikely to recover losses, offenders are often not caught and many victims are affected psychologically – often to a degree outweighing the financial loss.

Go to https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/research/csc/research/dapm/ for further information.

Do click on the Facebook or Twitter icons on top right to follow Fight Back Ninja.

September 28, 2017

Reiki Energy Healing

Reiki is an ancient Japanese art of energy healing.

It is quite common in the West nowadays. It’s quite easy and cheap to learn and very relaxing to practice. For many it does work, but that’s not to say that it works for everyone though.

Reiki is taught by various Reiki schools across the UK and is usually taught over a weekend some book work but mostly hands on practice and exercises.

However, it is like many ancient arts something that must be taught by a person face to face not through a bunch of PDF documents on the Internet. You cannot learn energy healing from a PDF – you need a person in front of you to demonstrate and to know whether you’re doing it right or need further guidance.

There are numerous lazy stupid people – scammers and spammers who will jump on any new thing and try to make money from it for their own benefit and so is the case with Reiki.

A recent email titled “Hollywood Crazy Over This New Esoteric Practice”

Trying to sell this by use of celebrity endorsements is ridiculous – Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock use Reiki according to the email. Plus Phil Mickelson the golfer, Doctor Oz and more.

Top sports people like Phil Mickelson maybe add a little credibility to the story (his name was probably picked at random by the scammer) but actors – they are not generally seen as the most level headed or intelligent types so why should anyone believe a product is good because of a celebrity endorsement?

If you want to learn Reiki – contact a Reiki school and learn properly and do not be conned by the scammers and spammers sending out millions of pathetic emails.

Do Share this post on social media – click on the post title then scroll down to the social media share buttons.