The Missed Call Scam

Letter

The Missed call scam is where someone calls you but stops the call too quickly for you to get to the phone. In these cases, some people will call the number back to see who it was and that’s where the scam starts.

The number you call may be a premium rate line or redirected without your knowledge to a premium rate line which can charge up to £4 per minute. Beware of numbers starting with 09 – premium rate.

The call will be answered by an answering machine telling you that you’ve won a prize or any other story just to keep you on the line ticking up the  minutes that you will be charged.

There is also a text message version of this scam.

You get a text message from an unknown number but with a friendly tone.

e.g Hi it’s Tony, I’m back in the area and thought we should meet up. Texting or phoning a reply will be charged at premium rate.

Remember, it you don’t recognise the caller then think before returning a call or message and if the number starts with 09 then that’s going to cost up £4 per minute.

Don’t be caught up in this.

Update on Time-Wasters

Stop Wasting my Time signSo, what rubbish emails and calls have there been to Brooklands Radio station in the last few days?

Still getting calls from the same stupid PPI chasers. Pathetic. Unfortunately they use a computer to dial and play their message so they can keep on dialling the entire population repeatedly.

A Chinese company HungFung International want us to sell their nit removal combs. But it’s all fake – the supposed email address etc. are all just links to websites they get paid for promoting.

A supposed message from someone on LinkedIn. It’s fake. They copied the format of a real LinkedIn message request just to get us to click on some website that no doubt contains a scam.

Funding Circle offering us a business loan. We’re a volunteer organisation. No loans thank you.

An email proclaiming that Kids Stay Free at the Moon Palace Hotel in Cancun. May be a copy of a real advert for the hotel but sent from a spammer to get us to click on websites they want us to visit. 

These people just waste our time and clog up the Internet with rubbish.

 

How to Stop Salesmen From Anglian Windows

Anglian Logo

Anglian Windows are well known for sending people around to knock on everyone’s door. Usually with special offers and a hard sell.

I had yet another visit from a salesman from Anglian Windows and complained to him that two of his colleagues had knocked within the last few months. Don’t they talk to each other?  He had no explanation and clearly didn’t care – just went into his sales patter.

As long as you are still on the doorstep they believe you can be sold to and hence carry on with the pitch.  It is pathetic.

I complained to their head office that it was ridiculous to have such frequent visits and couldn’t they organise themselves better. I was surprised to get a message back apologising and saying that my address was now on their ‘do not knock’ list so I should never be bothered by them again.

I find it hard to believe that but maybe it’s true.

Anyway, if you have problems with Anglian or similar companies knocking at the door – make sure to complain to their head office and demand they stop knocking at your door.

It may work.

Update on Time-Wasters

Stop Wasting my Time sign

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

A Chinese company want to sell us wax castings for making steel – apparently because they know that we buy these products from their competitors. Completely ridiculous

A website “Icelotto” offering to sell us Euro millions lottery tickets. But we can already buy them on the National Lottery website – so why would anyone pay money to an unknown third party? Crazy.

An American company wanting us to be a distributor for their slip resistant floor product. But their mailbox is a free one which means they don’t work for a business – it’s just a scammer.

Mrs Owen Morales has named us the sole beneficiary of the estate of Mr Owen Harry Morales and its valued at $21 Million. Yeah right. Completely Legit !   

These people just waste our time and clog up the Internet with rubbish.