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‘BT’ scam
iamdan
Posts: 2,421
Hi all,
Just thought I’d make you aware of a scam that’s my father has fallen victim too and lost £20k.
Received a phone call yesterday on the landline, the person on other end pretended to a BT Openreach employee stating that the broadband/telephone line was about to be cut off and the IP address has been compromised.
Cut a long story short, they got my old man to download a remote access app on his laptop, log on to his online banking, get an access code from his card reader, assuming setting themselves up as a payee on his account, and then withdrawing his entire bank balance to a Clydesdale bank account - probably been transferred all over the world by now.
Natwest and police are on the case, unsure what the outcome will be.
Totally shocked that my old man could fall for this trick but he isn’t particularly tech savvy, but if I can save another person falling for this then that’s great. Worrying that having worked all his life he now has £0 to his name - stupid mistake I know.
Just thought I’d make you aware of a scam that’s my father has fallen victim too and lost £20k.
Received a phone call yesterday on the landline, the person on other end pretended to a BT Openreach employee stating that the broadband/telephone line was about to be cut off and the IP address has been compromised.
Cut a long story short, they got my old man to download a remote access app on his laptop, log on to his online banking, get an access code from his card reader, assuming setting themselves up as a payee on his account, and then withdrawing his entire bank balance to a Clydesdale bank account - probably been transferred all over the world by now.
Natwest and police are on the case, unsure what the outcome will be.
Totally shocked that my old man could fall for this trick but he isn’t particularly tech savvy, but if I can save another person falling for this then that’s great. Worrying that having worked all his life he now has £0 to his name - stupid mistake I know.
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Comments
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I feel so sorry for him, they are absolute bastards. They called me a few days ago, so I warned my parents and other non-tech savvy family members just in case. To be honest at first they sounded so believable!
I really hope the police and Natwest can do something for him.9 -
I feel for him. Those of us from the older generations who find technology difficult are particularly vulnerable to this sort of exploitation.
I hope he can recover some or all of his losses given the circumstances. If he reported it promptly then the bank should take some responsibility for not questioning such 'unusual' transactions I would have thought.
If you're harassed with other things it is all too easy not to be as savvy as normal when confronted with such a situation.4 -
Echo that, there are too many people trying to rip people off. More needs to be done to catch them and then the punishment has to be severe. Hope something can be done for him - this is very upsetting. Watched GMB this morning to see a carer who knicked up to £89k of a frail old lady, didn't even get prison!0
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You can be sure that had the £89K been nicked from a business institution that carer would certainly have got prison.MuttleyCAFC said:Echo that, there are too many people trying to rip people off. More needs to be done to catch them and then the punishment has to be severe. Hope something can be done for him - this is very upsetting. Watched GMB this morning to see a carer who knicked up to £89k of a frail old lady, didn't even get prison!
Elderly, vulnerable, retired formerly hardworking individuals don't matter in 21st Century Britain.7 -
Bastards. I hate scumbags like this.3
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Whenever anyone calls you stating they're someone else always ask them to confirm something for you:
What's the last 4 digits of the card you have on file for me?
When was the last time you debited me?
When was the last time I spoke to you and was it online, email or phone?
This is info any real company will have access to, and will be able to confirm for you.
If they can't tell them to f*** off and correspond with you via an official letter.5 -
Oh mate that's tragic. I suppose we have all been 'scammed' one way or another and as Len says, when they catch these scrotes they very rarely do hard time and of course you never get your money back (although one would hope the bank will be a little more sympathetic in this case). With all the technology we have now, why is it so difficult to catch these people?0
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Technology to stop this stuff can only ever be reactive, sadly the scum will always start one step ahead.addick05 said:Oh mate that's tragic. I suppose we have all been 'scammed' one way or another and as Len says, when they catch these scrotes they very rarely do hard time and of course you never get your money back (although one would hope the bank will be a little more sympathetic in this case). With all the technology we have now, why is it so difficult to catch these people?
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Really sorry for your dad. My mum had the old HMRC are going to file a lawsuit against you scam pulled on her. Had she been in and pressed '1' on her keypad it would be charging her one of those super premium rates. There are some absolute scum out there preying on the vulnerable, makes me so angry.0
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Sorry to hear that. So many bastards about. Sounds like a twist on the Microsoft Scam.
I'd love to have one of these call me.0 -
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We get lots of scam attempts on our business - they are all pretty obvious, but we recently got a more refined one. We did spot it, but it should be a concern for everybody. I also got a call a year or so ago from 'Microsoft' where I was told I had a virus and they basically wanted me to give them remote access to fix. I thought that one would dupe a few older less tech savvy people.
I think there has to be a global campaign and their punishment should be multi national too. I'd like a system where all countries pay Thailand or similar to build the prisons and give an international court jurisdiction to send these scammers there. A really strong detterent is the the best way to attack the problem.0 -
I once had one of the microsoft scams call me. I was bored at the time, so I played along for a while then dismantled everything the guy was saying, fulling expecting them to hang up once it was clear they'd been rumbled, but they stayed on the line then the bloke had the cheek to offer me a job!1
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This sounds perilously close to a DHOTY contenderrandy andy said:I once had one of the microsoft scams call me. I was bored at the time, so I played along for a while then dismantled everything the guy was saying, fulling expecting them to hang up once it was clear they'd been rumbled, but they stayed on the line then the bloke had the cheek to offer me a job!
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I get this BT one quite often. I always ask them what my BT account number is and they always come back that they are not the accounts dept but online technical support.
We usually have a discussion and then they are told to go away impolitely.
Get another one from 'BT' where its a recorded message about my internet/router asking me to press 1 to talk about this problem. I have never pressed 1, as mentioned above you probably end up on some premium rate line.0 -
The Mother-in-Law was scammed by this too. Really shocking as she's usually completely clued up and would never have thought she'd have fallen victim over something like that. Fortunately, her PC hasn't been upgraded for about 10 years and despite being on the phone for over 2 hours they couldn't get what they needed.
BT however, were absolutely disgraceful. She called them to let them know someone had called representing them. They told her it was a known scam and that to get peace of mind she should upgrade her broadband package to the more expensive product. The scam had nothing to do with her hub or WIFI. Luckily I found out before the 14 day cool off period so she could cancel, otherwise she'd have been paying £47 per month for WIFI in a flat she only lives in 2 days a week.0 -
I was thinking that as I typed it lol, but I swear it happened. Obviously I took the job and am now independently wealthy and living out my days in the Camen Islands.SuedeAdidas said:
This sounds perilously close to a DHOTY contenderrandy andy said:I once had one of the microsoft scams call me. I was bored at the time, so I played along for a while then dismantled everything the guy was saying, fulling expecting them to hang up once it was clear they'd been rumbled, but they stayed on the line then the bloke had the cheek to offer me a job!
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Sorry to hear about what's happened to your dad @iamdan. Sadly, these guys tend to wipe out the receiving account immediately when they do this. I am sure he/you have called his bank, but they should have told you to report to Action Fraud as well. They can be reached on 0330 123 2040 and their website is here, giving details of all the current scams being seen and what you can do to protect yourself.
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
I also always direct clients to a publication called The Little Book of Scams, which the various police forces around the country badge as their own and send out. The latest personal version (there is a corporate one as well) is here:
https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/the-little-book-of-big-scams.pdf
It is full of really useful tips and details as much as it can all the fraud types that are out there at the moment.
I hope your dad can get at least some of his money back.
All the best
Terry
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That is awful.
The rule I always tell my grandparents is that nothing is ever that urgent. Politely tell them you are not available at the moment and that you will call them back later in the day (ideally with a family member around). Never call the number they give but call the number you usually call for them or one found online.5 -
Never give any information to anybody you haven't contacted. As so many companies say, they wont ring you asking for this information. It is very sad but the best advice to the vulnerable is to trust nobody!1
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Why don;t people use Caller Display.If my phone rings and I dont know the number I let it go to answer phone. if I know the person I will answer it.3
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the sentences handed out to these scumbags are pitifully short - con people out a million get 5 years, out in 30
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Sadly, this type of scammer seeks out the most vulnerable - lonely, old, mental health problems, possibly dementia - and then target the ones where it works once over and over again. Be aware of that. The old snail mail scammers used to have lists of targets they sold to each other internationally.2
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Had another call this morning, this time by an automated BT service. This time dad put the phone down!0
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Never trust caller display. Easily got round by these scammers to make you believe the call is coming from a known number.Derek1952 said:Why don;t people use Caller Display.If my phone rings and I dont know the number I let it go to answer phone. if I know the person I will answer it.
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scumbags of the highest order - akin to nonces and burglers - all of them i would see the necks twisted by a noose - fuckers.
would gladly go back to the days where people were branded so everyday folk knew exactly what type of person they are.
am sorry to hear about your old man @iamdan0 -
One we get is an e-mail sent from our company e-mail address. But it isn't of course. The scammer pretends they have hacked our e-mail and have access to our contacts, but they don't.0
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I am staggered that the bank does not have software that flags attempts to withdraw unusual and large amounts from an account and automatically initiate attempts via phone or text message to verify those transactions.7
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The issue is, he gave the scammers remote access, in the background they set up a payee and bang the whole lot disappeared before his eyes.
Incredibly stupid, I gave him both barrels in the heat of the moment.1 -
I have had the Microsoft scam call a couple of times. I play along with them for a while until I tell them that I have an Apple laptop.randy andy said:I once had one of the microsoft scams call me. I was bored at the time, so I played along for a while then dismantled everything the guy was saying, fulling expecting them to hang up once it was clear they'd been rumbled, but they stayed on the line then the bloke had the cheek to offer me a job!
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