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Telephone fraud?

eddiebobpipes — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 09:18:50 GMT

Received a call this morning from an incomprehensible gentleman who eventually passed me to a 'Stephanie' who claimed they were calling from BT in Newgate Street London (even though it was a noisy call centre and they were all 'Indian ' voices).

She claimed there was a 'problem with the internet connection and that I should turn on my computer and she would help me get rid of the malware'.

I told her that she had called me out of the blue and that I was busy. She said she would call me back at 3 pm either today or tomorrow.

Dialling 1471 established that there was no number recorded so it was obviously a scam.

I realise I wasted time bothering to engage with this at all - so next time an 'Indian' voice calls me I will simply hang up.

BT needs to establish a secure system to establish if a call from them is genuine.

Re: Telephone fraud?

pompey1898 — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 18:46:48 GMT

@eddiebobpipeswrote:
Received a call this morning from an incomprehensible gentleman who eventually passed me to a 'Stephanie' who claimed they were calling from BT in Newgate Street London (even though it was a noisy call centre and they were all 'Indian ' voices).
She claimed there was a 'problem with the internet connection and that I should turn on my computer and she would help me get rid of the malware'.
I told her that she had called me out of the blue and that I was busy. She said she would call me back at 3 pm either today or tomorrow.
Dialling 1471 established that there was no number recorded so it was obviously a scam.
I realise I wasted time bothering to engage with this at all - so next time an 'Indian' voice calls me I will simply hang up.
BT needs to establish a secure system to establish if a call from them is genuine.

BT, and others, have addressed the issue in a way with call barring phones.

Re: Telephone fraud?

Les-Gibson — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:22:12 GMT

All BT call centers are now in the UK and R.O.I.

The call centers which operated out of India were, I believe, operated not by BT but by contracters and it has long been my unproven theory that the information they held was not securely destroyed when they lost the contract. Hence the potential for scam calls.