Scam blocking

[1819]

My elderly aunt received a telephone call saying her landline was going to be cut off. Realising it was a scam she terminated the call and rang 0800 800 150 to report it. She was advised that she could block scam calls by paying £21.00 per month by direct debit. She gladly agreed. When I suggested that this sounded a very large amount she insisted that it was good value if it stopped the calls. Has she been duped?

[VeteranISPUser]

Hi @1819   I agree with you. Did she get a dial code before dialling 150 as the scammer could have kept the line open. By direct debit is also another concern. If such a product existed then BT would have added it to her normal bill. BT Call Protect is free.

[1819]

Thank you. Exactly what I thought. Sadly she was really pleased that she would not be receiving any more scam calls. I think I need to see if the scammers are now able to make use of her bank details.

[NeilO · Accepted solution]

Hi @1819 welcome to the community and thanks for posting, if she was speaking to BT and they made any changes to her account then a notification is emailed or posted to confirm the order that's been placed. Was it £21 on top of her usual rental or was this the total monthly rental for all her services combined? 

[1819]

Thanks. It was worrying me so I have done some more checking and it appears that the scam call got my aunt confused and anxious. She was at the time recovering from a fall and was particularly vulnerable. I have checked her direct debits and all seems in order. She knows not to divulge any information over the telephone. So it appears to be a false alarm - but better to be on the safe side.