Scam phone calls from mobiles claiming to be from a Bank or Insurance company

ToneControl

Typically a guy with an Indian accent claiming to be called Mike or Steve, asking if I am up to date on mortgage payments with Bank X, or still using insurance from firm Y

How would this pan out if I didn't hang up?

boogieman

To get your card or bank details. 

Sporky

ToneControl said:

How would this pan out if I didn't hang up?

Depends on how you play it.

Could be the start of a lifelong friendship with adventures and hidden treasure and all sorts.

ToneControl

I think I'll make up some details next time and see where it goes

sev112

But you can really have fun with some of these callers, especially if you ask them to confirm who they are, then ask their boss to come on the phone to confirm too, especially because you are concerned about security, and that you trust them but just need to check.

Legionreturns

You can have a lot of fun with scammers... 

guitars4you

@Legionreturns ;  very good enjoyed that

John_P

Ridiculous how many unsolicited calls come in now.      Sadly I just don’t answer if I don’t know the number - if it’s genuine they’ll leave a message or txt and I’ll call them back.   

littlegreenman

Had another PPI one today. Despite explaining that I got my first credit card like 3 years ago and have only ever had a loan in the last 12 months, neither of which had any unexplained small print they tried to persist with the "if you don't check back X years how do you know?"

Despite wanting to tell him to fuck right off I did just tell him to stop wasting both our time, must be a really shitty job to have.

guitars4you

John_P said:

Ridiculous how many unsolicited calls come in now.      Sadly I just don’t answer if I don’t know the number - if it’s genuine they’ll leave a message or txt and I’ll call them back.   

if they call and ask for Mr John P, just say I'll get him for you and leave the phone on hold unattended - check in 5 mins to see if still there

LuttiS

I usually start by asking their name, and then thank them for calling, put them on hold, "transfer" to different accented version of myself and ask for card details to pay for their order.

If it's the "calling about your recent car accident" i'll thank them for calling and say wow you guys are really on it. I'll then get transferred to a supervisor to take details of my accident.. i usually then make up a story of how i was in Asda and bumped my trolley into the egg section (you know the egg section? at the back of the store?) and there was this other person there who bumped into me, but tried to say it was my fault but it wasn't, i took photos, where shall i send them? Will you cover the broken eggs? *click*


Good times.

Hattigol

Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats this as a  way of dealing with such calls....

Chalky

Hattigol said:

Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats this as a  way of dealing with such calls....

Tears Tears of joy! Thank you!

Hattigol

"What would I have to write on that envelope to mail it to your ass?!"

Wonderful....

flying_pie

LuttiS said:

I usually start by asking their name, and then thank them for calling, put them on hold, "transfer" to different accented version of myself and ask for card details to pay for their order.

If it's the "calling about your recent car accident" i'll thank them for calling and say wow you guys are really on it. I'll then get transferred to a supervisor to take details of my accident.. i usually then make up a story of how i was in Asda and bumped my trolley into the egg section (you know the egg section? at the back of the store?) and there was this other person there who bumped into me, but tried to say it was my fault but it wasn't, i took photos, where shall i send them? Will you cover the broken eggs? *click*


Good times.

I tend to deal with the car accident ones using 2 strategies. 

1. Insist they tell you what accident it was.

Obviously they must know because they've phoned me. I explain i've had an awful lot of car accidents recently and it would save me a lot of time if they could get me enough money that I could pay off all the motorists involved in the other claims. 

2. Oh good. Glad you can help. I can't believe I managed to crash my Bentley into a Ferrari showroom and cause all that damage to the cars, staff and customers. These things can happen when you've had that much to drink and it totally was my fault. That's what I told the police anyway. So how much compensation can you get me?

And while we're at it do you cover incidents involving misuse of agricultural machinery and prescription medication? 

crunchman

I tend to get a spate of them, and then I block the numbers and I don't get any for a while.

With GDPR, I wonder whether it's worth asking where they have illegally got my details from, as I haven't given permission for them to have them.

thermionic

Caller: Hello Mr Thermionic, I'm calling about your accident.

Me: Hey, how did you get to hear about the time I soiled myself while standing in the checkout queue at Tesco?

Caller: <click...>

AliGorie

thanx for the Tom Mabe post - heard it years ago but could never find oit again - it inspired me to be many things when hit with a flurry of annoying interventions' in my peaceful life -

merlin

I have received calls from many "you were involved in a minor car accident" scammers. 
I tell them that they are right but that it wasn't a minor car accident, rather a really serious one and that everyone including myself was killed and if they don't fuck off then I'll haunt their asses off. 




Usually the line goes dead. 

Grumpyrocker

I've just stopped answering calls unless I know the number of the caller. I did have a few of those automated "you've been in an accident" recently that got through, so I blocked the numbers.

WezV

Grumpyrocker said:

I've just stopped answering calls unless I know the number of the caller. I did have a few of those automated "you've been in an accident" recently that got through, so I blocked the numbers.

i did that, then answered a persistent one and it was the hospital calling me in for something.   There are still some real reason you may receive a call