Grr "National Accident Helpline" nuisance calls!

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R2D2

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I had two unavailable number calls today from an Indian call centre wanting me to give them all my details so that they can scam me. The first one I managed to keep going for 2 minutes 12 seconds with my made up nonsense and the second one lasted 2 seconds when I answered as a made up police Station. Apparently these calls are from abroad and dont use TPS etc so are unstoppable. Any one had experience of or can offer any advise.
 
My response to such calls varies depending on how busy I am with other things. My most common answer is "Hi, I work for XXX as well. Did you want some advice?" Without fail this generates a few moments of silence before the line is cut! :bannana:
 
It doesn't matter where the calls originate, the TPS is as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

A while back, after being plagued by calls despite registering with the TPS, I played along with a nuisance call to get as much information as I could out of them. I then filled in the online TPS complaint form, giving the time of the call, the phone number and even the name of the firm.

About a month later I received an email from the TPS saying they couldn't investigate my complaint as they didn't have enough information.

Useless oxygen thieves.
 
Not much you can do since they are out of TPS jurisdiction. Just hang up is the course of
least disruption. "Goodbye" then hang up is a bit more British. On one occasion I'm afraid I did rail a little about how illegal their call was and I was going to get them arrested and shut down their business. Wishful thinking, but it made me feel better and delayed their next call by a few seconds!!

Have also wondered about the approach of "oh, OK - would you mind just holding for a second while I get my details for you?". Then go shopping or something.
 
I kept getting calls from scammers claiming to be from microsoft and that my computer has a virus and isn't working. I told them I was on it and it's fine,so they then claimed it's a hidden virus.
 
We moved to a new house in April this year. We couldn't keep our old number as we had moved 60 miles away and were in a different dialling code area. We took our new phone service from BT and were allocated a phone number........and that's when the nightmare started!
At least 6 call per day from overseas PPI/ Accident helplines/ Surveys and other numbers that didn't have anyone on the other end when we answered. etc. I tried everything from hanging up to being angry to being very diplomatic and conversational with them asking them to stop calling. It didn't work. Not for even a day.
Finally, by September we had had enough and asked for a different phone number from BT and we haven't had a single scam call from anyone. It has been a bit of a hassle letting everyone know our new number for the second time in 5 months but we have no regrets. PEACE IS RESTORED!
 
Normal response is " Im really interested, please tell me more", then i leave them talking and stick my phone in my desk drawer!
 
I can usually do other things while I'm talking to them, so I sometimes entertain myself by seeing how long I can keep them on the line. I usually begin with answering in a wierd foreign accent, eventually going to find whoever it is they are looking for, returning with an even wierder accent and I take it from there.

My all time record was the call from "The WIndows Company" about my faulty PC they had diagnosed remotely and which was allegedly infested with a virus. We eventually figured out which of my six PCs we were talking about and went through the (fake) steps of loading up a scam website, all the while having problems with mis-spellings and firewall blockages. In the meanwhile, I'm making small talk with "John" or "Adam" about how long he has been with the company, whether he had a window to see out of, whether he got medical insurance and so on.

Discussion progressed to conversation about "The Windows Company" and my queries about Microsoft, who had apparently now sold Windows. I told him that Bill Gates hadn't mentioned it to me when I met him for lunch at a symposium a month ago. I got a good 5 minutes out of my relationship with the world's richest bespectacled bloke and how he contacts me for advice about British culture. Did you know that Bill is a big fan of Corrie? You do now.

All this went on for over 15 minutes, with me being unable to get into my PC to solve my "problem", at which point we figured out I was using a Mac. He told me, "Sir You are stupid". I asked him who had been mucked about on the phone for 15 minutes and the line went dead.


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It they are calling your landline, I can't recommend TrueCall enough...

Installed it a few years ago, and not had a nuisance call since.
M.
 
I have also suffered these.

On one occasion when I was very fraught I asked the Indian Gent if he had my number written down (I an Ex Directory) and he acknowledged that he did.

I then asked him to role up the paper an stick it where the sun don't shine (I put it blunter than that).

He Rang off.

2 Mins later he rang back and used every "bad word" very poeticly and it sounded very funny, I just laughed and asked him if he could start again so I could record it.

A loud F.O. and the phone went dead but he held the line open so we could not use the phone. Rang BT from the mobile and they disconnected the line so we could use the phone again.

We now have caller display and these numbers come up and Number withheld International or words to that extent, we do not answer then or send them to the answer phone. after 5 weeks they stopped.

Hope this helps.
 

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