A scam warning for all YLC members

We received this email from YourLifeChoices member BJ, who wanted to warn everyone about a phone scam that he received this week:

“I wish to draw everyone's attention to a scam telephone call that I received this afternoon.  I had emailed 30 pages of medical reports to my medical consultant, which included details of my health problems, personal home address, telephone number, medicare number, and I received a telephone call from a Chinese sounding woman, who confirmed my medical appointment date and time, and then asked me for $4000.  At which time I put the phone down. 

“When I looked up the number, there are many others on google who also have received similar types of phone calls from what appears to be a Sydney telephone number, which was (02) 8076 8078, when I looked up this number on google, the information that came up said the company name was ‘Card Call’.  Please warn all YourLifeChoices members of this scam.”

Have you ever received a phone call like this? What did you do?

9 comments

 

 

 

 

Next time you get a call supposedly from Telstra about your faulty internet,use the “Hermann Gruntfuttock” defence; “What?” I hear you say.  

One day the phone rang: silence.     

When the silence goes on for a while you know it’s an Indian call centre’s autodial system which automatically dials phone numbers in sequence until it detects a human voice, then it transfers the call to the team of scammers.      

Sure enough a very Indian voice asking me how am I, to which I replied by asking why are you calling me.           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               “I’m from Telstra” she said, “We have detected a fault in your internet, so are ready now to fix it for you” to which I replied, “Are you looking at my account at the moment?”                                               

 “Yes “ was the reply, following which I said “I’ll advise you of my name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”  

 Then said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, Hermann with 2 n’s; is that my account you’re calling about?”      

 “Yes” was her reply, followed by me saying “Bye bye”

 

 

 

 

There is a whole number of scams on the go these days. We often get calls supposedly from the NBN. It is a recorded voice saying there is a problem with our internet connection and to press 1 to connect with the Telstra service centre.

Always remebre that the NBN do not contact anyone with an issue like that. 

There are others with the delay before a foreign accented voice tries to start a conversation. I put the phone down and walk away then when a come back a minute later they have disconnected. There are also those who purport to be conducting a survey and not selling anything. This is often a scam in the sense that they are actually trying sell something by disguise the purpose of the call. 

 A few days ago I had an automated call supposedly from the Taxation Office stating that my Tax File Number was being used unlawfully and they knew where I was and that I was going to be arrested.  It then followed the instruction to press 1 to connect, of course I did not do that, just stayed very silent on the line and after a minute or so the recording cut out.    Living in rural Victoria it could have been very frightening for another elderly person who is not aware of these scams going on.

I had heard of the time delay so when answering my home telephone if someone does not come on to the line immediately I also just hang up.

One easy way to courteously rid yourself of people who persist in enquiring about solar panels is to let them talk away and when they have exhausted themselves reading off their prepared statement inform them that your roof is too old to have solar panels on.   It is amazing how quick they hang up.

 

I had the same call Shorty. The absolute give away is that had it genuinely been the ATO they would not tell you you were going to be arrested immediately by a RECORDED message!

It is amazing that those working for NBN, Telstra etc cannot close these down. The source I.D. number should be all that is needed !!

Agree, johnp, it is absolutely amazing.

I realised just after I posted. Of course those scam calls are still generating call revenue for the telecom providers. Probably very large sums as they would be call centres; whether locally or overseas !!

They can change the number constantly, even use computers to generate a "false" number so it's not possible to totally stop them.

I NEVER get these calls, for four years now not one. We moved, built a new house and had a new number allocated. 

Even though they can use computers to generate "false" numbers.  The technology still allows the hard address to be known by the telecom carriers (or at least the NBN).  Similar to the cellular mobile network where the IMEI number is the hardware unique identifier and the mobile number is just associated and linked to that.

The issue is that these calls originate from overseas and as others have said do ot use genuine phone numbers, just numbers that look 'real'. Therefore it is impossible for Telstra or anyone else to stop them.

Your basically correct in what you are saying but it is still good call revenue for the carriers . It is just that there is still a link between the phone number and a hardware unique identifier (that is it is allocated to a real hard address). This is quite good  https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1058788

Any unknown 02 number in bin. Getting a bit much lately.if i get my hands on them they become you know what.

 

I play dumb and string them along, without giving them any information. They hang up in exasperation. 

Robbo1, that is not a good idea. The best thing is to simply hang up on them, as soon as they finish their spiel. I had a call on my mobile phone this morning, that was supposed to be from the ATO. I knew it was a scammer call, because the ATO does not have my mobile number. I don't even tell them to get stuffed anymore.

Hanging up the phone is the best thing to do, always.

Just one point that has not been mentioned - at least not mentioned recently, and that is NEVER answer 'yes' or 'no' to any question. Why? Because there are scams that record you then piece it together to make it seem like you have agreed to something you haven't. 

So if the caller says "is that Ms/Mr Smith?" say nothing or ask a question right back e.g. "who wants to know" or 'who are you and why have you called this number?" and so on. If they ask you to confirm your number/address/account etc, say something like "you called me so don't you have those details?" etc.

Of course that's if you want to have fun with it. Otherwise just hang up.

Good point KSS, sometimes I just put the phone inder the TV until they hang up, otherwise I just hang up straight away.

 

 

If you refer to my earlier post, I use the Gruntfuttock defence.                                                                                     

One time I was pretty bored so decided to have a bit of a"larf" 

When I said to the supposed Telstra caller "Are you looking at my account at the moment?” and "Yes" was the reply                                 

I then said “I’ll advise you of my name to make sure it is my account you’re looking at”  

Then said “My name is Hermann Gruntfuttock, is that my account you’re looking at?” and "Yes" was the reply.

I then said "You might be able to help me with an issue that I called Telstra about a while ago which was that when I received my statement I noticed that my name Hermann was spelt with one n instead of two n's; and the consultant said he would fix it. So please tell me is my name Hermann displaying with one n or 2 n's?"   Beeep beeep beeep beeep

 

 

learn a few foreign language phrases. answer them in german.french or best swahili.

My problem is not a NBN or ATO scam, but still a scam?   My Mobile phone plan includes 'International Calls".   For months now charges appear for 'Diverted' calls.  (Div-UK-MOB) $1.24 each charge.  That is a charge for 'diverted calls from another phone?  I have not called UK for 5 months.  It only totals about $16. a month & Optus always rebate this 'overcharge' as "Inter: calls are included in my plan".  

I checked the (offending)  number 001144795322222 on Google to discover other people have the same problem - same number generated from Manchester UK?   I have an app: on my phone blocking this number & Optus have blocked 'divert calls' on my phone, problem still continues.    Each month I go through the same routine to remove these charges.     It is going to be very inconvenient to change my number. 

I have tried to obtain  an Optus voice' in Australia to talk to - it appears this doesn't exist?  

So please, check your mobile phone account,  totally to see if you are one of the many being caught this way? 

More important, if someone could help with this problem they would help a lot of other frustrated people on Google.

I know a guy who got phone calls asking him to confirm his date of birth,

He very promptly told the person to tell him what he had on his records.

After this happening a couple of times the guy wrote down the person's phone

number and stated that if he got another call he was going to report it to

the Telecommunications Ombudsman. He never got another call

but he had already written the number previously and didn't initially

realise that it was the same one. He had recorded times and phone

number. If this guy says he is going to do something he will.

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