# Watch out there’s (not )a Humphrey about



## Ljc (Nov 20, 2019)

Take care folks as their is probably lots of this one going around

It’s most definitely a scam as we have nothing to do with BT.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 21, 2019)

There's a lot of that around I hear.
We can still see the e-mail address @Ljc .


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## Ljc (Nov 21, 2019)

@Ralph-YK . Thanks, a bit more editing methinks lol.


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## trophywench (Nov 21, 2019)

The Humphrey I was told about only stole your milk didn't he?


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## Ljc (Nov 21, 2019)

trophywench said:


> The Humphrey I was told about only stole your milk didn't he?


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## C&E Guy (Nov 21, 2019)

I've had a few phone calls threatening to cancel my BT Broadband .... at work.

And I've had some recently, allegedly from HMRC saying that there is a warrant out for my arrest for non-payment of tax. I'm sensible enough to know that HMRC would only contact you by writing but I can see that some vulnerable person could easily be fooled by it, and do something stupid.


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## trophywench (Nov 21, 2019)

We've occasionally been told we haven't paid someone so blah blah or that we need a new password for our bank account with whatever bank - always with companies we have no dealings with.  If I think about it immediately,  I forward em on to Phishing@ (wherever) like we're sposed to - but quite a lot of the time they just get deleted.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 21, 2019)

C&E Guy said:


> And I've had some recently, allegedly from HMRC saying that there is a warrant out for my arrest for non-payment of tax. I'm sensible enough to know that HMRC would only contact you by writing but I can see that some vulnerable person could easily be fooled by it, and so something stupid.


I've had emails claiming to be HMRC, saying they have a rebate for me and asking me to enter my details on a website.
Interestingly, the bulk of the spam and scam emails (loads) were on the one email address. The one I've only ever used for applying for jobs (it was on my CV), and recruitment agencies.
The others, for friends, family and signing up to websites, don't get any.


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## Ljc (Dec 6, 2019)

They’re at it again. I hope no one gets caught out with this one .


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## C&E Guy (Dec 10, 2019)

When I keep seeing this thread on the menu, I keep thinking it's some political/election spoof with Sir Humphrey Appleby from _Yes Prime Minister_ saying something convoluted and hilarious.


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## Ljc (Dec 10, 2019)

C&E Guy said:


> When I keep seeing this thread on the menu, I keep thinking it's some political/election spoof with Sir Humphrey Appleby from _Yes Prime Minister_ saying something convoluted and hilarious.


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## robert@fm (Dec 14, 2019)

I keep getting "Argos £1000 gift voucher" scams, always from a long email address which bears no resemblance to argos.co.uk, and never addressing me as Robert as a real Argos email would.


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## Robin (Dec 14, 2019)

I had a new one yesterday. I had the usual spam call, recorded message re Amazon Prime (which I don’t have).
But then I had an irate call from someone saying they’d had a call from my number, and demanding to know who I was. I explained it was a private house, and we'd had the same spam call a few minutes previously, and we ended up having quite a friendly chat about spammers!
But it was news to me, that spammers are spoofing the numbers of private telephone lines, to make it appear that’s where their call came from. I googled it, and it is a known thing, apparently, but nobody seems to be doing anything about it, (usual advice is to change your number, but then, it’ll just happen again with the new number, and some people have known my number from memory for years, I don’t want to change it, nor should I need to!)


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## chaoticcar (Dec 14, 2019)

I am still waiting for the Government to send my refund by cheque, cos they know where I live  !
  Carol


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## Lilian (Dec 14, 2019)

Someone I know was telling me the other day how she fell for the phone call about being in an accident that was not your fault.     She had been in an accident that was not her fault and got this call the next day.   So she presumed her insurance company had put them on to her.    I recently got a text which, because it was a text, and so well done it would have been very easy to fall for it.    Fortunately I now have a suspicious mind about everything.


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## Sally71 (Dec 14, 2019)

Robin said:


> I had a new one yesterday. I had the usual spam call, recorded message re Amazon Prime (which I don’t have).
> But then I had an irate call from someone saying they’d had a call from my number, and demanding to know who I was. I explained it was a private house, and we'd had the same spam call a few minutes previously, and we ended up having quite a friendly chat about spammers!
> But it was news to me, that spammers are spoofing the numbers of private telephone lines, to make it appear that’s where their call came from. I googled it, and it is a known thing, apparently, but nobody seems to be doing anything about it, (usual advice is to change your number, but then, it’ll just happen again with the new number, and some people have known my number from memory for years, I don’t want to change it, nor should I need to!)


Yes I also discovered recently that it's impossible to trust caller display any more - when I got an incoming call supposedly from my own number!  Just to check that nobody has changed our number and not told us I rang it from my mobile, and it's definitely still ours! I googled it, and apparently with the right equipment it's dead easy to trick the system into thinking you are ringing from a completely different number from the one you are actually on.  Oh joy.  I generally don't answer calls from any number that isn't saved in my phone, unless I'm expecting one e.g. from the opticians to tell me that my new glasses are ready or something.  Or if it’s a local number I might answer it in case it's doctors or something. But I’m finding that many local calls are now also call centres or spammers, and even when they are genuine companies I think they pretend they are local to you because they know you are more likely to answer the phone.  In reality they are probably nowhere near.

If it appears to be your own number ringing you then it is 100% certain to be a spammer so don't answer it, if you do they will probably pass your number to other spammers and you will be inundated with calls!


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## Robin (Dec 14, 2019)

Sally71 said:


> Yes I also discovered recently that it's impossible to trust caller display any more - when I got an incoming call supposedly from my own number!  Just to check that nobody has changed our number and not told us I rang it from my mobile, and it's definitely still ours! I googled it, and apparently with the right equipment it's dead easy to trick the system into thinking you are ringing from a completely different number from the one you are actually on.  Oh joy.  I generally don't answer calls from any number that isn't saved in my phone, unless I'm expecting one e.g. from the opticians to tell me that my new glasses are ready or something.  Or if it’s a local number I might answer it in case it's doctors or something. But I’m finding that many local calls are now also call centres or spammers, and even when they are genuine companies I think they pretend they are local to you because they know you are more likely to answer the phone.  In reality they are probably nowhere near.
> 
> If it appears to be your own number ringing you then it is 100% certain to be a spammer so don't answer it, if you do they will probably pass your number to other spammers and you will be inundated with calls!


Wow, how weird! I’ve been used to numbers trying to pretend to look like real ones, but I didn’t realise they were using people’s actual numbers! We have a blocking system on our phone, where you can just let trusted numbers through, but I've never felt the need to activate it before. Maybe it’s time to get the instruction book out!


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## Docb (Dec 14, 2019)

The approach I use is only to leave the ringer off unless I am expecting a call.  If I am at my desk and the phone lights up showing a call is coming through, I answer it if I know who it is.  Otherwise I leave it to go to answerphone. Most scammers are not geared up to leave messages so it filters them out.  Any that do leave a message can be filtered out by listening to the first 5 seconds of the call.  In the last two weeks or so there have been 32 calls that have not left a message and one (a reminder from the GP) that did.  Sad really, that what used to be a useful piece of kit has become more of an intrusive nuisance.


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## grovesy (Dec 14, 2019)

Robin said:


> Wow, how weird! I’ve been used to numbers trying to pretend to look like real ones, but I didn’t realise they were using people’s actual numbers! We have a blocking system on our phone, where you can just let trusted numbers through, but I've never felt the need to activate it before. Maybe it’s time to get the instruction book out!


We have been using  the blocking system through  our phone provider , it has cut out the unwanted calls.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Dec 15, 2019)

grovesy said:


> We have been using  the blocking system through  our phone provider , it has cut out the unwanted calls.



we signed up for the Telephone Preference Service which helped... but this year spam/scam calls have started claiming to *be* the Telephone Preference Service and promising to get rid of nuisance calls


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## Sally71 (Dec 15, 2019)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> we signed up for the Telephone Preference Service which helped... but this year spam/scam calls have started claiming to *be* the Telephone Preference Service and promising to get rid of nuisance calls


We joined the TPS many years ago when it was still fairly new, at first it was brilliant but sadly it seems it becomes less effective the longer you are on it  I tried to rejoin, thinking maybe it lapses after a while, but it said we are already listed.


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## grovesy (Dec 15, 2019)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> we signed up for the Telephone Preference Service which helped... but this year spam/scam calls have started claiming to *be* the Telephone Preference Service and promising to get rid of nuisance calls


I had that too before we started using the Talk Talk blocking service. I was concerned that few calls from Doctors would not get through but they just Doctors and I can accept.


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## Ljc (Dec 15, 2019)

Sally71 said:


> We joined the TPS many years ago when it was still fairly new, at first it was brilliant but sadly it seems it becomes less effective the longer you are on it  I tried to rejoin, thinking maybe it lapses after a while, but it said we are already listed.



Same here I tried rejoining too .


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## Robin (Dec 15, 2019)

Sally71 said:


> We joined the TPS many years ago when it was still fairly new, at first it was brilliant but sadly it seems it becomes less effective the longer you are on it  I tried to rejoin, thinking maybe it lapses after a while, but it said we are already listed.


I think the TPS can only really police sales calls from within the U.K. Scammers often originate from abroad, and have found ways to disguise their numbers as U.K. ones, or people trying to sell you things claim they aren’t trying to sell you things, so get round it that way.


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## Docb (Dec 15, 2019)

I am afraid the TPS system will only cut out call from those who behave ethically.  Obviously scammers are not that bothered about ethics.


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## Jodee (Dec 15, 2019)

I have both landline and mobile registered with TPS I rarely ever get nuisance calls, so I would say worth registering.


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## robert@fm (Dec 16, 2019)

I just got a spam from "tesco" (yes, that's exactly how they capitalised it) offering me a "$50"[] gift voucher! Two obvious "this is a scam" indicators there.


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