Nuisance Phone Calls

[AF62]

An automated call purportedly from "your bank" asking you to press 1

A simple check by the scammers to see if the phone was answered by a live and gullible victim.

[Infrasonic]

I had a couple of two ring calls (then ring off) in quick succession from two different 'Tunisia' based numbers yesterday morning, a new one on me...

[ReformedCharacter]

Hello, this is BT Openreach we have detected problems with your security... Press 1 for assistance...

A new one for me today, usual script but a different remote service, seems to have spotted that I'm using Linux:



RC

[Bouleversee]

Amazon Prime spoof calls are back with a vengeance. I had 2 within a few mins. of each other recently and I get at least one call every day.

I also get something that flashes up on my computer screen and disappears before I can take in the message properly saying something about my computer being exposed to the internet. I'll try and make a note of the name next time.

[UncleEbenezer]

Hello, this is BT Openreach we have detected problems with your security... Press 1 for assistance...

A new one for me today, usual script but a different remote service, seems to have spotted that I'm using Linux:
RC

Um ...

To have got to that following a link in email would be plausible (perhaps also foolhardy if not in a sandbox) ...

But from a phone call?

[ReformedCharacter]

Hello, this is BT Openreach we have detected problems with your security... Press 1 for assistance...

A new one for me today, usual script but a different remote service, seems to have spotted that I'm using Linux:
RC

Um ...

To have got to that following a link in email would be plausible (perhaps also foolhardy if not in a sandbox) ...

But from a phone call?

Yes, I played along to see where it would go.

RC

[Infrasonic]

Yes, I played along to see where it would go.

RC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/419eater.com

[DiviLuvva]

I may have mentioned it before on this thread.
When prompted I always press 1 to be put through to the "advisor".
I have a very shrill (mountain rescue) whistle by the phone .......

[Mike4]

Amazon Prime spoof calls are back with a vengeance. I had 2 within a few mins. of each other recently and I get at least one call every day.
I also get something that flashes up on my computer screen and disappears before I can take in the message properly saying something about my computer being exposed to the internet. I'll try and make a note of the name next time.

Never mind trying to "make a note", see that "Prt Scn" button on your keyboard, top right? Dab it when you see the message flash up and the button does a screen grab. It copies the screen image to your clipboard so you can paste it into a browser (or image editing program) and read what it says, at your leisure.

[Watis]

Amazon Prime spoof calls are back with a vengeance. I had 2 within a few mins. of each other recently and I get at least one call every day.

I also get something that flashes up on my computer screen and disappears before I can take in the message properly saying something about my computer being exposed to the internet. I'll try and make a note of the name next time.

I was getting a similar message, generated by 'Avast Secureline VPN'. Although it is a legitimate product, I hadn't knowingly installed it, so it may be one of the products supplied in Windows 10 that I inadvertently activated. I found that it was set to run when Windows starts so disabled it - but it re-enables itself!

I've had to uninstall it in order to be rid of it for good.

HTH,

Watis

[ReformedCharacter]

Hello, this is BT Openreach we have detected problems with your security... Press 1 for assistance...

A new one for me today, usual script but a different remote service, seems to have spotted that I'm using Linux:

RC

I reported the episode to Zoho, the remote support provider:

Hello,

Thank you for reporting to us.

We have blocked the account of the person, who initiated the remote support session.

If you have any questions, feel free to write back to us.

Regards,
Zoho Abuse Monitoring Desk.

RC

[Arborbridge]

Is there a new rash of this stuff going around generally? It's not been a problem to me previously, but we've had four Amazon prime scams calls recently - three today - plus a BT Openreach.

Arb.

[supremetwo]

Is there a new rash of this stuff going around generally? It's not been a problem to me previously, but we've had four Amazon prime scams calls recently - three today - plus a BT Openreach.

Arb.

Yes started up again this week - maybe the scammers have been released from lockdown.

[Bouleversee]

It's probably Huawei getting its own back.

Seriously, I suggest we all write to our MPs demanding that something is done about this. Surely to goodness, it should be possible to stop people making calls from made-up numbers.

[Bouleversee]

3 calls re Amazon Prime this morning.

I also had an email purporting to come from Amazon showing a small picture of what looked like a self-supporting circular garden waste bin asking if, since I had reviewed it (which I don't think I ever did) could I tell another person where it was made by clicking on one of 2 options, one being "I don't know". I don't but didn't click. Looks very much like a scam to me..

[swill453]

3 calls re Amazon Prime this morning.

I also had an email purporting to come from Amazon showing a small picture of what looked like a self-supporting circular garden waste bin asking if, since I had reviewed it (which I don't think I ever did) could I tell another person where it was made by clicking on one of 2 options, one being "I don't know". I don't but didn't click. Looks very much like a scam to me..

I wouldn't be surprised if it was genuine. Quite often in the "Customer Questions and Answers" section of an item on Amazon, the answer is "I don't know".

Scot.

[Bouleversee]

I should have thought Amazon would be more likely to know where it was made than I would if they are selling it.. Anyway, why should I waste my time?

[Infrasonic]

I should have thought Amazon would be more likely to know where it was made than I would if they are selling it.. Anyway, why should I waste my time?

If it is genuine and you don't 'allow list' it then you run the risk of future genuine Amazon emails being automatically labeled as spam/junk.
Every new email I get to my oldest Hotmail address goes straight to the spam folder until I mark it as not spam and click it to 'Add to Safe senders', even though they are from major organisations and pass all the SPF/DKIM/DMARC and ARC thresholds.

If you regularly check your spam folders then there's not too much to worry about, but if you don't you could find important emails disappearing after they are automatically deleted from spam/junk (not all services let you turn off auto-deletion, I keep it manual where possible). It's the price we all have to pay for cutting down on the deluge of spam that used to exist. That Hotmail account only gets about two spam emails a week now, as opposed to forty a day at its peak. There were however loads of complaints online when MS initially changed their filters as a lot of genuine email was being bounced (or disappearing into a null with the senders oblivious to its non delivery).

[Bouleversee]

I actually marked it as spam. I don't need emails from Amazon.

[Bouleversee]

I had what appears to be a new attempted scam yesterday which I posted about here under the heading "Music when you dial".

Gryffron posted the following response:
It's not a fake number, it's real. But it goes to a call centre that's only used for outgoing calls. Hence any incoming calls are instantly routed to hold music, and nowhere else. An easy feature to setup on even the cheapest call centre system. If they don't setup a route OUT of the hold queue, then you'll just listen to the music forever."

How does that fit with the rule that a callable number must be displayed? I am supposed to get "caller display" (I am with Plusnet) but more often than not it just says "incoming call". Interestingly, when I dialled 1471 yesterday it gave me a number which only produced music when I rang, though this morning when I again dialled 1471 to see if anyone had rung while I had been in the garden, it said I had been called at the time of yesterday's call but the caller had withheld their number. I don't think that should be allowed and I don't think outgoing only numbers should be allowed.