Nuisance calls to elderly relative

crunchie84

Hello all,
Hope someone can help me. My elderly relative is getting nuisance calls daily from someone telling her she is sending malicious data from her PC. For starters she is 85 and doesn't own a PC. These calls are really upsetting her and it is getting to a point where she doesn't want to answer her phone. As she lives alone in an isolated area this is not good. She has contacted her provider who has told her not to answer the calls.
Is there anything else that she can do? The phone number is 001126. She has received a call from a different number also which i don't know.
Thanks

FSL

Complain to the Guarda and to Comreg. Tell them she is 85 and getting threatening calls from the 'your computer has a problem scammers' and you want action not platitudes.

Both are well aware that this is happening.

If you don't get any satisfaction then take a letter out of the scammers book and ring them every hour or two until action is finally taken.

crunchie84

Thank you for your reply. She has been in to the gardai about it but from the sounds of it they tried to placated her by telling her a satellite from the sky found her number or nonsense like that.
Its the fact that this person has told her that the malicious data is specifically coming from her number that is bothering her. She doesn't understand that this guy is a scammer.
Is there any way i can find out who the number is?

Spear

You mean it's just more of these?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055837564

FSL

Of course she doesn't understand. As I said tell the Gardai you want action not platitudes. There are loads of people who have been scammed out of money.

How many calls do you think the Garda Commissioner's mother would have to receive before the Indian ambassador was summoned and instructed to sort these scammers out?

dahamsta

They called me until I led them up the garden path a few times, telling them that my windows are fine but the door is sticking, things like that. It seems unlikely that could be done in this case unless you can convince your relative to have a little fun with it, but the fact that they stopped calling me does seem to indicate that it's probably just one crowd, or multiple crowds working off a single list.

With that in mind, would the relative be ok with the phone turned off for a few days, or failing that with just the ringer turned off so they can still call out? These people usually delete the number if it isn't answered n times in succession, or better yet if the number is "disconnected".

If they're worried about losing contact with the outside world, you could borrow an unused mobile from somewhere, and stick a prepaid SIM in it.

Eod100

Hi crunchie84,

Fairly sure I'm getting calls from the same numbers or else a variation on it. The numbers are 00109, 00112 and 00228.

When I pick up though, there's never anyone there but it's very annoying.

I was on to Eircom today and there advice was to contact the Nuisance Calls Bureau on 1800 689 689.
I gathered this is part of Eircom. But chance are if your relative is with another phone provider, they may have a similar set-up.

I rang up this evening but it was too late (there opening hours are 8am to 5pm) but will try again tomorrow.

You could try doing the same, the could be of some help.

Hope this helps!