Strange phone call from <SNIP>, from social welfare...?

sioux1977

I hope I'm posting this in the correct section... just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and could shed any light on the following:

For the past few months I've been getting missed calls from a blocked number on my mobile. I never answered it, but today I did, cos I was getting really tired of it. A very cheerful-sounding guy who claimed to be called <SNIP> from Social Welfare started asking me questions. He knew my name, and said it was about a letter which I was sent in error a few weeks ago, in relation to my stamps running out. He started a big spiel about this letter and why it was sent in error etc...I stopped him and told him I hadn't received any such letter, and he asked me for my address. I said that if he really was from SW, and had really sent me a letter, then he should have my address. He reluctantly called out the address he had, and it was one I lived at 8 years ago. (I've moved about 4 times since then) I know he definitely wasn't calling from SW, cos they have my current address, but I was just wondering if anyone else has had a call from this guy, or similar? I didn't give him my address, I just told him not to call again, and I hung up. It really creeped me out, and I wondered if he was trying to get more details out of me, such as PPS number, and if it's some sort of scam. This blocked number has been ringing at all sorts of strange hours, sometimes ringing several times over the space of a few minutes. Any advice from anyone?? Thanks in advance...

jimmii

Contact Social Welfare to let them know at the very least. Lucky you are switched on to it someone could easily get caught out on that sort of thing. Definitely sounds like it could potentially be a scam some sort. If they had your PPS and your address and a few other details it would be easy to get some things redirected to a new address etc and possibly claim for more things.

eviltwin

Sounds like he was trying to get your current address, odd alright and I don't think that is the way SW would conduct things but it would be no harm to get in contact with the local office of that old address and see if they have a man of this name working there, they should be able to see anyway if there is an issue.

If he rings again, I'd answer and ask for his number to call him back. If he's legit he won't mind.

MrWalsh

What number is it coming from?

jimmii

MrWalsh wrote: »

What number is it coming from?

It says blocked number in OP.

MrWalsh

jimmii wrote: »

It says blocked number in OP.

The OP refers to "this blocked number" - so how does he know the difference between that blocked number and other blocked numbers?

Cushie Butterfield

sioux1977 wrote: »

For the past few months I've been getting missed calls from a blocked number on my mobile. I never answered it, but today I did, cos I was getting really tired of it. A very cheerful-sounding guy who claimed to be called <SNIP> from Social Welfare started asking me questions. He knew my name, and said it was about a letter which I was sent in error a few weeks ago, in relation to my stamps running out.

Just curious - if the calls were coming from a blocked number what makes you think they were all from the guy you spoke to today?

Do you owe anyone any money dating back to when you did live at the old address or to anyone who only had that address? If so the call today could have been from someone looking for an up to date address so as to pursue a debt :eek:

sioux1977

Thanks guys - no it's definitely not in relation to any money I owe. In relation to the blocked number, I have no absolute way of knowing that it is the same caller who has been trying to call me (it just says "No Caller ID") every time...but the reason I believe I KNOW it's the same person is that it always follows the same pattern: a phonecall which I don't answer, then another one 30 seconds later, then another one, and so on....sometimes 10 calls within a few minutes, and then perhaps nothing until the exact same thing happens the next day. It's very unlikely that an unrelated random caller would behave in this exact same fashion.

Eviltwin that's a good idea, if it happens again I will ask for his number!

Thanks again for your replies, guys

coylemj

sioux1977 wrote: »

Thanks guys - no it's definitely not in relation to any money I owe. In relation to the blocked number, I have no absolute way of knowing that it is the same caller who has been trying to call me (it just says "No Caller ID") every time...but the reason I believe I KNOW it's the same person is that it always follows the same pattern: a phone call which I don't answer, then another one 30 seconds later, then another one, and so on....sometimes 10 calls within a few minutes, and then perhaps nothing until the exact same thing happens the next day. It's very unlikely that an unrelated random caller would behave in this exact same fashion.

It sounds like you're being phoned by a machine. As soon as you answer and say 'hello', the call is routed to a person. They must have access to a database that was leaked or sold by a former SW employee.

My solution is that any time I get a call from a blocked number, I answer but say nothing. If it's a person calling then they will eventually say 'hello', if it's a machine calling then it will assume that it's after phoning a fax machine or a modem and it will give up. Better still, it won't call back.

sioux1977 wrote: »

Eviltwin that's a good idea, if it happens again I will ask for his number!

Ask him for his bank account number while you're at it! If he was prepared to give you his phone number, he wouldn't be calling from a phone with a blocked number in the first place.

OldNotWIse

MrWalsh wrote: »

The OP refers to "this blocked number" - so how does he know the difference between that blocked number and other blocked numbers?

I assume that was a way of distinguishing between the calls. One blocked number that called at X time, another that called at Y time.

dudara

Moving this to State Benefits

dudara

jimmii

MrWalsh wrote: »

The OP refers to "this blocked number" - so how does he know the difference between that blocked number and other blocked numbers?

Presumably just assuming its one and the same could well just be coincidence a lot of offices have started using them for unlisted numbers it seems drives me crazy even my doctor rings from a blocked number!

Avada

coylemj wrote: »

Ask him for his bank account number while you're at it! If he was prepared to give you his phone number, he wouldn't be calling from a phone with a blocked number in the first place.

IF it was genuine, it may still be from a blocked number. A lot of civil service/public service numbers show as blocked or from a switchboard number.

sioux1977

Dudara - thank you for moving my post, but would you consider moving it back to the original section, or perhaps a different one? My post has nothing at all to do with State Benefits - the reason I mention Social Welfare in the title is because a person (who I believe to be a scammer) is CLAIMING to be from SW in order to get personal details from me when they phone.

I also see that the caller's name has been snipped out of my post - but it's crucial to my query that the name be seen by readers, because I wanted to know if anyone else has had a call from a scammer using the same name.

If my post remains in State Benefits section, then nobody who is in a position to help me will actually see it. (I presume State Benefits is for people who have queries relating specifically to social welfare/pension/jobseeker payments etc, and information on eligibility etc, but that has nothing to do with my enquiry at all!)

Thanks in advance...

Avada

Its not fair on the person if they are genuine to have their name posted on the net.

Contact SW and give them the persons name.

sioux1977

Random_Name, my point is that it is obviously not the person's real name; no scammer would give their real name to the person they are trying to scam. If you understood my original post, you would see that the whole point of the post was to try and identify this person who is giving the FALSE name I mentioned Ergo, without people being able to see this name, the whole effort of my having written the post is useless.