Strange Call to Neighbour

jimbojazz

Hi,

Last night my neighbour called in to to me to tell me that he had received a phone call from someone from the Dept. of Soical Protection and Family to say that they had sent out a cheque to my address for me but that it had been returned to sender.

I live with my parents and it's unlikely if a cheque had been sent that they would return it.

The caller seemed to know a lot of my details - my age, my dads age, that I had just returned last year from working abroad etc.

I rang the Dept. this morning and they knew nothing about it.

Its really bothering me - would a debt collection agency employ these tactics - as far as I know I have no outstanding debts that I am not paying.

Has this ever happened to any one on here.

seamus

What was the reason for the call - were they looking for an address to send it to, or looking for your phone number?

Sounds like a form of social engineering - they have some of your details and so poke around looking to gather more. So, for example, if they have your name and the area in which you live, they pick a random neighbour from the phone book, ring them up and try to see if that neighbour has a specific address or phone number for you. They might also chat to the neighbour to see if they can draw out more information from them such as your parents' names, and so on.

Then they can try a slightly different tack on you - claim to be ringing from Revenue (or send a letter purporting to be from Revenue), confirm a load of details with you, and then casually ask for your PPSN.

Although I also wouldn't discount the possibility that DSW do actually have a cheque for you, but whoever you called knows nothing about it.

Just be on the lookout for suspicious calls, letters and emails over the next few months. Anyone who rings you up and asks you for personal information should be treated with suspicion. In such cases, ask the person for their name, who they work for and what department. Then look up that company online, ring the main reception and ask to be put through to the person who called you.

jimbojazz

seamus wrote: »

What was the reason for the call - were they looking for an address to send it to, or looking for your phone number?

Sounds like a form of social engineering - they have some of your details and so poke around looking to gather more. So, for example, if they have your name and the area in which you live, they pick a random neighbour from the phone book, ring them up and try to see if that neighbour has a specific address or phone number for you. They might also chat to the neighbour to see if they can draw out more information from them such as your parents' names, and so on.

Then they can try a slightly different tack on you - claim to be ringing from Revenue (or send a letter purporting to be from Revenue), confirm a load of details with you, and then casually ask for your PPSN.

Although I also wouldn't discount the possibility that DSW do actually have a cheque for you, but whoever you called knows nothing about it.

Just be on the lookout for suspicious calls, letters and emails over the next few months. Anyone who rings you up and asks you for personal information should be treated with suspicion. In such cases, ask the person for their name, who they work for and what department. Then look up that company online, ring the main reception and ask to be put through to the person who called you.

Thanks for the reply

I rang the Dept but I have never signed on or made a claim from them so it's definitely not from them.

The neighbour said they knew a lot about me - the more worrying one is they knew I worked abroad up until last year so they obviously have a lot of info on me for some reason, they also knew my dads name age etc

I dont think I have any unpaid debts but its possible there could have been one (doubt it) lurking in the background. I am back home a year, I was away for 3 years prior to this - my bank knows my address, obviously revenue etc know my address - I had a different address 6 years ago so whether there was a speeding fine, toll payment or something that I didnt know about being sent to that address that I knew nothing about and now they are chasing me - but surely it would be easier find my address than my neighbours - it's not that hard to find someone

It's really is worrying me

robo

It might be worth reporting this to your local Garda station - in case there were similar calls in the area.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

jimbojazz

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

If it was, are they within their rights to contact a neighbour?

SpaceTime

jimbojazz wrote: »

If it was, are they within their rights to contact a neighbour?

No, if they divulged any information to a 3rd party it would be a serious breech of the Data protection act.

Just give them no information whoever they are.

Sounds like phishing to me!

jimbojazz

SpaceTime wrote: »

No, if they divulged any information to a 3rd party it would be a serious breech of the Data protection act.

Just give them no information whoever they are.

Sounds like phishing to me!

Thanks, well they divulged false information in that they disclosed that a welfare cheque was being sent out (even tho' there wasn't.

They have now aroused suspicions with my neighbour who thinks it's the Revenue after me! (that's what the neighbour said!!)

I'm just baffled as to how they got so much other stuff that was correct - age, the fact I was away working, my dad's info etc

Also the fact that they contacted the neighbour - surely if they could contact him they could have contacted us by letter - if it was that urgent (my parents phone is ex directory)

MrWalsh

Can the neighbour contact his phone provider to find out what number the call came from? I assume it came in on a landline?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

seamus

It wouldn't be any of the official state bodies like Revenue. Revenue in particular don't need to be chasing you and phishing for information when they have plenty of other avenues.

It does sound like a DCA could be the most likely culprit - don't know where you went away to, but any chance a company there are trying to track you down? Even possible the immigration or revenue services in that country? If they have a wrong address for you, but some other private details that would seem to me to be a good possibility.
US agencies in particular are adept at using these kinds of tactics.

jimbojazz

MrWalsh wrote: »

Can the neighbour contact his phone provider to find out what number the call came from? I assume it came in on a landline?

I can ask him to do this

jimbojazz

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

yeah, that's what bothers me - he was also Irish - but i dont have any debts that have been neglected

jimbojazz

seamus wrote: »

It wouldn't be any of the official state bodies like Revenue. Revenue in particular don't need to be chasing you and phishing for information when they have plenty of other avenues.

It does sound like a DCA could be the most likely culprit - don't know where you went away to, but any chance a company there are trying to track you down? Even possible the immigration or revenue services in that country? If they have a wrong address for you, but some other private details that would seem to me to be a good possibility.
US agencies in particular are adept at using these kinds of tactics.

i was in the UK, the revenue there have my contact details, I was not self employed there so they wouldn't be chasing me.

I also had no loans over there so that eliminates that.

It was an Irish voice on the line.

SpaceTime

If you think it's someone trying to commit fraud, or defraud you you should report it to the Gardai and ask for advice really.

MrWalsh

So what exactly was the caller asking your neighbour?

They said they were Dept. of Soical Protection and Family and that they had sent out a cheque to your address for me but that it had been returned to sender.

So? Were they looking for you to contact them? Were they looking for the neighbour to confirm your address?

HelgaWard

Do you trust your neighbor? I find it unusual that he would have engaged in any kind of conversation with whoever the person was on the phone, like when they asked for you would he not just have said you have the wrong number?

jimbojazz

SpaceTime wrote: »

If you think it's someone trying to commit fraud, or defraud you you should report it to the Gardai and ask for advice really.

Yes, that's what I am going to do - even if it was a DCA they had no right to contact a neighbour when they could just have easily written to me at my address - we live in a semi detached house beside each other so its not like we are distant neighbours

MrWalsh

HelgaWard wrote: »

Do you trust your neighbor? I find it unusual that he would have engaged in any kind of conversation with whoever the person was on the phone, like when they asked for you would he not just have said you have the wrong number?

It sounds very strange to me that the neighbour would have engaged in such a conversation about you tbh. I also would have just said they had the wrong number.

jimbojazz

MrWalsh wrote: »

So what exactly was the caller asking your neighbour?

They said they were Dept. of Soical Protection and Family and that they had sent out a cheque to your address for me but that it had been returned to sender.

So? Were they looking for you to contact them? Were they looking for the neighbour to confirm your address?

That's what makes this more wierd - they said that they would send the cheque again and for me to expect the cheque - that was the basis of the call - it started off by them asking did our family still live next door under the pretext that they had sent out the cheque from the DSW, he then was able to tell them that I was working away for a few years, my age, my dads age etc.

He finished off by saying he would resend the cheque - and that was it.

I rang the DSW this morning to see if they had sent a cheque and they said they hadn't - I wasn't expecting one because as I said I have never had a claim with them

So, is this normal, are they within their rights to do this - like I said its not as if I've disappeared off the face of the earth

But as I also said I cant think of anyone that I have a bad debt with

HelgaWard

Any exs who would be just nosy about you and wondering what you are up to now?

jimbojazz

HelgaWard wrote: »

Any exs who would be just nosy about you and wondering what you are up to now?

Nah, the ex wife lives near enough and if she wanted anything she'd be on like a hot snot

Any of the others are well gone

Betty Bloggs

I think it's a possibility your neighbour got asked for some information about you and foolishly told them about you working abroad, your dad's age etc. and let their mouth run away with them.
Maybe only afterwards they realised it was an unusual call and that perhaps they shouldn't have spilled your info so easy. Possibly feeling uneasy and guilty now so trying to pretend that the caller already knew all this info about you?

Still have absolutely no idea though why someone would make that call digging information on you in the first place! It would creep me the feck out and I would definitely be going to the Guards. Tell your neighbour you are going to the Guards about it and that they may check to look at his phone records to see where the call came from.

jimbojazz

Betty Bloggs wrote: »

I think it's a possibility your neighbour got asked for some information about you and foolishly told them about you working abroad, your dad's age etc. and let their mouth run away with them.
Maybe only afterwards they realised it was an unusual call and that perhaps they shouldn't have spilled your info so easy. Possibly feeling uneasy and guilty now so trying to pretend that the caller already knew all this info about you?

Still have absolutely no idea though why someone would make that call digging information on you in the first place! It would creep me the feck out and I would definitely be going to the Guards. Tell your neighbour you are going to the Guards about it and that they may check to look at his phone records to see where the call came from.

Yip, it's put the frighteners up me - didn't sleep a wink last night over it. Also the parents are elderly and not in great health. the last thing they'd need is some thug from a DCA calling to the door

MrWalsh

Betty Bloggs wrote: »

Still have absolutely no idea though why someone would make that call digging information on you in the first place! It would creep me the feck out and I would definitely be going to the Guards. Tell your neighbour you are going to the Guards about it and that they may check to look at his phone records to see where the call came from.

^^ This.

The neighbour may have caller id on his phone so check with him if he already has the number.

ardmacha

If it was someone claiming to be Welfare and they weren't, then that is fraud and it is worth informing the Gardai of this, this may help inform them about a pattern from other calls.

HelgaWard

I presume the neighbor let you know if it was a male/female voice. I'd suspect the ex or some form of weirdo stalker who wanted to find out about you. I think it must have been someone who already knew who your neighbor is, as in their name and address, I think you need both to find out a phone number. All very strange, definitely report to the local Garda, and see if your neighbour can trace the number who phoned them. Even call in and ask them, most of those cordless house phones have a call history you could check through. Best of luck.

jimbojazz

ardmacha wrote: »

If it was someone claiming to be Welfare and they weren't, then that is fraud and it is worth informing the Gardai of this, this may help inform them about a pattern from other calls.

Yeah, I'm going to leave it sit for a few days, and see what happens - if they want me they know where I am - and if they do show their face I can hit them with the fact that they contacted a neighbour and disclosed information that they should't have had

I also asked the neighbour did he get the number but said he hadn't - was most likely on private anyway. The caller was male - said his name was John - not much help to be honest - also the neighbour had a few scoops in him when he was telling me but he was pretty clear in what info yer man had on me. I'll be calling in again when I get home

daheff

well its definitely not the social welfare looking to send you a cheque....coz government agencies stopped issuing and accepting cheques as of sept last year.


sounds seriously dodge....i'd talk to your local guards

emanresu

daheff wrote: »

well its definitely not the social welfare looking to send you a cheque....coz government agencies stopped issuing and accepting cheques as of sept last year.

That is just for payments to or from businesses.

foggy_lad

Would it have been your neighbour just being a nosey curtain twitcher? would there be someone using your address and meeting the postman outside whenever they expected post while you were out of the country?

verywell

Are you part of a motor claim by any chance? Sometimes they send out PIs to investigate the person's activities.

Did they ask the neighbour any other questions about you?

AngryHippie

Any one of us on this thread could very well be "John"
Now they can fish through your previous posts and discover all of This about you :eek:

I'd be giving the cops a call, get something noted in the books about it.
If there is anything further without any indication of who they are, I'd be paying my bank a visit too and ensuring they call me if there is suspicious activity on my account.

Last thing you need with elderly or unwell parent's is some shady character poking around. Everyone loses sleep.

Maybe get a check on traffic infringement fines or unpaid fines when you are talking to AGS, they might be able to enlighten you.
Bank may be aware of debts, worth asking them to check your credit rating.

Failing all of those things, presume the worst, that it is someone with ill intent and zero professional motivation for tracking you down. Then you prepare yourself for some sort of badness.

autumnrain

I'd be a bit freaked out by that too - if they have that much info, they probably could contact you directly but chose not to. So they need a call from the Guards to let them know that the neighbour, you & local law are all aware of them.
I'd ask the neighbour to jot down the number and what he can remember of the call. Then I'd drop over to your local Garda station and report it. It might also fit into a larger pattern in which case you'd know it wasn't just you!

tuisginideach

How would anyone be able to connect your neighbour's phone number to your case - the person had to know both of you to know (a) X is a neighbour and (b) X's phone number which presumably isn't just one digit away from yours?

jimbojazz

tuisginideach wrote: »

How would anyone be able to connect your neighbour's phone number to your case - the person had to know both of you to know (a) X is a neighbour and (b) X's phone number which presumably isn't just one digit away from yours?

Yip, but whoever rang the neighbour knew my address so by logic would have known my neighbours house number - so it's not that difficult to get the name of who is living next door - electoral register and a phone book?

So far I haven't had any contact - nor did any mysterious cheque arrive

Living Off The Splash

O.K. Let's look at this from another angle. Supposing you were the smokescreen? Could whoever phoned be looking for information about your parents? How many adults living in the house etc. Household income etc

I am not trying to worry you here or cause you any upset but if someone went to the trouble of looking up a Thom's Directory to see who your neighbour was, to find your neighbour's telephone number and then to phone them with a completely made up story are pretty devious.

I cannot see anyone from the Department of Social Welfare going to this trouble...as you said yourself there would be a paper trail before this happened.

If private detectives are following you or there is a case of mistaken identity here then you should see a car parked somewhere near your house, usually a piece of junk, with one or two people in it. As you leave they will follow you.

If that is the case, take the car reg and report them to the Gardai.

homingbird

Facebook do this all the time & nobody says anything eg. where did you go to school were do you live what age are you they are none the wiser with me as i used a spam email to sign up.

Wanderer78

homingbird wrote: »

Facebook do this all the time & nobody says anything eg. where did you go to school were do you live what age are you they are none the wiser with me as i used a spam email to sign up.

thank god, ive never had a facebook account. the world's most dodgiest site.

tough one op

MrWalsh

homingbird wrote: »

Facebook do this all the time & nobody says anything eg. where did you go to school were do you live what age are you they are none the wiser with me as i used a spam email to sign up.

Facebook phone your neighbour and ask questions about you while pretending to be from social welfare?

daheff

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

O.K. Let's look at this from another angle. Supposing you were the smokescreen?
.

excellent point....maybe you were the smokescreen for flushing out your neighbour....OP has your neighbour been up to no good??

maybe they called pretending to be asking about you all the while confirming the neighbours details ??

DellyBelly

Have you been on any flagged sites. Anything top do with ISIL or the likes. Sounds to me like it could be CIA. MI5 or MOSSAD looking up on you. Be careful with what you look up on the NET. There are agencies out there that are watching 24/7. When I want to look up things like that I never do it at home. I always go to a internet cafe and never the same 1 twice. Be careful is the only advice that I can add...

Wanderer78

DellyBelly wrote: »

Have you been on any flagged sites. Anything top do with ISIL or the likes. Sounds to me like it could be CIA. MI5 or MOSSAD looking up on you. Be careful with what you look up on the NET. There are agencies out there that are watching 24/7. When I want to look up things like that I never do it at home. I always go to a internet cafe and never the same 1 twice. Be careful is the only advice that I can add...

id also recommend you to wear a paper bag over your head at all times and maybe a tinfoil hat so they cant receive your thoughts. just some ideas

slimjimmc

Mod: And I think that's where we'll leave it. The potential link to debt collectors was already tenuous and no consumer issue has evolved.