Plagued by scam calls *DON'T POST PHONE NUMBERS*

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233874#Comment_118233874

Just curious, did you give them a name you had previously used on them? I had to invent a new one last time to stop them hanging up the second I said it.

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236142#Comment_118236142

They knew the first initial and surname for the landline as per phonebook. I never give them my name, I will always ask it from them and in a lot of calls this is what they have, if they insist on me giving them one I will give some funny name for entertainment purposes. Seem to be just working from the the phonebook as they had no other details like DOB, PPS, Credit Card, Bank accounts etc.

Itssoeasy

Got two calls yesterday in quick succession which the phone identifies as being from Moldova of all places due to the country code. I’ve gotten the emails and text messages which aren’t even trying they look so amateur. I did get a call from “Vodafone” which sounded like this lad was on the seafront and after running a marathon.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236161#Comment_118236161

Ah yeah, I hadn't thought about the landline. The Microsoft virus scammers used to call me "Mrs Ex's Surname" since that's all they had to go on. No one ever calls my landline these days, except my father in law. Not even "Amazon".

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236488#Comment_118236488

A bit off topic but my parents were the same, didnt want to get rid of the landline even though it was something crazy like €60 a month for something that was never used since I switched both their mobiles to GOMO unlimited calls ages ago but they refused to give up their precious landline number because it was so old, I switched them to VOIP, now it costs them €25 per year, they retain ownership of the landline number and it works perfectly the odd time someone does ring it.

https://www.irishvoip.com/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242076#Comment_118242076

I have a landline cause it just comes with the package, TV and broadband. My mother still has a landline but she says I'm the only one who calls it... Hey, it's a free call! Her internet is so bad in the sticks that calling her on WhatsApp is just painful.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242121#Comment_118242121

Likewise. Patchy internet and very poor mobile. 90%+ of our calls are landline. And it works went the power goes off too.☺

It comes with the broadband package and includes free national and UK landline and mobile calls.

Cherrycola

And another call today from an 085 number, answered this one and got the automated ‘Amazon prime’ scam message.

rang the number back and it was a genuine Irish number, told the girl what happened just in case she’s plagued with return calls today!

so they’re clearly ramping up again! 🙄

Nyum Nyum

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118244058#Comment_118244058

Think I got the same one too at about 9:10am. Had about 5 calls in a week now 🙄

Cherrycola

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118245164#Comment_118245164

About 10.30am for me. 12.30pm on Friday.

NCC1701

Got a call this morning from an 087 number purporting to be from "Irish taxes and Customs" and so I listened for a while thinking one of my kids might have ordered something from the UK that was held up due to VAT or customs duties. But then the voice on the line (American accent), said that unless I press "1", criminal charges and penalties would be brought against me. Hung up then as this "master criminal" wondered why Irish taxes and Customs would be using an American accent and threatening me with charges without even telling me why. Guess I live to fight another day.

rn

I got my first 2 calls in months today. Neither would engage unfortunately & hung up almost immediately. Neither were interested in padraig o'mcmanus from bally in Longford for as long as they'd talk to me.

Atlantic Dawn

Getting 3 or 4 calls a day this week from asswipes saying they are from Eir and that there's an issue with my WiFi, could the fookers not give it a rest for Christmas week.

Uncle Pierre

Bumping this thread back up to report a problem of a different type.

Several times these past few weeks, I've had people ring me to say they've missed a call from my number, and are returning the call. Thing is, I've never called these people at all.

Seems I'm a victim of something called "phone spoofing", which I'd never heard of before - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing

Also seems the only way to stamp it out is to change my phone number, which I'm highly reluctant to do. I've actually had the same number since I first got a phone way back in the late 1990s.

I've taken the step of recording a new voicemail message along the lines of "if you're just returning a missed call and don't know who you're calling, please note my number seems to have been taken over by scammers. If you're actually looking for me, [NAME], please leave a message and I'll get back to you". And now if a call shows up as a number only rather than a name of somebody in my directory, I'll just let it go to voicemail and see if I end up with a message afterwards.

Just wondering if this has happened anybody else, and if you might have taken any different or other steps?

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550410#Comment_120550410

Happened a couple of times last year. It only lasts a few days and they go on to use some other number. Just bear with it.

bmc58

What I'm getting for the past month (about five calls) are from people men and women who sound Irish and start with "Hello,you rang me,I have a missed call from you" ? I never rang these people and I explained that.I said someone is messing with my number and delete anymore calls you might get from my number.I wonder has someone been using my number to try and scam people.I've got a good few spam calls in the past few months and answered a couple out of anger to "speak my mind" to the caller.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550970#Comment_120550970

The numbers that they use when spoofing are as randomly generated as the numbers they call. It's happening to a lot of people. I just don't call a number back any more unless they leave me a message.

corks finest

Answer and when certain it's q scammer,referees whistle,

Make sure you're own ears are obviously blocked before giving them the red card

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552542#Comment_120552542

That does not work with digital exchanges or mobile phones. It only worked with analogue exchanges.

bmc58

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552542#Comment_120552542

Good idea but not for me .It would drive my 9 year old dog nuts (he's almost always in the same room as me).

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550822#Comment_120550822

This thing actually stopped happening within a day or two of our posts here earlier this month, and so I thought that might be the end of it.

But now I've just had a call again from somebody who says they missed a call from my number this morning, so now I'm thinking here we go again.....