The closest you've come to being scammed?
Discussion
I figured that this is a general interest topic, rather than a legal or finance one, so have posted it here.
What's the closest you've come to falling for a scam?
Mine needs a little bit of scene setting:
I'd recently received a letter from my previous car insurance company saying they'd appointed solicitors to deal with an old claim, and to expect a call or text from them.
A couple of days prior I'd had a brain fade moment and entered an incorrect PIN on my card 3 times, leading to me being locked out.
The day before I had 6 missed called on my mobile - which I incorrectly assumed was the insurance solicitors
I then tried to use my locked out card to pay for something in a supermarket.
Approx 30 minutes later, I got a call on my mobile from a number that I didn't recognise. I answered it. It was someone calling from "Virgin Money Fraud Department". Chap was very plausible, and the call wasn't exactly unexpected due to me having a very recent failed transaction.
The scam was along the lines of - they've identified a suspicious transaction "£500+ in Footlocker". Is this me? No. Ok, we'll send you a text with a 6 digit code to cancel the transaction. At this point they had me - hook, line and sinker. I opened the text, which had come from Virgin and was just about to read him the code when sanity prevailed and I refused to give him the code. I was still unsure as to whether or not this was a scam and it wasn't until a couple of hours later that the whole thing became clear in my head.
I consider myself quite savvy when it comes to this type of thing and it shocks me when I think about how close I came to actually being scammed. Maybe it's just me getting older and in 5 years time my details will be selling for £000s on the dark web as I'm such an easy target.
What's the closest you've come to falling for a scam?
Mine needs a little bit of scene setting:
I'd recently received a letter from my previous car insurance company saying they'd appointed solicitors to deal with an old claim, and to expect a call or text from them.
A couple of days prior I'd had a brain fade moment and entered an incorrect PIN on my card 3 times, leading to me being locked out.
The day before I had 6 missed called on my mobile - which I incorrectly assumed was the insurance solicitors
I then tried to use my locked out card to pay for something in a supermarket.
Approx 30 minutes later, I got a call on my mobile from a number that I didn't recognise. I answered it. It was someone calling from "Virgin Money Fraud Department". Chap was very plausible, and the call wasn't exactly unexpected due to me having a very recent failed transaction.
The scam was along the lines of - they've identified a suspicious transaction "£500+ in Footlocker". Is this me? No. Ok, we'll send you a text with a 6 digit code to cancel the transaction. At this point they had me - hook, line and sinker. I opened the text, which had come from Virgin and was just about to read him the code when sanity prevailed and I refused to give him the code. I was still unsure as to whether or not this was a scam and it wasn't until a couple of hours later that the whole thing became clear in my head.
I consider myself quite savvy when it comes to this type of thing and it shocks me when I think about how close I came to actually being scammed. Maybe it's just me getting older and in 5 years time my details will be selling for £000s on the dark web as I'm such an easy target.
A few weeks ago, call from my credit card company (CCC).
CCC - "Hi Mr Pills we've identified a potential fraudulent purchase on your card, £800 somewhere in the Middle East, was this you?"
Me - "No"
CCC - "Ok thanks we'll block that, we need to check a few other purchases, is that ok"
Idiot me - "yes"
CCC - " Well need to take you through security"
Even bigger idiot me - "gives 2 letters of password"
CCC - "we need the answers to your security questions" Proceeded to ask the correct questioned I have set up, answer one then the more intelligent part of brain obviously gave the less intelligent one a kick, could this be a scam. So I asked what the last payment from my card to them was.
CCC - "We don't have that information at this department, I'll have to call Experian credit"
Then hung up.
I then did what I should have done and called the number on the card. CCC immediately blocked the card and set up all new passwords, PIN and questions.
Lesson learned, always hang up and call them back.
CCC - "Hi Mr Pills we've identified a potential fraudulent purchase on your card, £800 somewhere in the Middle East, was this you?"
Me - "No"
CCC - "Ok thanks we'll block that, we need to check a few other purchases, is that ok"
Idiot me - "yes"
CCC - " Well need to take you through security"
Even bigger idiot me - "gives 2 letters of password"
CCC - "we need the answers to your security questions" Proceeded to ask the correct questioned I have set up, answer one then the more intelligent part of brain obviously gave the less intelligent one a kick, could this be a scam. So I asked what the last payment from my card to them was.
CCC - "We don't have that information at this department, I'll have to call Experian credit"
Then hung up.
I then did what I should have done and called the number on the card. CCC immediately blocked the card and set up all new passwords, PIN and questions.
Lesson learned, always hang up and call them back.
I've had loads recently, refunds for overpaid insuance on domestic products, which I don't have and PPI(!) refunds, all have to be paid by bank trnasfer.
I generally give them the BBC Licence Fee payee account details, I don't think they'll get very far in trying to take money from there.
Sort code: 60-80-09
Account number: 30287561
Other calls as regards refunds from an on-line investment account that that has no money in it but somehow manages to accrue hugh amounts of gains which they want to return to me..
These ones want me to log into some fake website and no doubt enter some bank details.
Recently I've been telling them to call me back on my works phone number when I've got more time to talk and ask for my PA.
Give them the switch board number, 0300 332 1424. (Chessington Zoo) my PA, Celia Lyons....
I generally give them the BBC Licence Fee payee account details, I don't think they'll get very far in trying to take money from there.
Sort code: 60-80-09
Account number: 30287561
Other calls as regards refunds from an on-line investment account that that has no money in it but somehow manages to accrue hugh amounts of gains which they want to return to me..
These ones want me to log into some fake website and no doubt enter some bank details.
Recently I've been telling them to call me back on my works phone number when I've got more time to talk and ask for my PA.
Give them the switch board number, 0300 332 1424. (Chessington Zoo) my PA, Celia Lyons....
I did get scammed.
Back in the late 80's I was selling a car, via Auto Trader. First person to view it wants to buy and gives me a cheque (obviously pre internet banking), and will pick the car up when it clears.
A couple of days later the cash shows in my account, and the buyer turns up to collect the car. A few days later the cash disappears from my account, and the bank returns the cheque to me as bounced. Apparently that's how it normally works.
The buyer then avoids all contact (I have his number and ID). I contact the police and they say its a civil matter. I managed to track him down and sue, but he just ignored the judgement.
Expensive lesson learned.
Back in the late 80's I was selling a car, via Auto Trader. First person to view it wants to buy and gives me a cheque (obviously pre internet banking), and will pick the car up when it clears.
A couple of days later the cash shows in my account, and the buyer turns up to collect the car. A few days later the cash disappears from my account, and the bank returns the cheque to me as bounced. Apparently that's how it normally works.
The buyer then avoids all contact (I have his number and ID). I contact the police and they say its a civil matter. I managed to track him down and sue, but he just ignored the judgement.
Expensive lesson learned.
I got to the point of switching on the laptop and getting to the black screen on a scam call from “BT Internet”. It was then I recalled (I had been not working for a couple of years) that this is the screen that our IT team used to gain access to my PC to remotely fix a problem!
I then spent a good 10 minutes on the phone with them in which I repeatedly asked them to give me my BT account number and they including “a manager” said they couldn’t. It was all I could do not to laugh when asked where they were calling from, I.e. which BT location, they gave me the Registered Office address.
In my defence, we had been having problems with the internet and I had rung BT up a few days earlier.
They almost got me though and I can see how some people with even less IT knowledge than me fall for it.
As an aside, I once had an enjoyable 15/20 minutes on the phone to a scammer who was trying to get me to the black screen and me pretending I couldn’t work out which keys to press or that I couldn’t find it! In the end I gave him a clue by saying that I couldn’t find that key on my phone and he terminated the call!
I then spent a good 10 minutes on the phone with them in which I repeatedly asked them to give me my BT account number and they including “a manager” said they couldn’t. It was all I could do not to laugh when asked where they were calling from, I.e. which BT location, they gave me the Registered Office address.
In my defence, we had been having problems with the internet and I had rung BT up a few days earlier.
They almost got me though and I can see how some people with even less IT knowledge than me fall for it.
As an aside, I once had an enjoyable 15/20 minutes on the phone to a scammer who was trying to get me to the black screen and me pretending I couldn’t work out which keys to press or that I couldn’t find it! In the end I gave him a clue by saying that I couldn’t find that key on my phone and he terminated the call!
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