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Meg
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21-09-2019, 03:54 PM
1

Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

I had a call 'from Amazon' earlier to say my subscription to Prime was due to run out and by clicking on a number I could cancel or renew it.

I don't subscribe to Amazon Prime but guess if I had selected 'renew' the scammers would have taken my card details

Googled it and it is mentioned here...
Scammers empty £25,000 from woman's account
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49733823

and here..
https://iwradio.co.uk/2019/09/19/ama...for-islanders/
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21-09-2019, 04:02 PM
2

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

I am sick to death of these people Meg.
Why should we have to be constantly on our guard in our own home!

I had one yesterday too. A peculiar foreign number with a recorded message of all things - probably couldn't speak English - saying something about unauthorised £600 had been transferred from my bank account.

Thing is, some of these people can 'buy' phone numbers now.
They buy numbers from big city area codes, like London.
This should never be allowed, but I guess money talks.
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Baz46
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21-09-2019, 06:00 PM
3

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

The only way to deal with these people is simply never discuss anything confidential or otherwise on the telephone. It doesn't matter what it's about, if they are genuine they will allow you to phone them back on a number you either know is their's or one from their website. If it transpires they haven't called you then the original incoming number should be blocked. I have over 30 different blocked numbers on my mobile, all from either scammers or 'ambulance chasers' about a car accident. I've never had one (touch wood) so that's easy to work out. Once I gave my mobile number out when my windscreen shattered and I had to get it replaced. The first and only company I left my number with wanted three weeks to replace it, no good at all. They are the ones who passed on my number I reckon because all the 'ambulance chaser' calls started from then.

Sometimes I have fun with them if they are the usual 'we work for companies such as BT and your Windows PC has a problem with the broadband, we can fix it for you' calls. I lead them on and let them continue, then ask them which Apple Mac it is with that problem – silence, then the call is terminated!

Scammers 0 me 1!
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Bratti
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21-09-2019, 06:59 PM
4

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

It’s pathetic. Do these people have no consciousness or personal integrity?
The greed and deception are off the charts with some folks.
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21-09-2019, 07:09 PM
5

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Originally Posted by Baz46 ->
The only way to deal with these people is simply never discuss anything confidential or otherwise on the telephone. It doesn't matter what it's about, if they are genuine they will allow you to phone them back on a number you either know is their's or one from their website. If it transpires they haven't called you then the original incoming number should be blocked. I have over 30 different blocked numbers on my mobile, all from either scammers or 'ambulance chasers' about a car accident. I've never had one (touch wood) so that's easy to work out. Once I gave my mobile number out when my windscreen shattered and I had to get it replaced. The first and only company I left my number with wanted three weeks to replace it, no good at all. They are the ones who passed on my number I reckon because all the 'ambulance chaser' calls started from then.

Sometimes I have fun with them if they are the usual 'we work for companies such as BT and your Windows PC has a problem with the broadband, we can fix it for you' calls. I lead them on and let them continue, then ask them which Apple Mac it is with that problem – silence, then the call is terminated!

Scammers 0 me 1!
My father is 89 and scammers used to turn his computer camera on and send on alarm through his speakers, then tell him that if he gives them $300 that they will fix his computer for him. I’d just unplug his computer and tell them to xxxx xxx!
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Baz46
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21-09-2019, 09:35 PM
6

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Originally Posted by Bratti ->
My father is 89 and scammers used to turn his computer camera on and send on alarm through his speakers, then tell him that if he gives them $300 that they will fix his computer for him. I’d just unplug his computer and tell them to xxxx xxx!
To have heard that would have been a setback for the scammers, especially if they first thought they were speaking to an elderly gentleman!

How on earth did they get access to his computer though? That would be my first thought, I would have to find out and prevent it happening again.
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21-09-2019, 10:28 PM
7

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Thanks for the heads-up, Meg.

I do have Amazon Prime and, though I doubt I would have fallen for this scam, it is still possible if I had something else on my mind.

I'll tell Marge too, because she might unwittingly 'renew' my account in this way.

At the same time, I've asked her to tell her aged mother, as she is also on Prime and you know how easy to fool old people are.
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Dodge
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22-09-2019, 12:06 AM
8

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Unfortunately the government has not moved with the times and has allowed our personal data/information to be a commodity that can be bought and sold by anyone.

Before the arrival of the internet, the only way companies obtained our personal information is from the public register which the council gave out to library's on microfiche.

Now with the arrival of the internet, the only way for the huge majority of companies to survive is to buy and sell customers data. You want to do online shopping, you have to sign up with credit card details and phone number. You want to chat to friends online, you have to sign up with email. EVERY site is doing it, if you want something, you have to give up your personal information, sites like Amazon, Asda, Tesco, Facebook, ALL the online banks, even this Over 50's site, they all collect your personal data and they sell it to a 3rd party. ALL websites do it. Any that say they don't are lying.

This is why our personal data needs to be reclassified as 'personal property' basically belonging to US, the people. Having to 'opt in' or 'opt out' is just a placebo in an attempt to keep people happy. Having your own personal information classified as your own property would mean any company who trades in your information could be taken to court, regardless of the opt in/opt out status because your information would be yours. As it stands at the moment, your own personal information does not belong to your, your name, your home address, your telephone number, your email address, your bank details, they all belong to somebody else and as such they can sell it as and when they please, which is what they currently do, hence why you keep getting all the scams.
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Bratti
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22-09-2019, 02:15 AM
9

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Originally Posted by Baz46 ->
To have heard that would have been a setback for the scammers, especially if they first thought they were speaking to an elderly gentleman!

How on earth did they get access to his computer though? That would be my first thought, I would have to find out and prevent it happening again.
Haha. I have no idea. I’m not a techie kind of gal.
All I know is that the camera would turn on and then the alarm would go off causing my father to panic and then they’d leave a number for him to call if he wants it fixed.
It was sad knowing he was getting scammed.
Bratti's Avatar
Bratti
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22-09-2019, 02:21 AM
10

Re: Yet another telephone scam (Amazon)

Originally Posted by Dodge ->
Unfortunately the government has not moved with the times and has allowed our personal data/information to be a commodity that can be bought and sold by anyone.

Before the arrival of the internet, the only way companies obtained our personal information is from the public register which the council gave out to library's on microfiche.

Now with the arrival of the internet, the only way for the huge majority of companies to survive is to buy and sell customers data. You want to do online shopping, you have to sign up with credit card details and phone number. You want to chat to friends online, you have to sign up with email. EVERY site is doing it, if you want something, you have to give up your personal information, sites like Amazon, Asda, Tesco, Facebook, ALL the online banks, even this Over 50's site, they all collect your personal data and they sell it to a 3rd party. ALL websites do it. Any that say they don't are lying.

This is why our personal data needs to be reclassified as 'personal property' basically belonging to US, the people. Having to 'opt in' or 'opt out' is just a placebo in an attempt to keep people happy. Having your own personal information classified as your own property would mean any company who trades in your information could be taken to court, regardless of the opt in/opt out status because your information would be yours. As it stands at the moment, your own personal information does not belong to your, your name, your home address, your telephone number, your email address, your bank details, they all belong to somebody else and as such they can sell it as and when they please, which is what they currently do, hence why you keep getting all the scams.
I agree. Our personal information gets sold
 
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