Phone scams on the rise – Don’t be taken in!

We’re receiving reports of a number of different “cold calling” telephone scams which are doing the rounds right now.

In one, telephone users have been contacted by a “representative of BT” demanding payment of an outstanding balance to avoid having their service cut off. The caller then offers to prove their “bona fides” by disconnecting the line temporarily, which they appear to do, before calling back and further demanding payment.

“The man was very persistent and convincing” said a victim who wished to remain anonymous. “He said that I owed £100 and if I didn’t pay, then my line would be cut off. He said that he could prove he was from BT by temporarily disconnecting my line. He told me to hang up and then try making a call out. When I did, I couldn’t call out. No dialing tone, nothing. He then called back and took my credit card details to pay the outstanding balance.”

What actually happened was that the caller simply muted the call and let the victim hang up, ensuring that the call would not be disconnected. Only the person initiating the call can actually disconnect it, if they don’t hang up then the call remains live. When the victim then tries to make an outgoing call, they can’t, because the line is engaged.

Stop cold calls for £9 per month

In another scam, telephone users are contacted by scammers claiming to represent either BT or the Telephone Preference Service and told that they can subscribe to a service to stop sales calls for only £9 per month, payable by credit or debit card. In actuality, both BT and the TPS offer this service for free.

Points to remember:

• NEVER give your credit/debit card or bank details over the telephone unless you are making a purchase from a supplier you know and trust AND you have initiated the contact
• NEVER allow a caller to pressure you into giving them money
• ALWAYS ask anyone who calls you claiming to be collecting an outstanding debt to contact you in writing to confirm the existence of the debt before even thinking about paying them